Tso will put his perfect record and the World Boxing Organisation International super-flyweight title on the line in his 22nd professional fight
Tso trained injury-free this time which improved his fitness and conditioning.Hong Kong’s undefeated boxing superstar Rex Tso Sing-yu is hoping to extend his winning streak to an incredible 22 fights in tomorrow’s sold-out Clash of Champions 3 at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.
The southpaw, 30, is confident he will defeat 36-year-old former WBA world champion “Tough Boy” Kohei Kono (33-10-1, 14 KOs), saying he completed more than two months’ training injury free for the first time in a long time.
“When I fought my last fight [against Japan’s Hirofumi Mukai in March], I was carrying all sorts of injuries. But all my injuries have healed and I was able to put in more effort in my training without being too conscious of the injuries,” said Tso, who is 21-0-0 with 13 knockouts.
“That’s why I think my fitness and conditioning have improved from last time.”
Before his fight against Mukai, which he won via an eighth-round knockout, the Hong Kong star was nursing injuries to his nose and left wrist, and sustained a badly bruised rib during training in the Philippines.
“Thankfully, I didn’t suffer any injuries during my training for Kono and I was able to push myself a bit more, but at the same time, it was harder and more strenuous,” Tso said.
“Kono will present a big problem. He’s more experienced. He’s six years older, but he’s had more battles than me and he has had more fights going the distance over 12 rounds.
“I really don’t know how the fight will pan out. It will be tough whatever happens.”
Tso’s trainer and promoter, Jay Lau Chi-yuen, said fans could expect to see a more “patient” Tso, who will bide his time before springing into action when the opportunity comes knocking.
“[Kono] is stronger and faster. The game plan now is for Rex to keep his distance from Kono,” Lau said.
“Rex sometimes forgets this strategy, as he likes to fight toe-to-toe.
“I think Rex will be really patient this time because he knows he is very fast and strong but he’s an easy target. I’ve told him about that.
“Kono definitely has the power to knock out Rex – he should be really careful about that. During sparring, Rex always kept his hands up and kept a good distance so he has been mindful of this.”
Organisers have announced that tickets for Clash of Champions 3 have been sold out and another capacity crowd of 8,000 will be on hand to watch Tso’s latest bout as he eyes a future world title fight.