David Naseby Kostya Tszyu

This portrait by David Naseby of boxer Kostya Tszyu was a finalist in the Daily Telegraph Sporting Portrait Prize, held in conjunction with the Archibald Prize 2000.

'I have actually been following his progress in the boxing ring for some time and had decided I wanted to paint him long before I read about this sporting prize,’ says Naseby. 'A box is trained to read his opponent’s eyes as the eyes are the first thing to reflect movement. This is my reason for exaggerating the eyes.’

Born in England in 1937, Naseby arrived in Australia in 1953, worked as a roustabout in Queensland and studied at the Queensland College of Art before moving to Sydney. He has been hung in the Archibald on three previous occasions.