The Main Event Boxing PodcastKOEN MAZOUDIER – Wild man ready to rumble with Nikita Tszyu
Koen Mazoudier chats to Ben Damon about his struggles with addiction and mental health and his upcoming bloody battle with Nikita Tszyu.
That's imagine your mind.
This is the main event boxing, oh Garst and here's your host, Ben Damon. Well Colen Massoo, Yeah, will be in one corner against Nikita Zoo on August of twenty eighth, Colhen, great to be talking to you. Tell me how you felt when you got the phone called the confirmed that this fight with Niketa Zoo was a gay.
Excited almost as if you know, this is something I like visualized, dreamt of and seemed for a long time. So it's just confirmed what I was already in my head, that I'm in a place where I'm in a position to achieve greatness. You know, the Zoo named one of the great names in Australian boxing and boxing history in general. So now I've got a chance to take all of that, take his throne and put myself on that throne.
When you say that you've dreamt of it and you've imagined and pictured it, was it specifically the fight with Nikita that you did picture or just as zoom the other side.
Yeah, a bit of both, Like you know these things that has come to me, you know what I mean, I've had these visualizations, these dreams come to me where yeah, and I don't want to go into them too much, you know, but it's just crazy how things fall in place, you know, like a couple of years ago, wouldn't.
Have thought it would have been here, but now, yeah, you know, you.
Take the younger brother's scalp, the family is not going to be happy. So you know, I see at the future holes.
Have you visualized the fight itself during these moments? Have you seen you and Nikita and what happens, and if so, what happens.
It's gonna be a war. It's gonna be a fun fight. We've got an interesting energy between us, me and Nikita. You know, we respect each other as men, but as warriors, it's killer be killed. I think we both know a lot of people seeing the heat is a bit of a bit of a weird bloke od blog, but I relate to a lot of that stuff, the blood, the love of war, and I think we're both.
Men that we're willing to die in honorable death in the ring.
And that's what's gonna be put on the line is everything we've got, you know, I know that you know who were trying to hurt me as bad as I can, So yeah, it will be everything on the line more.
Can you tell me a little bit more about that stuff, the warrior mentality that you talk about quite a bit, and what you see of it in the keta and how you think that will gel between the pair of you.
Yeah, I've seen a keida to someone who probably would be happy just fighting without lights, and myself the same, you know, like he's obviously got the name that puts him under the lights and makes this a big show.
But you know, I've been doing this, paying to.
Do losing money, losing time, sacrificing everything I possibly have, friends, family, to do this, to fight to be people in the need to show that I'm better than them and that all might sacrifice and hard works payoff, you know. So you know, the way I look at it is, at some point in all of our history, someone in our ancestral pass has been on the battlefield like three hundred blood and guts everywhere, you know, absolute at real war, real proper war. We're pretty much don't have to do that now. So it's honor for me to go in and put my body, in soul and mine on the line, and you try to tear another person pieces for the sake of my family and my team.
I know you respect the ket but there's the fact that he is now having his tenth professional fight and he's been the headliner on TV for every single one of them. Does that sort of Does that annoy you a little bit? The fact that he's had what has to be an easier path as a professional boxer than what you've.
Had to go through doesn't annoy me. It motivates me. I am you know. I've said to you before, earn, not given, and that's why I look at my life. I like to earn it. I don't want to give in to me. I send a kid to someone who's earned it as well. He's had you know, he's been put there for him to earn. No, you know he's had that laid out for him, but he's done the hard work. I respect every man that gets in the ring. Anyone that gets in the ring is a professional and fights on these bright lives too.
It's not an easy job.
I've seen ni kid to be hurt, rise and fight again, so I know he's made of steel. I know he's made of something different, and I'm here to show that I'm even better than that.
I'm even stronger than that.
Yeah, that worry instinct runs but deep in my blood, and I'm going to prove that August cooking out.
You have just said a lot of positive things about Nikita, but you've seen him hurt, You've seen vulnerability.
Is that what's convinced you that this is the right fight for you right now?
The fact that you think that he's essentially the unfinished article.
We said this ages ago.
They asked us if he wanted them to keep to fight three four fights ago, and I said, yes, you know, so it's them thinking it's the right time for them and for them to take me. I would afford him. I would fight him and fight anyone at anytime.
You know that. But I see holds it.
I see immaturity in some of his aspects of his boxing and his mentality. I think I'm going to be able to hold on to my game plan what I need to do better than he will. You know, I think he's got you know, he's obviously strong, he's obviously fit, he's obviously come in to fight.
But when we get.
Into the real, real dark, hard parts of the fight, you know, he says he loves the darkness. He says he loves he says he loves the blood and guts, but how many hers he had to jump to get it. I've broken my hand countless times. I've been I've lost three in my professional fights. I've lost all my friends and family on this journey. I've been lost my mind to this journey. You know, I know that the heater talks crazy. I've been going crazy. I've been crazy. He certified crazy. So yeah, we'll see. We'll see when he gets into those real dark depths of hell, we'll see who rises.
You say that flipidantly, but you actually have been on that journey.
It's been that deep.
Can you give people an insight And I know we've discussed it before, but give people an insight into exactly where you went, how far you went?
Yeah, you know.
It sort of resulted, like you know, depression, mental health issues, resulting in police coming to my house and taking me away from my home, being charged in hospital, having a manic manic episode, and pretty much being schizophrenic for a period, put into a mental health facility, to a mental health facility, but violently mentally ill people being you know, on schizophrenic medicine. And at that point I was losing my job, losing a lot of friends, but again finding myself to another level, like this warrior spirit. I was in this mental health facility saying right and down in my general and saying other mental health people that like people are you know, lost their mind.
I'll be world champion one day.
I will be one of Australia's most influential and successful fighters. So that was when I was cracked and I was in the depth of hell. You know, when I had taken everything had been taken away from me, I was still focused on this goal. So now we're here, you know, now I get to prove it to myself into the world.
What took you to that point?
Was it your addiction or you're dabbling at least with certain drugs, or was it your personality had gone in a certain direction, or were they elements of your life?
I think, but everything and boxing, you know, the love of boxing and the chasing of this passion was a part of it. Not achieving what I wanted to get to and being who I wanted to be, and then trying to be one with the world, trying to just be a normal person, you know, maintain my friend my friendships, go out and enjoy my youth being distracted by the world and taken off the path, and you know, getting down into that depth and maybe all that nonsense, all those distractions of the world.
You know, the drugs, are party women, whatever it is.
It's all the distractions off the path, off my purpose and God given gifts my ability. You know, I've had this belief in my gut since i was a kid, when I first out of boxing, I had this belief in my guard before I even knew what it was, that will be world champion. And I'm at a point now where I feel confident enough to say it and to really voice it and put it into the world. And you know, that insanity that drives me to that is the same insanity that will driver to the wrong place as well if you don't hone it and control it.
You've described a lot of quite dark stuff there, But what was the absolute low point of what you went through?
Man, there's some pretty low points there.
But I'd say my wife putting me take being in hospital with my wife and the doctors, like being out of her control, of me having to go into this mental health facility, but me believing that it was my wife's fault because she'd called the ambulance to try to help me, and you know, arguing with her and screaming with her that this was her fault and just pushed me away, and like, yeah, like just knowing how out of my mind and how wrong I was, and like the amount of love I have from my wife and beautiful people around me that I was pushing away for a worldly, crap drugs party. You know, that was one of the lawest points. But there's been a few. It's been a line and in a few low points, but that's what keeps.
Me going and bearing in mind that low point. Would this be the high point?
Do you think, given your father in a successful relationship, if you were to achieve your goal or one of your goals and beat a name like this, headlining on main event with everyone watching, your wife and your kids, would this be the high point?
One of them? Boxers just boxing, man, I really want to I'm really looking forward to winning that Australian title. That's what I'm not going to the Australian titles. The name is the name for me, the Nike Zoo, Tim Zoo, whoever it is, Like, these are names and it gives me something to look back on in my career, but the Australian title, being Australian Champion and then enjoying those spoilers with my family and team and loved ones. That's the high point, you know. After my last win, everyone was going on about great, how great it was, whatever else.
I felt like it was absolutely crap.
