Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Kostya - My Story by Kostya Tszyu Jeff Horn vs : Bitter family split behind Kostya’s absence. When Tim Tszyu walks to the ring in tonight against Jeff Horn his famous fighting father Kostya will be 13,000km away. Tsyzu, 25, faces the biggest fight of his young career as he attempts to follow in the footsteps of his world champion father, but Kostya won’t be in his corner. Watch Horn vs Tszyu live on Main Event (available on Foxtel and Kayo), Wednesday 26 August, 7pm AEST. ORDER NOW > Almost 30 years after moving to Sydney from Russia with his fiance, Natalia, to launch his professional career, Kostya now has a new wife, a new family and has left scars that may never heal. This is the inside story of how the Tszyus transformed from dream to a distant, fractured family. YOUNG LOVEBIRDS WHO FLEW THE COOP. Kostya Tszyu returned home to poverty-stricken Serov in central Russia from the 1991 boxing world championships in Sydney with a gold medal and a new dream. With nothing left to prove as an amateur, Tszyu would pass up the Barcelona Games, turn professional and move Down Under. But he didn’t want to go alone. Waiting for him in Serov was a truck driver’s daughter named Natalia who he believed was the best looking girl in town. She had to come with him, so a proposal was made and the Australian Immigration Department fast-tracked two visas. Natalia left her job as a hairdresser earning a few roubles a week and joined Kostya on a. two-day train trip to Moscow before a 24-hour flight to Sydney. Leaving temperatures of -30C they landed in the middle of the Australian summer. “It’s a huge weight off my shoulders finally getting out here,” Tsyzyu said after arriving at Sydney airport. “Life in Russia is hard at the moment and there is very little food to be found.” Two months later, Tsyzu debuted on the undercard of Jeff Fenech’s famous first defeat against Azumah Nelson, knocking out his opponent in 70 seconds. A star was born and Tsyzu’s professional and personal life moved at a rapid pace. By 1993 he’d made his debut in America and married Natalia. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. “It was very hard at the start. I was a man of 22 but Natasha was just a shy girl of 19,” Tszyu said in 2002. “She was very homesick and lonely. We argued a lot and she cried many times. We could not speak English and it was hard even to shop. We didn’t even know how to use a bank.” But it got better. In 1994 they welcomed a son, Tim, and three months later Kostya won his first world title. “This won’t change our life,” Natalia said, tears welling in her eyes as she watched her husband’s win in Las Vegas from home in Sydney. “It will be the same life and he will be the same person he was before the fight.” And Kostya was for most of the next two decades as the man known as the Thunder from Down Under with the gold tooth and ponytail rode a wave of fame to more titles and millions of dollars. The Tszyu clan expanded to include another son Nikita and a daughter Anastasia and while they enjoyed their wealth by purchasing a three-storey waterfront palace and a $640,000 Bentley, Kostya showed no interest for the cheap thrills many boxers fall for and was the model family man. “Family is the most important thing in my life. It’s what I’m fighting for,” he said in 1997. “What my family has given me, I have to give back.” NO FAIRYTALE ENDING FOR THIS FAMILY. Tsyzu’s career ended in 2005 when Johnny Lewis stopped his fight against Ricky Hatton in the 11th round. Natalia, holding Tim in her arms, walked straight to the legendary trainer and thanked him for saving her husband from further damage. Tszyu appeared restless after hanging up his gloves, toying with the idea of a comeback before packing up his family and moving them to Moscow in 2008. But his wife and children missed and the family quickly returned to Sydney. In 2012, a year after Tszyu was inducted into boxing’s hall of fame alongside Mike Tyson, it was revealed he’d left his family to return to Russia. Natalia, who had been portrayed as the doting wife and was photographed waiting at the airport every time her husband returned from a fight overseas, was suddenly happy to see him go. She sold their Carss Park mansion in Sydney’s south and gave an extraordinary interview to the Sunday Telegraph where she said she wasn’t fussed if her husband found a new wife. “If my husband wants to stay in