Kosta Tszyu - Really a ATG?

the phillips fight he lost because of errors in preparation and the fight which he then corrected. he then battered all-comers until running into his natural successor in ricky hatton . he was probably ripe for the taking at that stage but i reckon only hatton at that weight could have beat him that night. it was just meant to be.
yeah i reckon he is up there as an ATG, a unique fighter.

 

He was defintely an ATG imo.

He was moved at a very fast pace and had only had a handful of fights when Mayweather and Bramble took him distance (as did La Porte) as they had the experience to survive against a virtual amateur,but that's all they did they didn't seriously try to win either.

I believe his career defining win was Zab Judah who was easily one of the hottest properties in boxing when Kostya burst his bubble.No one out of Australia or maybe Russia saw Tszyu being able to do that to what was seen by some as the second coming of Pernell Whitaker but with a punch.

De La Hoya stopped Chavez on a cut in 96 whereas Tszyu dominated and floored him,something De La Hoya couldn't do in 2 fights with Chavez.Kostya also gave a rare beating to Miguel Angel Gonzalez dominating and stopping in 10 a man who'd previously taken Oscar the distance.That said I don't think Tszyu beats Oscar,he's simply too small but I do think he was p4p a harder puncher.

His resume at 140 is much deeper than Pryor's imo and I think he deserves to be rated in the top 3 all time at the weight.He wasn't perfect but was still a very,very formidable fighter and a tough night for anyone.

 

:good Agreed that's how I see it as well.

 

That last loss to Hatton in '05 hurts bad but, I'd still say that a peak Kostya Tszyu was the goods and tuff to beat for any other great fighter who ever fought between 135 to 140 pounds...... YES! Tszyu is as great as Aaron Pryor ever was..... SERIOUSLY!!:smoke

MR.BILL

 

He is one of those fighters on the cusp..He has a decent resume but when you look at some of the fighters around him who are ATG at the weight he doesnt matchup H2H very well. Thats no hate on him, just a nod to the rich history of the division.

Thing is with Kostya he was so likeable I think a lot of people look at him with slightly rose coloured glasses sometimes.

 

Yes he is. A great fighter in is time and a secure lock for the HoF.

 

zab judah was really hot at that time. i reckon that the tzyu defeat took a lot of wind out of him

gonzalez was one tough mother ****er who was pretty skilled

 

Loche - stalker precision puncher versus boxer, and Tyszu thrived in this scenario usually, he was also outboxable with a basic footwork defense and slower punches. Loche is going to be outboxing him, Tyszu will land the more deadly shots. Either wide Loche UD or Tyszu by mid-late round KO after breaking him down

Pryor - Tyszu's 2 losses showed him having difficulty with pressure, Tyszu likes to fight at his own pace, . Pryor would bring educated pressure and a relentless fast pace and speedy delivery of shots. Pryor would take the first round as Tyszu starts a little slow. I'm sure Tyszu tags him with a few straight rights in the forthcoming rounds and counter hooks coming in and this would hurt Pryor and win Tyszu some rounds. Tyszu would be getting hurt himself by Pryors relentless onslaught. After 8 rounds I see it as 4 rounds a piece, then Pryors stamina takes over, winning 3 of the last 4 rounds, Tyszu's punches are more energy sapping and fighting at that tempo is Pryor territory, not Kostya's. Pryor UD 7-5

 

Solid post.

 

As ever, it's entirely dependent on what you think an ATG is. By my definition, no Kostya Tszyu is not an All-Time Great. But I think my definition is different to most peoples'.

I rank fighters by putting them into 7 categories. Anyone who makes it into either of the top 2 categories (Elite and Great), is an All-Time Great. Anyone who falls into my third category (Very Good) is not considered an All-Time Great. Kostya is in my 3rd category because I believe his resume is not strong enough to be in the Great class.

I place Kostya in my group of five, five boxers of past 10-15 years that I rate very closely together in terms of all-time pound-for-pound greatness: Trinidad, Calzaghe, Mosley, JM Marquez, Tszyu.

So I do rate him highly, but for me personally, ATG is a very exclusive club.

H2H at 140, considering only people who actually fought for the junior-welterweight title since its reintroduction in the 1960s, I think Whitaker, Chavez, Pryor, Benitez, Mayweather, Locche, De La Hoya and Cervantes would beat Kostya.

I think a peak Tszyu beats a peak Hatton though.

 

I think Tszyu is underated always said that and always will defend the man that i think made boxing a pleasure to watch.

Always got your moneys worth.

ATG Yes.
To me a All time Great of the game isnt measured by just his record and who he beat.

ATG means everything. And when in full flight like against Mitchell,Hurtado,Gonzalez,Chavez,Judah he was Great to watch.

Cut the Ring off better than any fighter ive seen in the modern era.

I will probably get called a nuthugger or this or that but i dont care because i know one thing this sport of ours was better when he was still fighting.

 

And he was the rarest of breeds; a road warrior. What other big name high profile guys ever bother to take their act on the road lets say just 4x their entire career? And just what are the results when they do try and become the road warrior?

Tszyu fought anyone, anywhere and anytime and that's a rare bird in a sport dominated by spot pickers. And after a long long career as a champion, he only has 2 losses on that record of his. I'm not certain he wouldn't have been undefeated if he forced Phillips and Hatton to fight in his backyard, just like most house fighters do.