'Melts my heart': baby joy fuels ring monster Tszyu
Tszyu will return to the ring in Sydney on August 20, exactly a month after his older, former world champion brother Tim was bashed into submission by Sebastian Fundora in Las Vegas.
While Tim's future appears uncertain following a third straight loss in the US, Nikita remains unbeaten and reckons he will carry even more motivation when he makes his comeback from a 12-month lay-off as a doting first-time father.
The 27-year-old and his wife, also named Nikita, welcomed daughter Curiosity to the world late last month.
"It's an emotional journey," Tszyu told AAP in Las Vegas.
"Yeah, very beautiful seeing something that you created. She melts my heart."
With eight KOs from 10 fights, the undefeated knockout merchant dubbed "The Butcher" delivered a chilling message to his rivals when asked if being a dad would make him an even better boxer.
"What I've noticed is the more love I feel at home, the more hatred I feel for the rest of the world and I think it's going to be the strongest thing for me, getting these children," Tszyu said, adding that his work-life balance was perfect.
"My wife, she's all on top of it all.
"So when it comes to night time, she's taking care of her. She understands that I need to rest, I need to recover and that's what's feeding our family.
"So she's full-time mum, (offering) 24-hour full-time care and I can help out wherever I can.
"But, ultimately, I need to focus on my trainings and my recoveries as well."
Tszyu carried the pain of a hand injury through multiple victories before opting for hand surgery following a ninth-round stoppage of fellow Australian Koen Mazoudier in Sydney last August.
An opponent for his comeback bout is yet to be determined, but Tszyu says Tim and Hall of Famer dad Kostya's accomplishment as a rare father-son duo to become world champions continue to also fuel him with motivation.
"It's eye-opening seeing them," he said.
"Yeah, it is definitely motivating and there's a lot of sense of pride that I feel that we come from the same gene pool."
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