Nikita Tszyu has his own motivation to ensure that Jack Brubaker once again falls against his family.

Current interim WBO junior middleweight titlist Tim Tszyu was the same age as is his 25-year-old brother when he faced and stopped Brubaker in the fourth round of their December 2019 meeting. It was the fifteenth career win for the second-generation boxer and began a path towards the title stage where he presently resides.

Nikita was still more than two years away from his own pro debut which came last March. The junior middleweight prospect will enter the ring for the seventh time this Wednesday at Hordern Park in Sydney, each occasion with the same goal.

“I’m not in this sport for the money. I’m not in this sport because I’m trying to be a businessman or something,” the younger Tszyu explained during the final pre-fight press conference on Monday. “I’m in this because I want to hurt people. I get pleasure in this; it’s like a sexual pleasure for me.”

The Main Event Pay-Per-View headliner will not only draw comparisons to Tim’s fight but also marks a step up in competition for the younger Tszyu (6-0, 5KOs). That’s not to say the rising southpaw prospect from Sydney has been without his challenges—all but one of his six pro bouts to date have come versus unbeaten competition.

Brubaker (17-4-2, 8KOs) represents a different kind of test. The 31-year-old from Cronulla, New South Wales has suffered two stoppage defeats through 23 pro bouts—one due to a severe cut, and the other versus Tim Tszyu when he absorbed considerable punishment but somehow remained upright.

It’s precisely the type of leap in competition sought by Nikita Tszyu, the younger of Hall of Fame legend Kostya Tszyu who enters his first eight-round affair.

“I’m glad I get to fight Jack. He says he’s got a granite chin. He’s a very proven fighter,” noted Tszyu. “He can take a shot and he goes to war. This is the perfect fight for me to really test my engine, go some rounds and have fun. He says he’s not going to back down in there. That’s what I need. I need someone who’s going to push down in there, someone who always has their foot on the gas.

“I’m going in there for the fun of seeing pain in people’s eyes. No disrespect to you, not a personal attack. It’s just a thing that’s inside of me.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox