- Russell Crowe has shared his experience with top-level boxing
- Crowe supported Kostya Tszyu during his loss to Ricky Hatton
- The Hollywood actor discovered a new respect for the sport.
Russell Crowe has revealed the lengths he went to help close friend Kostya Tszyu in an experience that gave the Hollywood superstar a front-row view of boxing’s brutality.
Crowe made the shocking revelation on Joe Rogan’s podcast this week as the pair discussed Tszyu’s legendary final fight against Britain’s Ricky Hatton, as well as the Australians’ two boxing sons, Tim and Nikita.
Australian sports fan Crowe, 60, revealed he went to Manchester to support Tszyu in his world title defence against local hero Hatton, who produced one of his best performances to dethrone the champion due to a corner withdrawal.
He recalled how he had been warned not to get too friendly with boxers, given the emotional toll it took to see his friends get hurt.
Over the course of 11 grueling rounds, Crowe experienced that pain firsthand as Tszyu fell to defeat in what would be the final fight of his incredible career.
“I was at the Kostya Tszyu and Ricky Hatton fight,” Crowe began.
‘I have a friend who is a lawyer and he tells me: ‘You have to be careful about making friends with boxers because there will come a night when it will all be over.’
‘It was in Manchester and Hatton was kidnapped, man.
Russell Crowe has shared a gruesome boxing story on Joe Rogan’s podcast
The Australian actor was present at his friend Kostya Tszyu’s defeat against Ricky Hatton
Crowe said that while Hatton was celebrating, Tszyu was “peeing blood” backstage.
‘His body was chiseled in a way I’d never seen before.
“And from my perspective, it seemed like he was hitting some targets below the belt.
“But, you know, a crowd like the one in Manchester, which was all about Ricky, everyone was with him (laughs), didn’t have many dissenting voices.”
Crowe then explained how after the fight he helped his good friend Tszyu, who was in a world of hurt.
‘I was in the locker room holding Kostya over a bucket while he was urinating blood for about 20 minutes after the fight.
“That made me understand what the world of boxing is really like.”
An understanding Rogan said: ‘Each of them takes something away from the fighter.
“They will never be the same.”
Crowe responded: “I don’t think he (Kostya) ever fought again after that. He had a long and fruitful career, multiple world championships and all the things he accomplished, and he knew that was the end of him.”
Rogan described Hatton “at his best, a bad man, a puncher” and called Tim Tszyu’s most recent fight (a points decision loss to Sebastian Fundora) a “crazy fight.”