Russia, let him stay there. It is an important life for him. He is an important man there and he is where he belongs. Men should be men,” she said. “If he met someone else I can’t do anything about it. If she could look after him in Russia, why not.” That’s just what Kostya did. THE MODEL AND TWO MORE KIDS. Kostya met his second wife, Tatiana Averina, around the same time his boxing career ended. A model and PR executive 10 years his junior, Tatiana was first Tszyu’s employee but he said in 2017 “you cannot work and love at the same time, so I sacked her”. Three years after leaving his family, Tsyzu proposed and married Tatiana on the same day. She was six months pregnant. They now have two children, Aleksandr and Viktoria, and live in an unassuming apartment on the outskirts of Moscow while running a successful restaurant. Again, Tsyzu is playing the model husband and father. “I was so busy in my career as an athlete when the first ones were born, I can’t remember. Right now I am enjoying everything. I don’t want to miss anything,” he said of his children in 2017. “I am still busy. But I want to be home by 6, 7 o’clock every night. I want to be with the kids.’’ The nature of his relationship with his three eldest children in Australia depends on who you ask. Kostya told the Courier Mail ahead of Tim’s fight with Horn they remained tight. “Me going to Russia has never broken any bond or any relationship with Tim,” Kostya said. “I can’t say we chat every single day, but we are father and son. We are on the phone and we communicate on WhatsApp. I love him. I am such a proud father and I will always be proud of Tim.” Natalia sees it differently. ‘KOSTYA WAS NEVER IN THE KIDS’ LIVES’ “Kostya was never in the kids’ lives, Kostya disappeared from the kids’ lives when he left them at a young age. The kids have built their lives without their father,” she told the Daily Mail. “I know that some people won’t want to hear this, but this is the truth.” Natalia now talks about her “ex-partner” unemotionally. “We came from Russia together in 1992 only for one reason — for him to become a world champion,” Natalia said. “It was marriage, but at the same time it was 99 per cent a business transaction. “I still talk to him but not much. He has disappeared from Australia, he has set himself up in Moscow and he is remarried with two kids. He lives his own life.” Watch Horn vs Tszyu live on Main Event (available on Foxtel and Kayo), Wednesday 26 August, 7pm AEST. ORDER NOW > Tim doesn’t seem to be bothered by the situation. “My dad supports me no matter what, from where he is,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald. “The fact he’s not here doesn’t bother me. He’s only been to one of my fights anyway.” Kostya Tszyu may not watch son Tim fight Jeff Horn. When Australia's new boxing hope Tim Tszyu steps in the ring tonight, his champion father Kostya may not even be watching. Despite the comparisons between Tim, 25, and his world title winning dad, they have never had much of a relationship since he returned to Russia. It is still not clear if Kostya will even watch his son's fight with Jeff Horn, 32. 'Do you know what, that is the question,' his ex-wife Natalia told Daily Mail Australia. Kostya split from Natalia in 2012, left her with three kids and headed home to Russia, where he has now built a businesses empire, re-married and had two more children. But Natalia - who still uses the last name Tszyu - said if her ex-husband is to view his son's fight it will be done over a video call, with the camera turned towards the TV. 'If he's able to watch Tim's fight it can only be done if we do a livestream from here in Sydney and we can WhatsApp or FaceTime him. That's the only way he can watch it.' 'Kostya was here for only one of Tim's fights, for the others we have done that which the promoter said is illegal but it is his father, he needs to know what is happening with his fights. 'Kostya was never in the kids life, Kostya disappeared from the kids' life when he left them at a young age. The kids have built their lives without their father. 'I know that some people won't want to hear this, but this is the truth.' With the Soviet Union collapsing, Kostya and Natalia moved to Australia from Russia in 1992 with one goal in mind - for the boxing prodigy to become a world champion. After marrying they settled in Sydney, where they had visited a year earlier for the world championships. Then they got to work. Kostya retired in 2005 after a decade as light- champion, when he took his family back to his homeland. At the time Tim was in his late-teens and close to finishing high school, with his mum deciding her two sons and daughter needed to be in Australia. Natalia and Kostya literally shook hands and moved on. It was like a business deal. 