Like all parents, they were concerned about the brutality of the sport but when they saw how dedicated I was and the discipline the sport gave me in and out of the ring, they quickly realised the positives outweighed any potential negative.
Fast forward a few years and I’m proud to say they haven’t missed a fight. Whether it’s here or overseas, one of them will always be with me and that can make all the difference.
This was never more evident than when I travelled to the famous Korakuen Hall fighting arena in Tokyo to take on Suyon Takayama, undefeated for 10 years and with a 24-1 record.
That fight was one of my proudest moments and I would never have got the result without the support of my mum and my girlfriend Zoe at ringside.
More tattoos than I can count
I’m really family-oriented. I have a big family, I love my family and I’m really blessed to have them in my life.
When I was 18, I got my first tattoo with my two older brothers Daniel and Justin. It’s on our chests and it says, ‘Born as brothers, became best of mates’. My parents weren’t too thrilled with us.
Now I’ve got so many tattoos I lost count a long time ago, and if it wasn’t for Zoe I wouldn’t have a spare spot left on my skin.
Getting tattooed with my brothers ignited a love for tattoos and, from 18 to about 22, I was getting tattooed every couple of months. That meant a lot of pain but there is something about sitting there in pain for long hours that’s a great mental challenge for me.
I reckon I’ve spent a month at least in the tattooist’s chair. My right arm alone was 28 hours, across six- or eight-hour sittings.
The tattoo with my brothers started off quite small, but over the years I’ve added to it. I had a big eagle put over top of it with the two eagle heads representing my brothers and underneath that I got some script that correlates to my brothers also. It says, ‘Loyalty is Royalty’.
I did my leg tattoo as a homage to my favourite fighters. There is Muhammad Ali at the bottom with Mike Tyson above him. On the inside of my leg I have Arturo Gatti, a Canadian-Italian fighter known for his great bravery and huge punching power.
I have MGM Grand tattooed on there with the big lion and some boxing hands. I plan on finishing my leg all the way up and both legs eventually.
As I get older I definitely want more but I’ve been with Zoe for about four years and, when we first started dating, she put a bit of hand brake on them.
I’ve got a couple of little ones here and there over the course of the four years but want to keep some space for kids I might have in future.
I got Zoe’s initials behind my ear with a queen’s crown and I have her nickname, ‘Chicky Babe’, written underneath my heart.
I have a tattoo on my arm that is of a woman’s face with a lion’s mask, I got it just before I met Zoe but it’s the spitting image of her. It’s funny how things work. It’s like I visualised it. I tell plenty of people that it’s her.
I’ve got the word ‘Determined’ written underneath my gut. That is for the fights that I’ve been in and situations in my life.
Tough times don’t last, tough people do, and I’m one of the most determined people you could meet.
‘We went the full Rocky’
The only time the tattoos were an issue was when I fought in Japan. They have rules preventing people with tattoos using the saunas and onsens, because in Japan they’re considered a sign you may have links with organised crime.
I freaked out because it was my mum’s birthday a couple of days before I left and I indulged a little bit with too much dinner and I was two and a half kilos over the day before the fight.
We tried to get into saunas and kept getting knocked back.
Usually, I’m happy losing about a kilo on fight day. Being two and a half kilos over and not being able to sauna was stressful and so we went the full Rocky.
I put garbage bags and a tracksuit on and ran 5km at the hotel gym. Then I hopped into this little bath in our apartment, about a metre long by a metre high.
Zoe was boiling water on the stove and tipping it into the bath. We made our own sauna and while it was quite the experience, it worked. We made the weight and got the win.
‘All the pressure is on Tim’
I’m fighting Tim Tszyu at super welterweight, in what most people would say is my biggest challenge to date.
There’s the added pressure of stepping up in weight and of course the prospect of facing an unbeaten, technically gifted fighter like Tim Tszyu.
Tim is a big, strong super welterweight with power in both hands.
He’s looked super impressive in his last few fights and will be full of confidence that he can dominate me like he’s done to every other fighter he’s faced.
Unfortunately for Tim, I’m not like every other fighter.
Everyone knows that when I step in that ring, I am there to go to war.
I’ve been tested over and over again and each time I rise to the challenge.
Tim is heading into December 6 carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The pressure is on him. We’ve got nothing to lose.
I’m happy to be the underdog, I’ve been the underdog my entire life.
Win, lose or draw, he knows it’s going to be a war.
More about: Resilience | Tattoos | Tim Tszyu
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