‘The Conclusion’: Tszyu out to silence big-mouth Zerafa
Darren Walton |
Australian boxing’s great grudge match is being likened to State of Origin in the ring and Ford versus Holden after Michael Zerafa and Nikita Tszyu finally agreed to square off in the the biggest domestic blockbuster in years.
Tensions between Team Tszyu and Zerafa have been simmering ever since Zerafa pulled out of a scheduled showdown with Nikita’s world championship-winning brother Tim during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
While fans have been craving a Tim Tszyu-Zerafa super-fight, they will get the next best thing on January 16 – most likely on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
“It’s more just closing that mouth of his because we’ve heard non-stop blabbering from him for the last five years,” Tszyu said of his motivation to silence the motor-mouth Melburnian.
“I’ve heard from my manager, Glenn (Jennings), the amount of the pain in the arse that he was after that fight, all the different stories he was bringing as excuses for why that fight didn’t happen.
“He has a way of getting into the media and giving them things to run with but this fight is a way to finally close that door.”
While Tszyu is calling the much-anticipated showdown “The Conclusion”, Zerafa is convinced he will shatter his arch-rival’s unbeaten record to open up fresh opportunities.
“Look, I do believe I win,” said the former world title challenger.
“I am the more experienced fighter. I’ve been in there with bigger names and beaten bigger names.
“I mean, I definitely question his chin. Out of his 11 fights, he’s been rocked I think 10 of his fights and nearly been stopped a few times by guys that aren’t even the best light-middleweights in their gym.”
A location has yet to be confirmed but Sydney and Melbourne are unlikely options, with both parties preferring to slug it out in neutral territory.
A Zerafa versus Nikita Tszyu stoush has been earmarked ever since both boxers delivered devastating first-round wins on the same card in Sydney in August.
Tszyu (11-0, 9KO) made a winning return after a year out following hand surgery with a TKO of the previously undefeated Macedonian Lulzim Ismaili, after Zerafa (34-5, 22KO) destroyed American Mikey Dahlman also inside two minutes to claim the WBO intercontinental middleweight strap.
The pair had been preparing to fight in December before Tszyu was injured in a car accident this month in Sydney.
Doctors advised the 27-year-old to delay fighting again after he was T-boned and suffered whiplash.
Middleweight Zerafa will fight super welterweight Tszyu at a catchweight of 157 pounds as Tszyu defends his family’s incredible unbeaten 52-0 home record.
Like Nikita, Tim (23-0) and the brothers’ legendary father Kostya (18-0) have never lost in Australia.
“The legacy name, you know, Tim fell short,” Zerafa said of the older sibling’s three world-title defeats from his past four fights.
“There’s only one more to save him. Not many people get two chances at saving the last name so this is your chance, brother.
“In 12 weeks, we’ll go out there and put all the bad blood to rest.”
Tszyu insisted he had nothing to prove or protect and was fighting to promote his own name before Zerafa landed a low blow, describing his opponent as a “titty milk” drinking weirdo.
“But if it works for him, let him go doing his jungle-boy stuff where he goes in his forest,” Zerafa said of his odd dietary habits that include drinking his wife’s breast milk and using her frozen placenta as a supplement.
“When you were drinking f***ing warm titty milk, I was f***ing climbing the ranks.”
AAP
