Tim Tszyu learned to punch before he could walk.
"I've got a picture on my wall, I'm just standing, I don't know how to walk yet, but I've got two boxing gloves on and I'm punching," Tszyu said.
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Now Tszyu, the son of legendary Australian boxer Kostya Tszyu, is preparing to take his first steps into the professional ranks.
After an impressive amateur career in which he amassed 33 wins – his only loss was against Australian Olympian Daniel Lewis – Tszyu will make his pro debut on December 17. Given his pedigree, interest is high. His father, a hall of famer who unified three professional world titles, won fights and fans with his his no-nonsense approach. While Tim has an uncanny resemblance to Kostya, this is no carbon copy. For starters, he is a foot taller and 10 kilograms heavier, which is why his debut will be in the junior middleweight ranks.
"The thing is you can't copy someone else, you have to create your own style," Tszyu said.
"But the teachings of the father have come into my style, people will see it."
The surname brings it own pressures. At school, there were those who sought him out in the playground because of the exploits of his famous father.
"There was a bit of trouble, just because of the name," he said.
![Tim Tszyu (right), son of Kostya, with younger brother Nikita.](/web/20161102224547im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/c/d/i/w/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsc90g.png/1477721062960.jpg)
"'[Kids taunted] Just because you're a Tszyu doesn't mean you can fight, doesn't mean you're top shit'.
"There was a bit of that after my dad's fight, especially after he lost. But at the same time, my dad was loved by everyone.
"He wasn't a person who was hated, he was loved. He was very humble, he wasn't talking smack. That's much better. For example, there are so many people who hate [Anthony] Mundine, but my dad never had that. He always played the role of a good person and that's exactly what I'm like as well.
"I'm doing it more for myself. Yes, there is a bit of pressure, but once you've got the support from the Aussies, it's great."
Tszyu, whose brother Nikita is also showing promise in the ring, is under no illusions about how difficult it will be to continue his father's legacy. While some are drawn to the fight game because of the glitz and glamour, he has witnessed first-hand the sacrifices required to succeed. He spent his youth in the gym with his father and little has changed in adulthood, either training himself or others at Tszyu Boxing Academy at Caringbah.
"Some people come into boxing without knowing the challenges and the different things they have to do," he said.
"I've seen it already, I know what you have to go through in order to achieve what you want to achieve, so it's an advantage for me. People see the success, the fame, but there's a lot more.
"There's the crankiness of the boxer. You're cutting weight, you're training three times a day, it's a lot of pressure. Especially for me, I'm getting a lot more pressure than most other people because I've got a legendary father.
"There's so much expectation, but it just motivates me to perform even better."
While Kostya Tszyu is currently in Russia, he is still  having an impact on his son's preparations. Tim's grandfather, Boris, kept a journal detailing every aspect of the world champion's preparations and is passing on that knowledge to the next generation.
"We're going through that program," Tszyu said.
"Those books are like blueprints to become a world champion. The whole journey, the whole story, with every specific detail – how much he weighed, what he did for training, how many reps he'd done. Everything. We're going through that."
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