‘Get the f*** outta here’: US superstar’s shock Tszyu demand after ’big money’ Vegas reveal

While Thurman told Fox Sports Australia in fight week that he was effectively here for a Tszyu showdown – “Do you think I’m here for Brock Jarvis? Get the f*** outta here” – he now says certain stipulations must be met before that fight is made.

Thurman and Tszyu were initially booked to headline T-Mobile Arena this time last year, before the American withdrew in a sliding doors moment that would then see ‘The Soul Taker’ drop consecutive title bouts.

However the pair are now short odds to finally meet in Australia later this year – with No Limit looking particularly at a July show on the Gold Coast – should Tszyu win his upcoming fight against US prospect Joey Spencer.

Yet speaking backstage after Wednesday night’s demolition job, Thurman said that, with no contracts yet finalised, his next fight could be back Stateside, against a big name American, given the highlight reel nature of his finish.

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“I’m open to any contract right now,” he said, still sweating and decked out in his fight gear. “Tim Tszyu is not finalised.

“I know it’s very easy to say, very easy to talk about.

“(But) he’s coming off two losses.

“He needs to get a ‘w’, right?

“I’m staying at the W Hotel over here at Darling Harbour, there’s a big ‘ol W (on the building) and Tim Tszyu needs to go get his ‘w’.

“That’s very important.

“I also can’t say that if a great contract was to come to me from the US, I wouldn’t sign it.

“But it was a lot of fun being here in Australia, a lot of fun performing under No Limit, they’re doing a fantastic job promoting boxing in Australia.

“And I know they would love to see a fighter of my calibre continue to put on some of the best fights here in the country.

“And we can negotiate those things … if I don’t have a better offer comes to the table”.

Asked why the Tszyu showdown, among others, interested him, Thurman suggested the money offered for their initial Las Vegas headliner was “the type of money that makes you want to fight one handed” — a reference to him having had to withdraw late due to a serious biceps injury.

The two-time world champion quickly added, however, that he also knew the headliner was a great fight for Australian boxing fans.

“It’s for you,” he said.

“It’s for this country.

“It’s (also) a little bit for me on the note that I signed a contract last year.

“And I trained hard in preparation for Tszyu.

“I popped my bicep in the eleventh round of sparring … (and) I walked away from big, big money in Las Vegas.

“The type of money that makes you want to fight one-handed.

“But with my faith in the sport, my faith in myself and in God almighty, I said ‘if one door closes another shall open’.

“Being here today is the evidence of my spirit, my resolve … to give you guys the best performance I can and not just fight for the money.

“Which is really hard to do at the top.

“A lot want to fight for the money.

“I fight for the glory.

“I fight for the legacy. I fight because I’m a fighter … I’m living out my American dream every time I’m under these bright lights”.

Asked about his build to that highlight reel finish in round three, Thurman recounted: “I came around on the left side and – boom – got behind the elbow.

“And he gave me a whince.

“Huuuumph.

“You know, he gave me that whince — huuuumph.

“I said ‘you didn’t like that Brocky’.

“And so I stepped forward, he stepped back, I saw the mouth breathing … all little signs a world champion needs to know that he is not in a good place right now.

“So I continued to press, press, press.

“And he’s not strong on his back foot, he slowly started to crumble.

“And as I continued to put that pressure on him, I got a beautiful left uppercut inside, dropped him.

“He was able to get up, but I mean, he was wobbly.

“I wasn’t sure if the referee was going to stop it there or not.

“(The referee) gave him one more chance but there was way too much pressure, way too much time left on the clock, I put the full press on him, put the foot on the gas … and now we’re out here talking, fight’s over.”

Surprised the fight was allowed go on after that first knockdown?

“A little bit,” Thurman conceded.

“But you know, he did get up.

“And back in the day, let’s talk about boxing … back in the day, as long as they were up the fight was continuing.

“This is a big production.

“Yes, the ref could have stopped the fight.

“But if Brock had any chance of just getting out of the round, allowing the fight to continue on a big pay-per-view stage like this, there would’ve been more action, more entertainment to come.

“But obviously I didn’t allow that to happen.

“I pressed the gas and closed out the show.”

And as for the moment that ended it all?

“As soon as I saw the referee about to say ‘box’,” Thurman continues, “I said to myself ‘s***, what are you going to do?’

“In those few seconds of thinking it’s ‘what are you going to do? Now isn’t the time to be the nice guy’.

“It had nothing to do with the (fight week) banter.

“When you have an opponent weak on his feet, you’ve just got to press, end the show.

“Fortunately, I was given that opportunity.

“And I didn’t hesitate to do what we do as gladiators.”

Asked how important it was to effectively earn the ‘Tik Tok knockout’ he had predicted, Thurman replied: “I was just important to get in the ring.

“It was important to make a statement.

“We had a lot of good hype, a lot of people have been laughing all week.

“They loved the antics, loved the robot walk, that brick walk I did (at the weigh ins).

“It was the last moment I could tease him.

“When I first got into town, Brock was real stale, he was like a stale potato chip.

“He had nothing to say, nothing to do, and I was like ‘keep poking him’.

“Then, I dunno, somebody must have got in his ear and been like ‘look, man, he’s in your city, he’s in your town, you can’t let this chump get in here and talk like that.

“Whoever got in his ear, I’m grateful.

“Because it brought out a little bit of flavour.

“A little bit of sugar.

“A little bit of spice from Brock and made the whole week more entertaining.”

Thurman added the animosity he created between the pair helped bring undone Jarvis, who was also without longtime trainer Fenech, following a highly publicised fall out between the pair.

Yet despite being a heavy underdog, Jarvis started the fight strongly in the first round, exploding into action with an array of body shots after only 90 seconds and catching Thurman.

“It was interesting,” Thurman said.

“We go in to touch gloves and my mind was focused on execution, skill, seeing what he was going to bring to the table.

“I knew that was his strong suit.

“What he gave me in round one, that’s what he wishes he could do for 10 rounds.

“I just knew I wasn’t going to make the fight like that for 10 rounds.

“I just wanted to see what Brock really feels like.

“And it was the animosity that he had that gave me this idea.

“I didn’t fully have that idea locked in until I approached him, we go to touch up, and he’s still like ‘let’s see who really wants it now’.

“He was still bridging up on me.

“I said he’s got this much animosity pent up in him, he’s been waiting all week to finally do something, let’s see what that is in the physically world.

“So in round one I can feel his power, strength, his inside approach.

“I felt everything.

“he can’t do more than he did in round one. All he can do is repeat and potentially landing cleaner shot.

“But I was keeping him smothered, letting him work.

“Obviously my coach didn’t like round one.

“Said ‘let’s not do that again … let’s get back on the stick, work the jab, work everything off the jab, he’s just standing there, you’re going to be able to open him up off the jab’.

“I saw what coach was talking about, saw that flat-footed approach.

“I said ‘let’s just take it nice and easy, do what coach said, let’s work off the jab and see what opens up’.

“I did that in round two.

“He said ‘pivot on the inside, don’t stay on the inside’, and every time (Jarvis) threw those loopers you saw him miss now and I’d be moving around.

“Plus in round two I was landing a few body shots.

“Mostly, it was coming off the right hook I was setting up. I was trying to set up the right hook to distract him.

“To bring this glove down so eventually, later on in the fight, I could go with the overhand right looper.

“I was just setting up some traps, putting on some groundwork on that end.

“He was able to do something in round one.

“And I told him after the fight, when I went over there, I said ‘I love you, I’ve never hated you, this is all business, best of luck to you’.”