Kosta Tszyu - Really a ATG?

I think it's arguable if he is a great or not.he was certainly very good.

head to head i don't rate him too highly against other 140 greats.

He was like Kalule with power as an amatuer, but as a pro seemed to fall in love with his power and devolved into a fairly one-dimensional-if very precise-stalking fighter.

 

Define an ATG??? Fought at championship level for 10years, fought his first world title fight after 13 fights, brutal power, good accuracy and timing, good judge of distance, excellent bodypuncher, very strong.

His defense wasnt the greatest though, lacked head movement and he wasn't the fastest either

I'd also pick him over some top 140lbers, for example Barney Ross, Cervantes and just maybe Chavez, Armstrong and Meldrick Taylor

 

The fact that he unified the division and reigned as champion for many years should put him up there with the best ever at 140.

 

The problem with Tyszu is we didnt get to see him against the best of the best like Mayweather, Delahoya, Mosley. He has good wins but not great ones and I think he loses to all 3 of the above, but maybe he'd beat a Mosley or Delahoya

His legacy is probably the Judah fight, which is a very good win. Gonazalez, Chavez, Ruelas, Hurtado and Mitchell are all notably good wins.

 

I think he's a ATG, he has a great record and while I've never seen the Phillips fight, the Hatton loss was just an old fighter being forced to fight at a pace he couldn't manage. The Phillips fight is the one that asks the questions, but I like to give fighter the benefit of the doubt in the Hatton situation.

 

oscar would have knocked kosta out just like phillips did

 

Maybe he had learnt the lesson but was just physically unable to do anything about it? He was knocking on a bit when he fought Hatton, I just think it was the wrong style at the wrong time.

 

Kosta Tszyu is going to the hall of fame.

Is he an ATG? Depends on how many ATG's you allow. Top ten ever at his best weight, I'd say no.

 

I favour Tszyu over Joe Calzaghe in a P4P prime matchup, that is how good he was.

 

I love kostya so im a little biased BUT...
when kostya fought vince he was in the process of being sued for almost everything he worked for.. i dont care who you are, its going to affect you... instead of being in the gym working he was sitting in a courtroom scared his life savings were about to be taken.. that would affect ANY fighter.. people forget that kostya was WINNING the majority of that fight too..
Secondly the hatton **** shouldnt even be considered when you assess his career..
a young, fit and focused tszyu gives ANY lightweight problems
(except duran)

 

He makes ATG for me, deffo.