‘Each to their own’: Tim Tszyu responds to Jeff Fenech’s criticism ahead of blockbuster fight against Joey Spencer

Tszyu is under siege with Fenech having launched an extraordinary attack on his team, labelling them “clowns” and “stupid” in the lead-up to the Sydneysider’s comeback fight against Spencer on Sunday.

Fenech has called for Tszyu to sack key staffers, including trainer and uncle Igor Goloubev and cutman Mark Gambin, claiming their lack of knowledge was to blame for back-to-back losses last year to Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev.

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Those defeats saw Tszyu (24-2) lose his world champion status, plunging him into a must-win showdown in Newcastle with dangerous American Spencer (19-1), who has vowed to end his career.

But as Tszyu looks to avoid a third consecutive loss, the ‘Soul Taker’ has rubbished suggestions from Fenech to fire his team, blaming himself for a disastrous 2024 campaign.

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“Jeff has always been like that,” Tszyu said ahead of his Australian comeback at Newcastle Entertainment Centre.

“Look, I love Jeff, he is one hell of a guy and he is very opinionated, but it’s each to their own.

“There’s a lot of different opinions out there about me and my team and a lot of different talk.

“Are they all correct? No, that’s the truth. I’m going to prove on Sunday that there was no need for the criticism.

“People always want to point fingers. I understand that, but the only thing I was pointing at was myself.

“At the top level, you can’t just go in there thinking you will walk guys down and blast them out in a few rounds.

“That’s not my team, that was my lesson to learn and I will be smarter this time.”

Fenech first turned the blowtorch on Tszyu’s team after his loss to Fundora last March in Vegas.

Tszyu suffered a sickening head gash at the end of round two and Fenech lashed his corner for not stopping the fight at the end of round four, when all three judges’ cards were level at 38-all.

Fenech, a four-division world champion, then accused his team of poor tactics in Tszyu’s savage beatdown against Murtazaliev. It was left to Tszyu’s brother, Nikita, to throw in the towel after Murtazaliev dropped a concussed Tszyu for the fourth time in three rounds.

“His corner are terrible,” Fenech told Jai McAllister’s Youtube show after Tszyu’s most recent loss.

“Tim shows how tough he is and his corner shows me how stupid they were.

“I don’t care what anyone says. I love Tim. He has the most amazing skill and brain. But as far as I’m concerned, if he keeps the corner he has there, he will always have problems.

“I know the fight game. I know what I’m talking about. I know things that can make Tim twice a better fighter. He needs an A, B and C plan and that has to come from his team.

“He lost against Fundora because he had a knowledge-less corner.

“If they had any brains, they stop it after the fourth round, and say he can’t see, which he couldn’t because of all that blood, and he is still world champion, and he’s making $20 million in his next fight instead of $1 million.

“Tim needs change.

“He went back to work after Fundora with the same crew and it was worse (against Murtazaliev).

“Tim needs someone in his corner he can have a great conversation with.

“His corner in the last two fights ... they didn’t have an idea what to say to him.

“I just tell the truth. Tim needs to make some changes and if he has the same people working with him they are as much to blame to Tim.”

Tszyu’s manager Glen Jennings slammed suggestions the 30-year-old needs a shake-up to rise from the canvas and conquer the world again.

“There is a bit of disappointment that people think we should just dump our team and bring new people in,” he said.

“I have known Jeff Fenech for decades.

“Look, he is an outspoken guy on many boxing subjects.

“I’m not sure how Jeff thinks it’s going to help a fellow Aussie by criticising Tim’s team, but that’s his opinion, he is a Hall of Famer, so I guess he’s earned the right to have an opinion.

“I can’t see any reason why any one of our team should have to be removed.

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“Boxing is a very dynamic sport and there’s a lot of stress and pressure and you are making decisions in the corner in a split-second that few very critics understand or experience.

“Team Tszyu has been together a long time. We respect each other’s roles and we all stay in each other’s lanes.

“This team has made Tim a world champion so clearly we are doing something right.”