Nikita Tszyu has revealed that a ‘spiritual experience’, where he realised that he enjoyed ‘inflicting pain and being a little devil’, was the reason behind why he opted to quit his job in architecture and instead pursue a full-time career in boxing.
The 27-year-old Australian is set to make his return to the ring on Wednesday night following a year-long hiatus. The 10-0 southpaw is set to square off against Macedonian fighter Lulzim Ismaili, aged 28, at the ICC Sydney Theatre.
Tszyu, who is the younger brother of Aussie star Tim Tszyu and the son of former world champion Kostya, had previously pursued a career with international architectural firm Woods Bagot.
As a youngster, it looked as though Nikita would follow his dad and brother into the sport, impressing as a junior fighter before opting to quit at the age of 16 to pursue a career in architecture. He’d later gain a Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Design at the University of Technology Sydney.
But he would feel unfulfilled by the line of work.
‘I’ve never spoken about this before, but I had a spiritual experience that showed me my true desires in life,’ the fighter told The Courier Mail.
Nikita Tszyu has revealed that a ‘spiritual experience’, where he realise that he enjoyed ‘inflicting pain and being a little devil’, was the reason behind why he opted to quit his job in architecture
The 27-year-old Australian (left) is set to make his return to the ring on Wednesday night following a year-long hiatus as he takes on Lulzim Ismaili (right)
Nikita (bottom left, with his dad Kostya and brother Tim) began working as an architect, but realised that it was no longer fulfilling
‘It was a vision of pain and suffering, darkness and evil thoughts.
‘At that stage of my life, it was showing me the things I desired most in life, and that was inflicting pain and being a little devil.
‘It was essentially the feelings I get from boxing.
‘So I knew I’d regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t pursue boxing while I still could.’
Nikita explained that boxing has provided him with a way to deal with those dark thoughts, adding that he didn’t know where they came from.
‘Boxing is the legal way to unleash it,’ the fighter added.
But he is OK if he doesn’t win world titles. In fact, Nikita explained that he wants to use boxing, and his dark thoughts, to help provide for his family.
‘Once boxing is done, my plan is to have that side of me released through being on a farm with animals and out in the wilderness.
Tszyu (left) had revealed that it was his ‘dark thoughts’ that saw him realised he wanted to return to professional fighting
‘I want to use that darkness to feed my family.’
Nikita, who revealed last week that he had been eating his wife’s placenta and drinking her breast milk in a bid to ingest more vitamins, last fought in August 2024, where he bested Koen Mazoudier at the ICC Exhibition Centre in Sydney.
Interestingly, should he win on Wednesday night in Sydney, there is talk that he could headline a fight card in Las Vegas on the same weekend as the NRL’s opening round extravaganza in Sin City in 2026.
It is an opportunity that excites the 27-year-old fighter, but what’s even more enticing is that he could come up against heavyweight great Evander Holyfield’s son, Evan, among several other big names.
Those include Shane Moseley Jnr, Antonio Tarver Jnr and Nico Ali Walsh – who is the grandson of Muhammad Ali.
That’s according to Fox Sports, who claim the idea had initially been to have his older brother Tim headline the event.
Nikita branded the news ‘perfect’.
‘Already having so many Australians there in Las Vegas, the atmosphere would be electric,’ Nikita said.
Reports now claim that Nikita (right) could be set to fight in Las Vegas on the same weekend that the NRL’s opening round extravaganza could take place in Sin City
‘Right now, I’m taking each fight as it comes.
‘And I do have to take care of business here before heading overseas.
‘But what I like is new experiences.
‘And being able to experience something that the greatest boxers in the world do – fighting in Las Vegas, the pinnacle – it’s something I would absolutely love.
‘That’s definitely the goal.’
