Former WBO junior middleweight champion
Tim Tszyu announced Thursday that he's made a long-awaited decision on his new head trainer: highly-esteemed Cuban coach Pedro Diaz.
He told Fox Sports Australia that after spending three weeks stateside trialling different coaches, including esteemed duo Abel Sanchez and Rudy Hernandez, the 30-year-old contender knew just 20 minutes into his session with Diaz that he was the right choice.
Having revamped his management team and largely stripped it for a rebuild last month, Tszyu (25-3, 18 KOs) hopes Diaz can reinvent him with better success than he famously tried with former four-division world champion Miguel Cotto in 2011-13.
Diaz sought to remind the Puerto Rican of what got him to rarefied air within the sport, he was 32-0 and had made ten world title defences across two weight divisions before damaging stoppage defeats by Antonio Margarito and
Manny Pacquiao a year apart.
Diaz has more than 40 years' experience and originally worked with the Cuban boxing team through five Olympic cycles, before heading stateside to train the likes of world champion duo Guillermo Rigondeaux, Cotto and longtime heavyweight contender
Filip Hrgovic.
Tszyu, at 30, knows this is a critical juncture in his own career after three losses in his last four - two by knockout - and the scar tissue from being second best against
Sebastian Fundora and
Bakhram Murtazaliev will only linger, the longer he delays.
It's why Diaz has already set up a plan to have an eight-week camp stateside as discussions are in play for a proposed comeback fight the week before Christmas on December 17.
Tszyu has been pleasantly surprised by the little tweaks already made to his boxing IQ by Diaz and is displaying renewed hunger to showcase them after a period of stagnation.
"For a long time now, I've been stuck in my ways, doing everything the same. I wasn't moving upwards, staying in the same spot, so it is absolutely a growth period for me. There's a lot more skill, thinking involved and that's what Pedro is already bringing out in me. They're little changes but noticeable ones - it's the first time I've ever felt this way.
"So should I have done this after my first loss? Maybe, but I'm just so blessed to be able to be doing it now. The belief Pedro has in me too is so refreshing, it's crazy the difference one person can make. I can't wait to see where things are in another eight weeks."
Tszyu posted pictures with WBC light heavyweight champion
David Benavidez, who himself is applying the finishing touches to camp before making his Riyadh Season debut when headlining The Ring IV event against two-time title challenger
Anthony Yarde on Nov. 22.
Tszyu's longtime friendship with Sydney's Mateo Attalla, who owns the Miami-based BOXR gym, has presented him an opportunity to rub shoulders alongside elite fighters and soak up knowledge away from the spotlight Down Under at a time where he needs it most.