Tim Tszyu Was Once Called in to Spar Manny Pacquiao

Tszyu was a guest at the No Limit Podcast ahead of his fight against Thurman. In conversation, the host asked him about the latter’s fight against Pacquiao. “I helped Manny Pacquiao prepare,” he said.

Tszyu continued, “I got a call in 2019. I was supposed to move in with the missus. And, I got the call, Manny Pacquiao wants to spar, yeah. I was like, what do I do? I mean, I knew what I was gonna do.”

He mentioned that he went on to spar with Pacquiao. During the sessions, Tszyu was told to fight like Thurman and emulate the fighter’s signature moves. “So, I was researching him. Having a look at how he was fighting, to imitate him for Manny, for a couple of weeks,” he said. “Four years later, down the track, me and him fighting now at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas. It’s unreal.” Tszyu added that Thurman still has a relatively similar fighting style while also adding that the latter has not faced a boxer like him.

Pacquiao faced Thurman at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on July 20, 2019. He went on to defeat Thurman via decision. Moreover, the victory also earned him the WBA (Super) welterweight title, making him the oldest welterweight to win a major title in boxing history.

“Champ in Recess”

Tszyu’s performances over the years have pushed many fighters to set their sights on The Soul Taker’s titles. Erickson Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) has been long eyeing Tszyu’s WBO title. After Tszyu’s decision to fight Thurman, he recently took to X to make a rather rash demand.

“Tszyu not defending his belt @WorldBoxingOrg strip his a** make him the “champ in recess” he wrote. He demanded that Tszyu be stripped of his title since he was not defending it. Moreover, he added that he wouldn’t mind fighting other boxers for the title.