Tszyu's loyal cutman Mark Gambin ready for Fundora rematch in Vegas
And it's no exaggeration that it did look like a grizzly crime scene by the time Tim Tszyu walked out of the ring a bloody mess after his razor-thin split decision defeat to Sebastian Fundora last year.
Gambin was the cut man that night, and the Sydneysider received intense criticism for his inability to stem the bleeding from the worst gash seen in professional boxing last year.
So if there's anyone – other than Tszyu – who could be forgiven for wanting a personal redemption arc this weekend, it's Gambin, who flew out to Las Vegas on Monday night and will once again work the corner.
But Gambin's response when asked about making things right on a personal level speaks volumes.
Tszyu needed a miracle to stop the bleeding. Picture:It tells you everything you need to know about why Tszyu didn't rush into making wholesale changes to his team like much of the boxing world was urging him to last year.
'I can't wait to get in there and make sure everything's right for Tim and for him to get the win,' Gambin told Code Sports. 'I just want to get in there and rip in and work hard as a team for Tim.
'That's the most exciting part about it, just getting in and getting the win for Tim.'
It's not about him, it's about the fighter.
Which isn't very common in the cutthroat world of professional boxing.
There were some incredibly dark moments for Gambin after the first Fundora fight.
As the pile on hit and he became the scapegoat for the first loss of Tszyu's career, he deleted all his social media accounts.
He had originally planned on spending a few days in Vegas after the fight, but left Sin City early, driving to Los Angeles and flying out the very next day.
As Tszyu prepares for his rematch with Fundora at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas this weekend, Gambin still doesn't want any of the spotlight.
Tszyu and Gambin have worked together for years. Picture: Supplied
'That was a tough night for him, and he would've felt it the most out of anyone,' he said. 'We all would've had our little sad times when we got home, but he would've felt it the most.
'And we all understand that too.
'He's the athlete, he's the reason we're all flying to Las Vegas.'
There were calls from at home and abroad for Tszyu to immediately ditch his team following the Fundora bloodbath.
But after working with the same small crew for most of his 27 fight career, making wholesale changes was never an option.
Gambin missed Tszyu's defeat to Bakhram Murtazaliev when he needed an emergency appendectomy at the start of fight week and wasn't allowed to travel to Orlando.
It sparked speculation that he'd been dumped from the team, but he was back on deck for Tszyu demolition of Joey Spencer in April, when he had remarkably little to do.
'It's also for me to thank him and make sure that he knows that I can cover anything he needs in that corner,' Gambin said. 'That's what I want to show him.
Tim Tszyu with cutman Mark Gambin (L) and trainer Igor Goloubev (R). Picture: Supplied
'When we did Joey Spencer, I think Tim felt really good with the team around him, and we sort've just want to pay him back and make it so that he knows that we've all got his back.'
As for any changes he's made, Gambin says he might need to pay for extra baggage after doubling up on everything in his fight night kit bag.
'Whatever I had before, I've now got two of,' he laughed. 'It's just about being completely ready – not that we weren't last time – but it puts it in perspective.
'If I had one packet of gauze, I've now got two packets. If I had five ampoules of adrenaline, now I've got 10.
'So my bag's getting pretty big, but I know I can do my job, mate.
'That was a freak night and it'll probably never happen again in the history of boxing. Touch wood.
'The majority of people wouldn't have stopped that cut. Actually, no one would've stopped it.
'You've just gotta cop it. I was there, no one else was there, and it was just a fountain. It wasn't a cut, it was a fountain, so it wasn't getting stopped.'
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Brendan Bradford
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Brendan Bradford is a sports writer for CODE Sports. He primarily covers combat sports, league, union, cycling and athletics. Brendan has worked in sports media for a decade, covering world title fights, World Cups, Grand Slams and Spring Tours.
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