FIGHTING SPIRIT

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Adopt the old school training methods of rising star Tim Tszyu to build both knockout strength and go-the-distance toughness

ONE OF THE MORE torturous quirks of Tim Tszyu’s training involves a 16-kilogram kettlebell. The drill here is not to swing, thrust or snatch the bell; Tszyu simply has to hold onto it... for 60 unbroken minutes. He can swap the weight from hand to hand or plonk it on either shoulder, but he can’t let go of it until the hour is up. For the last 15 minutes his arms and shoulders are marshmallow. But it’s not really a physical exercise, Tszyu explains: “It’s more to do with mental strength”.

It’s a comment that takes you back 20-plus years, to when Tszyu’s father, Kostya, was the best light welterweight in the world, a magician of the ring. “Mind is gym,” Kostya used to say. ? He meant training was more than dawn runs and jumping rope. It could be exploring and expanding