By seeing the joy that brought my dad's face, my team, my family, the love, and then being able to have the celebrations, the barbecue at my house, having a reason to have all my loved ones and best friends around and.
Being in that. That's what I do it for.
They're the high points of my life, is being with the best people around me. And this is just you know, I see myself as a tribute, you know, like this fight will be a tribute to my family and everyone that's been on me with this journey. I see myself as sacrificing my body, in my mind and all these things to bring joy and love and abundance to my family and people.
That was clearly a really exciting moment beating Travis Dues on that show. But being in Keta Zoo on this show, what do you think that would do for you and your you know the way that you feel and those around you and your family, what do you think it would would feel like to everyone?
Monumentous man.
People have been as a congradulating if you're just getting the fight, people congradualtly do me just before when there's talks of the fight, like saying about how excited they are, you know, and I forget how many people are watching. You forget how many people you influence. And that's one of the big things I learned through the Highest and Loads is if you get how many people you're affecting in your life, you know, when you're doing crap or when you're doing real good stuff, it feels a lot better to do good than it does to feel crap to do crap.
So oh, man, like I just know my dad, my dad alone, I just.
Yeah to see the jaw in his face and like to see the win from his perspective. I said to him the other week, like, could you ever imagine growing up watch like when you were watching FIS as a younger man, that I'd haven't been in a position to potentially influence costures you and how you feels, or Jeff Fennick or any of these guys that we grew up, you know, watching he said, Nah, yeah, it's incredible. So just seeing about him alone my missus, my kids, my coaches, like, yeah, it brings me a mense joy and it just makes me want to go out and where's the kid right now?
You know, so.
You spoke about your dad there, just tell us about what it was that you overheard him saying and talking about that really got you steered towards boxing, because I know he was a big boxing guy and you overheard him and it really sparked your interest.
Yeah.
Well, one of the first memories I have of boxing was just hearing him do the I remember, like, I think we were like in the bathroom, he was having to shower something. I was probably young as five six seven, but remember him doing the school dude announced that and thinking that's pretty cool, and like watching the fight, seeing the lights and all that sort of stuff, And that was the first sort of thing that got just call my eye at that show of it. I've always loved reading like warrior stories, you know, samurai books, and you know, story facts, real life stories and that sort of stuff, as well as a fantasy sort of aspect of it. So I think that's What first got me in love with it and then going down the path of actually really doing this is that it's all real, all this reality to all that fantasy. You know, you really do got to be a warrior, you really do, got to battle demons and conquer all them. You know, so many hurdles to be this person, and I'm very blessed. I said to have a really good mum and dad that have man. When I was seventeen, I broke my hand like in boxing. I broke my hand badly. I needed they to pay ten thousand dollars to get this surgery when I've only had ten fights.
We had no idea where this game was gone for me.
But I look back on that and just realized how much love and goodness have had around me push.
Me in the right direction, and I just just want to.
Give it back as much like him to your announcements now instead rather than Oscar.
Yeah, my little man, one boy actually does that sometimes he guys around the house. I in Coli some miles, So yeah, that's that's a humble.
Quiet spoken person, you know, like I think like he doesn't. He doesn't go on bragging about much of what we're doing. He just was being a part of it and doing it with me. Who was Nikita when you were coming through as an amateur because your paths crossed or.
Were meant to cross a number of times, and obviously he was a name and so were you.
Who was Nikita to you? Just another bloke like Tim Nikita. They were just another couple of guys in the team. Son of Kasha Zoo, you know, they were the sons. Now they're making their own journey in there, potentially going to even clips Kasta depending how things go. But there were just the sons of Cosha Zoo and a couple other boys that were in the New South Wales amateur team. The only difference was they did have their own little again, they had their own little stay away. We had our New South Wales team staying, they'd stay in their own little place. So they've all has had those little like I don't want to say privileges, because you know, I don't think they're Yeah, you know, it depends if you want to look at it. They've always had their little bonuses, their little extras, their little set asides for them. But man, I was just there were just normal people to me, like and watching it I remember watching Nikita fight at the Nationals, thinking, man, this kid's his kid's got something, you know, his us real sharp is he's got that instinct in his eye, got killer instinct.