'Between me and my ex-partner we had a goal. We came from Russia together in 1992 only for one reason - for him to become a world champion,' Mrs Tszyu said. 'It was a relationship, it was marriage, but at the same time, it was 99 per cent a business transaction. 'Once Kostya was retired from boxing and he had finished his last fight, we put all the cards on the table to see what we were going to do. 'We lived for six months in Moscow. but I'm a mother, my kids were born in Australia and my kids belong to this country, so we went back to Sydney. 'And then one day Kostya said: "OK, I can't live in Australia anymore, I have to go back to Russia". So we shook hands and I said "good luck", and he said "good luck" to me. 'I still talk to him but not much. He has disappeared from Australia, he has set himself up in Moscow and he is remarried with two kids. He lives his own life.' At the time of their separation Mrs Tszyu shocked many when she refused to criticise her husband, telling one newspaper 'men should be men'. 'If my husband wants to stay in Russia, let him stay there. It is an important life for him. He is an important man there and he is where he belongs,' she said. Kostya and his second wife Tatiana Averina, a former model and PR executive, run a successful restaurant named Lodka in the heart of Moscow. " He has set himself up in Moscow and he is remarried with two kids. He lives his own life." Natalia Tszyu on ex-husband Kostya. Mrs Tszyu insists there was love at one point in the marriage, but is adamant she did the right thing for her kids by settling in Australia. It has allowed her to build a successful career in real estate, for her children to finish school and for Tim to become a boxing champion - although she never wanted him to do so. 'I'm one of the parents who was against my son boxing, because in my lifetime I have seen so much blood, so much pain,' the mother-of-three said. 'Boxing is not jumping into the ring, boxing is hard training and a lot of preparation, I don't want my son to go through this. 'You can’t compare him to Kostya because it is two different things, but he was born with boxing gloves. 'Boxing was breakfast, lunch and dinner. 'At the end of the day, I was one of the people that didn't want Tim to fight, but when I saw him start going to the gym I supported him.' Mrs Tszyu will be joined by her daughter Anastasia, son Nikita and 100 friends at the Aqua Luna function centre in Drummoyne to watch the fight on a big screen tonight. The last time she spoke to her son he was in good spirits. Considering the upbringing in what his mother described as 'like a strict army family' this mother has no doubt Tim has done all the work necessary to secure the win. 'Unfortunately I can't fly to , so I’m going to be watching the fight here with my fingers crossed,' Mrs Tszyu said. 'I would say Kostya is a Russian product but I would say Tim is born in Australia, and he is proud to say he is Australian. 'I don't have much family here, I only have my three kids and the rest is all Australian people who have been supporting us. 'They supported us the first time when Kostya was fighting and they are supporting us the second time with Tim fighting. That is our family, Australia.' HEAD TO HEAD: TIM TSZYU v JEFF 'THE HORNET' HORN. TIM TSZYU. BORN: Sydney, New South Wales. AGE: 25. HEIGHT: 174cm. WEIGH-IN: 69.1kg. RECORD: 15-0 (11 KO's) NOTABLE WINS: Tszyu will put his undefeated record on the line in his toughest test to date against Horn, having easily won most fights to this point. JEFF HORN. BORN: Brisbane, . AGE: 32. HEIGHT: 175cm. WEIGH-IN: 69.5kg. RECORD: 20-2-1 (13 KO's) NOTABLE WINS: Horn etched himself into Australian sporting folklore with a win over in 2017 to win the WBO welterweight title, which he relinquished at his second defence. Younger Tszyu still has much to learn, will go to Russia and train with father Kostya. FLEDGLING boxing professional Tim Tszyu did a good job on his debut, but still has plenty to learn and will get further tuition in Russia, according to his famous father Kostya. Tim, 22, won all six rounds on each of the