Junior middleweight contender Tim Tszyu, who made his professional debut in 2016, is only hours away from the biggest fight of his career - when he faces dangerous world title challenger Dennis Hogan in Newcastle.

The unbeaten contender has become a superstar in Australia - and he's been able to achieve his success without his famous father, Hall of Famer and former world champion Kostya Tszyu.

Even for the fight with Hogan, Tim Tszyu is not looking to have his father at ringside shouting instructions.

“He won’t be having front-row tickets, that’s for sure,” Tim said to The Age. “That’s the thing, I’ve done things my own way.

“For me, I love the support, and my dad is always supportive. He hasn’t been there and I have done it all myself. I’m used to doing things the way I want to do it.

“I’m becoming my own man. He’s always going to see me as ‘my young boy’, as much as I am a man. There will be clashes like that because he’s someone who knows it all and I’m someone who knows it all for myself. I know what I’m doing. That’s the difference.”

Kostya Tszyu lives in Russia, so he doesn't see his son in a face-to-face manner too often.

But he remains very close with his son and they communicate by phone on a regular basis. The last time they saw each other in Australia was in September 2019.

Kostya's son has a team of seasoned professionals handling the business side of things.

“If I didn’t have these people around me, my dad would have come back, for sure,” Tim Tszyu said.

“He knows that everything is going all right, that we’re doing good things and that the right people are looking after me, so he’s got nothing to worry about.”

In an interview with The Herald, the elder Tszyu made it clear that Tim should be judged on his own accomplishments.

“No one should compare Tim to me,” Kostya said. “Tim is Tim, Tim Tszyu.”