But yeah, they're just other people.
Mean, I have a very clear memory of being at Nationals in Adelaide or one year. So we finished, you know, you finished the fights at Nationals. You finished fights, everyone ends up going out. I was seventeen at this time, so I was under age, and Nikida was maybe fourteen or fifteen, and so where's we're away from the families and away from there. I remember I borrowed one of the one of the boys' ideas and were sitting in a pub there and having a few drinks, me and a couple of other boys at seventeen, first pub I got into. I'm seeing Nikita likes at fourteenththen running around like a little wild kid with all the younger bokes run around like in the city, doing their things and mischief. And I just remember those little memories and just again they're just we're just kids, like doing a thing, trying to trying to be men. You know, now we are here as men, grown up. Now we try puntrols in each other. You use those words.
Like crazy, and you mention your own insanity and stuff like that, about your obsession with boxing, and about this journey.
Where do you feel you're Where are you at?
Where you're at with your with who you are and your hate nowadays, because it's been a journey.
More peaceful and joyous and on the path than ever, I really feel like I'm stepping into the shoes that I have been placed for me. I've got to thank God. I got to think I'm saying Jesus Christ, like you know, the family, the love and the people have around me. I got to thank these teams, everyone that's involved here, and I've said that's helping this all make be a reality.
I'm just enjoying the journey.
Man.
I trust in God's willing, God's timing.
I have full belief in myself and the weapons, and I have a team around me.
I'm as excited to see where this all goes.
You know, I know that no matter what, I'm going to be prosperous. I am abundant. I have all the things I need right now, and all these wins and these money and all these worldly things that are going to come to me, is just going to be able to allow me to do what I'm already doing on a bigger level.
At the same time as that that you do embrace the weirdness and that as you call the craziness a little bit day you and so does so does Nikita to some extent, talk to us about that, about how you like to lean into to that side of yourself.
I think, I think what is normal is crazy. To me.
It's crazy to go do something you hate doing every spend time you're doing something you hate doing every day. Watch the same shit every day, you know what I mean, Not see your family, miss out on love, love, on dying because of some.
Cold that's around. Bah bah bah.
All the normal thing, I think is bullshit and the world's upside down.
So to me, crazy is just being what we are.
Animals. My dad used to say it when I was a kid. We're just We're just animals. But we think we're different and we're just that's the way, you know, the way nature works is one and with each other. And so yeah, I like to you know, I love like, yeah, you know they're calling me come on the bar bend, you know, Like I said, I sleep on the floor. I roll out like it's my wife, good night, and I sleep on the floor every night. I embrace love being, you know, I'll go for a run barefooted on the concrete in a freezing cold with no shirt off and no shirt on. That sort of stuff, to me, it's to me, it's not it's just normal. It's how we've lived as animals as people for thousands and thousands and who knows how long many years, you know. Everything that's all this technology and all these new normal things, to me is crazy.
It's poisoning us slowly.
So I'd rather be looked at as a weird when as an outcast, because that means I'm doing.
Something right in my eyes. Do you think he's a bit the same, Yeah, definitely, I think so.
I think I cut from a similar cloth in mans, you know, like, yeah, I think, yeah, you know, I would go. I would happily, happily if I didn't have it, if I didn't have a wife and kids and family support, I would be living in a bush somewhere like a wild man, you know, hunting and gathering, and.
Like probably died early too, because I'm not very good a hunt. So I'll probably wouldn't surpve anyone, but I'll go have a crack. I love that, you know, and I think Nikki is probably similar.
Like yeah, like it's not you know, people are saying we're friends and all this stuff. Man, I haven't talked. I've talked to Nikita more in this last week than I have in my whole wife, I think. But you know, you get a sense of someone in this sport. It's sports more real than most things in the world. So seeing him through this sport and through the fights had and knowing him from an arm's length, Yeah, I think I cut from a similar cloth.
And yeah, I can't go to walk. I can't to go to war with him. And what does that look like?
Do you think that war when you both get in the ring, given you know that side of him and clearly you're willing to express that side of you, what does it look like this fire?
Do you think fireworks? Absolute fireworks? Yeah, I believe I'm going to be the better box. I believe I'm going to be the more disciplined, honed athlete and mature mindset in there. But it's going to explode. It's a match where in my opinion, it's a cutting. It fine either way, you know what I mean, Like, I expect a hard fire. I expect to be here. I expect, but I expect. I'm prepared for all the possibilities in the world, all the best possibility of all the worst possibilities.
I've seen him.
Climb off the canvas in the first round with his determination in his eyes, come back and stop Biggs in six more rounds. I'm willing and happy to do the same, if not more. I'm happy to break bones, rupture spleens, and rip heads off, whatever I'm going to do in there. So, yeah, it's going to be war. I'm prepared for a ten round war and I'm going to take that Australian title home.
He always talks about the blood, and he's now even more obsessed, I think, after seeing his brothers cut in that crazy fight against Sebastian Fundor.
Do you think this is a bloody mess of a fight? Is that what you're expecting? Could be? Could be Southport orthodoxes.
You match up like that too, you know it could be head clashes, could be low blows, could be bites on the ear. But yeah, no, I think so. I think so we're both coming to We're not going to back down. I planned to meet him in the middle of the ring and yeah, I'm sure there's going to be some blood and bruises.
And it sell this fight to us of those who have just heard about this announcement, the Kida Zoo's fighting against Karm Mazudia.
Why do people need to watch this? Do you think if you.
Could take yourself out of your own position and look back onto this matchup?
Why is it a good fight? And was it important?
This is a two real top dogs as super well twait in Australia outside of Tims. Tim's obviously at the world level. This is the two top dogs that are own level. We're both young, hunger and in our prime. We're both built for war, ready for war, coming into our best part of our careers. And Natives are going to back down. You know it's going to be a firework fight. We're both entertaining characters. As far as I'm concerned, I don't care if you follow me because you hate me and you want to see me get knocked out, and I motivate you to go do it because you think I'm shit, or because you love me and you think you might me and you want to be like me. You know, as far as I'm concerned, my job here is to use my fist, my head, my body to win this fight, bring abundance to.
My family, and bring a bundance to the world, you know, help people. So that's what this fight is.
It's going to be a firefight to show like what real men are, who real men are, not trying to appear, not trying to appear like something being something.
Just finally, there's a bit of talk that we've had to see about, essentially the privilege that the Key has had and tim compared to someone like yourself. Do you think that's reflected in this fight? Do you see that as a component here, you coming from Blacktown and having to struggle as you have in your boxing and him coming from Costa Zoo.
Essentially, Yeah, it's an aspect like the You know, it's only a small aspect.
Because this is the thing.
People are obsessed with this, People are set with tall poppy syndrome. Ship poor me, poor me. He's there because he got given it. I'm here because I'm because I was forced to put here. I'm a creator of circumstance, not a creature of circumstances. So I'm exactly where I chose to be and put myself exactly. He's exactly where he chose to be and put himself exactly. He's done all the hard work and won the fights. I know he had heard his own time in his party stage whatever else, going off the box and stuff for a bunch of years too, So he's chosen to be here, He's chosen to do the hard work. Anyone that thinks that any fighter is privilegly just getting in the ring at.
This level is kidding themselves and hasn't done it. So in one aspect, yeah, for sure, he's maybe had the pathway cleared a little bit.
He's had some things for him, but he's just another man with two arms, two legs, and then hego in the brain that's fighting against him telling him not to do it, and he's battling forward. So you know, I'm just going to shout out and said, for me, all those hurdles, those setbacks, those things that I've had to jump that he hasn't even had to think about. These things I had to jump and do that he hasn't even doesn't even know exist. To me, that's an advantigh to me. So when we get into those depths, into that dark, dark pit of things, I'm going to be thinking about all these things that I've had to accomplish and get through that he doesn't even have.
To look at it or think about. I've got kids one hundred, I've got people to feed.
I've really got people to feed, you know, so like, yeah, I'm going to feed him first, then I'll feed my family.
Thanks so much for your time, good luck in this spot. We're really excited.
That is Cowen Mazoudia.
He fights against the catas
