One of Nikita Tszyu's vanquished opponents has revealed the little-known soft side to Australian boxing's most sadistic slayer.
As Tszyu prepares to square off with Ben Mahoney in an IBF world title eliminator on the Gold Coast on Wednesday night, the youngest son of a gun is for once trying to keep his masochistic thoughts to himself.
Tszyu is notorious for issuing chilling warnings to his rivals, famously stating before his last fight against Oscar Diaz that he loves boxing for "the ability to just hurt someone legally" as a "loophole in my psychopathic kind of desires".
The birth of his daughter Curiosity last year only intensified Tszyu's morbid motivation.
"The dark things I want to do people at the thought of them taking anything away from my daughter," the so-called "Butcher" said of the almost disturbing drive he gets from being a first-time father.
"I will do anything for her."
But the 28-year-old does have a human side, too.
He showed it in 2024 in Florida when he threw the towel in to spare older brother Tim from an even more brutal beat-down than he was already suffering at the hands of Russian hitman Bakhram Murtazaliev in a world-title mismatch.
Now the unbeaten Tszyu has proven himself to be a "good bloke" to Koen Mazoudier, two years after stopping his countryman in the penultimate round of an epic bout in Sydney.
Mazoudier will fight countryman Sam Beck on the No Limit undercard on Wednesday and detailed a surprising reconnection with Tszyu.
"Me and Nikita shared a car ride actually from the airport to some press stuff we did last week in the Gold Coast," Mazoudier told AAP.
"We shared a 30-40 minute ride and I had a good conversation about that fight.
"It was really interesting and cool to be able to do and I took a lot out of that too with him just telling me first-hand, face to face, how difficult the fight was.
"About the dark places I took him to in the fight and it's just, it's given me more confidence and belief.
"Yeah, he's a good bloke. Before the fight and after it, we've always got on well and he's genuine. He's real. Like he just speaks to how he is, which I appreciate for sure."
Tszyu also appears to like Mahoney, but still let slip a little of that dark side he possesses.
"Just for hyping up a fight, I don't feel the need to disrespect him," Tszyu said.
"But in the back of my head, I still know the things I want to do to him."
Of anyone, Mazoudier is probably best placed to predict how the fight will unfold, having not only almost beaten Tszyu but also had a draw with Mahoney, also in Sydney 17 months earlier.
"They're both fights that I could have won, if I had done just a couple of small things a little bit better," Mazoudier said. "So that's a great match-up.
"If Nikita puts his foot down, he stops him. If he lets Mahoney box with him, Ben will make his way through (Tszyu's defences) but I can't see him winning.
"I was twice the fighter against Nikita that I was against Mahoney."