three judges’ cards against Queenslander Zorran Cassady in front of several hundred people indoors at the SCG on Saturday. Kostya, who won multiple world titles, flew in from his birth country of Russia last Tuesday to support his eldest son. He revealed he planned to take Australian-born Tim to his boxing training camp in Russia, after his son’s second pro fight in February on the undercard of the Danny Green- fight in Adelaide. “It’s pressure for Tim. Everyone has expectations. Someone will say he was supposed to knock him (Cassady) out,” Kostya Tszyu told AAP. “He did a good job . it was a good experience, six rounds to start with. “He has a lot of things to learn. That’s why after the February fight I want to take him to Russia and take him to my training camp and give him some little tips. “Igor, his trainer, is here and I won’t train him, but I will be his supervisor.” Tim showed glimpses of his dad’s style while showing plenty of his own moves against Cassady, who went in to the fight with a 1-2-1 record. “I picked someone who wasn’t a walk in the park, who could test me out. He was tough,” Tim Tszyu told AAP. “First fight there was a bit of pressure. It was all over the media, a big crowd came. “It was something I’ve never ever done, but you’ve got to adapt to these things. “Again, Mundine and Green will be good exposure. It will be a good atmosphere.” Kostya barked out instructions in Russian from ringside throughout the fight while videoing it at the same time. “I tried to see the mistakes and tried to analyse them quickly and give the instruction at the same time,” Kostya said. “I know probably the majority of my words were just for myself because Tim didn’t hear me, but at the same time I needed to get rid of my excitement.” However, Tim said he did hear his dad’s advice. “It was like I was in a tunnel, there was three voices in my head: myself, my dad and my trainer and that’s all it was. I didn’t hear the crowd,” Tim said. Tim Tszyu reveals why he NEVER wants his dad Kostya to coach him. Having a boxing legend as a father might come in handy if you're in pursuit of a world title, but Tim Tszyu has revealed why he doesn't want any ringside help from his old man. The undefeated Sydneysider also opened up about a widely rumoured incident where he dislocated his grandfather's jaw with a right cross when he was just three years old. He is set to take on Irish-Australian challenger, Dennis Hogan, 36, on Wednesday night in a fight to determine the next number one contender for the WBO super welterweight strap. But Tim's dad Kostya won't be ringside cornering him at the Steel City Showdown in Newcastle because the last time that happened it drove the 26-year-old crazy. 'My dad is a hard man, especially when he comes to watch my fights,' Tim told news.com.au this week. 'He's only watched one of my fights and let me say it was … chaotic.' Tim made his professional debut against Zorran Cassady back in 2016 and all he could hear during the bout was a thick Russian accent cutting through the crowd noise. 'It was hard to deal with. It was just out of control. Because he's a control freak, it's hard for him to watch someone he loves fight in the ring. Especially for him.' Despite the comparisons between Tim and his world title winning dad, they have never had much of a relationship since he returned to Russia. Kostya split from Tim's mother Natalia in 2012 leaving her with three kids and heading home to Russia, where he has now built a business empire, re-married and had two more children. 'Kostya was here for only one of Tim's fights, for the others we have done that which the promoter said is illegal but it is his father, he needs to know what is happening with his fights,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'Kostya was never in the kids' life, Kostya disappeared from the kids' life when he left them at a young age. The kids have built their lives without their father. 