Tim Tszyu has described his longtime girlfriend Alexandra Constantine as his rock and one of the forces keeping him grounded as he navigates his way through almost instant superstardom.
The new face of Australian boxing isn’t the type of character to get carried away with the trappings of fame — he idolised Floyd Mayweather as a boxer growing up, but never approved of the American’s flashy antics outside the ring.
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He also has a watertight support crew guiding him through his career — which continues tonight against Dennis Hogan — including the same manager and trainer behind his father’s world title-winning journey.
But when he’s away from the bright lights of fight night or the laser-focused environment of the gym, it’s Alexandra who he looks to for comfort and support.
“My missus has been there from the get-go,” the 26-year-old told news.com.au this week.
“She’s my rock. She’s the one that supports me. The person that I come home to every day. Even on hard days, she’s always there, sticking by my side.”
How Tszyu fell in love
Tszyu and Constantine have been an item for more than four years and she has supported the super welterweight fighter throughout his professional career.
The couple met in 2016 when Constantine started taking boxing lessons at Tszyu’s gym in Rockdale.
Tszyu said it was love at first sight.
“I normally don’t hold pads for people, so she was lucky she got pads that day,” Tszyu said.
“Her smile was what actually made me fall in love with her.”
Constantine added: “I went to pay after class and he wouldn’t let me.
“We began talking over the next few weeks, although I never went back for a class.
“We don’t train together, my friends are surprised that he’s not my personal trainer.”
Who is Alexandra Constantine?
The Sydney-born finance graduate is fluent in three languages — English, French and Macedonian — and went to school at SCEGGS Darlinghurst in Sydney before she studied finance at the University of Technology Sydney.
After delving into a career in property law, the late-20s professional currently works with NSW Transport as an Assistant Property Asset Manager.
Constantine has attended all but one of Tszyu’s professional fights.
“It means the world, just to have someone by your side, and not just at the fights,” Tszyu told The Sunday Telegraph.
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“She lives this as well. She is young, she could be going out to bars, hanging out with her friends, instead she’s stuck in a sauna with me on Saturday nights and then we have an early night.
“When I diet, she diets. She cooks a lot of meals, she actually keeps me grounded with my diet.
“So it’s not just my victory when I win a fight, she deserves the spotlight too.”
How life is changing for the couple
There’s no doubt Tszyu’s life — and by extension Alexandra’s — is moving at warp-speed since he dethroned Jeff Horn last year.
The young stud wasn’t keen to reveal whether he’d already made his first million from boxing but there’s no doubt the dollars are starting to roll in.
“My manager has a job to look after me financially and we’re in a good position right now,” Tszyu told news.com.au. “But for me, I couldn’t care less about that stuff. It’s just all about winning and becoming the best.”
Tszyu grew up in the spotlight because of his dad’s global fame and his popularity is soaring as his Instagram following cruises past 100,000.
But he’s still the same man at home and is helping Alexandra deal with the spotlight.
“Between us, nothing has changed,” he said. “She’s getting used to more attention. Privacy is slowly going away. People are always looking (at us). I’ve been used to it from a young age because of Dad, but she’ll be all right.”
“I don’t chase fame,” Tszyu added. “I know it comes with the game and is part of the territory. The fact I can make someone’s day by just shaking their hand or taking a photo is something I’ll always take time to do with the fans, because without them none of this would be possible.
“But I don’t chase it. I just understand that it’s coming and it’s only going to get worse.”
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