'I know that some people won't want to hear this, but this is the truth.' © Provided by Daily Mail Tim kisses girlfriend Alexandra Constantine on the cheek after his win over Jack Brubaker last December © Provided by Daily Mail Kostya Tszyu and his second wife Tatyana (right) married in 2015 and have two young children. With the Soviet Union collapsing, Kostya and Natalia moved to Australia from Russia in 1992 with one goal in mind - for the boxing prodigy to become a world champion. After marrying they settled in Sydney, where they had visited a year earlier for the world amateur boxing championships. Then they got to work. Kostya retired in 2005 after a decade as light-welterweight champion, when he took his family back to his homeland. At the time Tim was in his late-teens and close to finishing high school. Now 17-0, the signs Tim would have a stellar career inside the boxing ring were there from a very early age. While playing around with his grandfather Boris Tszyu, Tim uncorked a right hand that would leave the boxing trainer unable to chew for weeks. © Provided by Daily Mail Natalia did not want her son Tim to become a boxer but said he had gloves on before he could even walk, with this Sports Weekly magazine front cover photo of him from 1995 proof of that © Provided by Daily Mail Tim Tszyu (left) lands an vicious uppercut on Jeff Horn who does his best to cover up. 'I still remember this. I'm standing on my knees and I'm play-boxing with Tim,' Boris told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'My attention is diverted for a moment and you're not expecting it, you're not looking and you've got your mouth open. But there weren't any hard feelings - quite the opposite - Boris was impressed. Now on the cusp of becoming a world champion, Tim said he dreams of winning the title for his beloved grandfather and hanging it on his wall. But Tim is facing his toughest test yet against a seasoned opponent coming off two unsuccessful world title fights. In 2019, most fight fans thought the fighting Irishman turned Aussie had won the WBO belt after defeating Mexican Jaime Munguia on points in Monterrey. But a dubious home crowd decision handed the contest to Munguia. Now with a record of 28 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw, Hogan is on the warpath and has Tszyu firmly in his sights. © Provided by Daily Mail In 2019, most fight fans thought the fighting Irishman turned Aussie (Hogan pictured) had won the WBO belt after defeating Mexican Jaime Munguia on points in Monterrey. But a dubious home crowd decision handed the contest to Munguia. '10 years ago now that I made a decision I had to make some changes if I wanted to win a world title,' Hogan told the Daily Telegraph. 'I had been in Australia about eight months and I was playing up quite a bit on the drink.' The decision to turn his life around came after a phone call with his late grandfather who was battling emphysema after a lifetime of hard drinking and smoking in Ireland. 'His last words were give up that drink son, and give it everything you've got. Then he passed the phone to my mum.' Tonight's undercard will begin at 7pm and be broadcast on Main Event, available on Foxtel and Kayo. Tszyu and Hogan are expected to make their walk to the ring at about 10pm. © Provided by Daily Mail Tim (right) holds his father Kostya's world title belt as he, wife Natalia (left) and youngest son Nikita (left) return to Sydney in 2002 after defending his world title in Las Vegas Read more. Kostya Tszyu - Sportspersons, Timeline and Childhood. Konstantin Borisovich ‘Kostya’ Tszyu is a Russian-Australian professional boxer who is a two-time world light-welterweight Championship. As a professional boxer, he competed from 1992 to 2005. Regarded as one of the hardest-hitting light-, he relied heavily on accuracy and timing, and had daunting punching power. He won a bronze medal in the lightweight division at the 1989 World Championships and a gold in the light-welterweight division at the 1991 World Championships. He also won gold medals at the 1989 and 1991 European Championships. His biography ‘Kostya: My Story’, released in 2005, narrates his story of a child who turned to boxing to protect himself in the harsh environment of Siberia, and went on to become a world champion. Kostya, who has not yet retired from boxing officially, fought his last match in 2005, which he lost. In his career, he has won 31 out of 34 fights—25 of them with a . He is the first champion to unify all the belts the light welterweight division in over 30 years. Ranked as the number one junior welterweight of the decade (2000s) by Ring Magazine, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in December 2010. // Famous Boxers. Childhood & Early Life. Kostya Tszyu was born on September 19, 1969, in Serov, an industrial town in the former Soviet Union, to a Korean/Mongol father, who was a fitter in a metal factory, and a Russian mother, who was a nurse.