BRISBANE, Australia – What was billed as a brutal, 10-round war of attrition between bitter rivals Nikita Tszyu and Michael Zerafa devolved into a six-minute, three-second spectacle of controversy and anticlimax on Friday evening. The highly anticipated grudge match, held before a roaring, capacity crowd at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, ended prematurely as a no contest, igniting the fury of thousands who responded with a barrage of boos and a shower of beer cans before streaming out of the venue in palpable disgust.
The fight, simmering with years of bad blood and intricate personal narratives, initially promised to deliver on its considerable hype. In the opening minutes, Tszyu and Zerafa engaged in a gripping exchange, neither fighter yielding an inch, demonstrating an eagerness to finally settle their long-standing animosity. However, a seemingly innocuous tie-up in the second round led to an accidental head clash, opening a vicious gash above Zerafa’s left eye. This injury, ultimately, would prove to be the fight’s undoing, drawing a premature and deeply unsatisfying curtain on the bout.
As the third round commenced, Zerafa, clearly hampered by the injury, retreated to his corner, visibly distressed. "It’s blurry, I can’t see. I can’t see," he vociferously claimed, his vision compromised. Seconds later, the fight was waved off by veteran referee Chris Condon, acting on the stern advice of the ringside doctor. The decision, while adhering strictly to boxing’s safety protocols, was met with disbelief and outrage, marking the fight’s ultimate controversy and an equally ultimate anticlimax.
A bewildered Zerafa, attempting to deflect the ire of the disgruntled crowd, insisted, "I don’t know why everyone is booing me. I didn’t stop it, the doctor stopped it. I said it was blurry, but it’s all good, let’s go." His plea, however, fell on deaf ears, as the boxing rulebook clearly mandates that a referee’s duty, guided by medical professionals, is to immediately halt any bout where a fighter’s vision is compromised.
Before exiting the ring, Zerafa expressed his readiness to face Tszyu again, an offer that was met with a decidedly cool reception. A visibly disappointed Tszyu, who openly questioned Zerafa’s decision to invoke the ringside doctor, appeared indifferent to the prospect of a rematch. "I didn’t think it was that bad," Tszyu commented, downplaying the severity of Zerafa’s injury. "It’s a shame, but what can you do. At least I got two rounds out of it. I think that he underestimated me. He doesn’t have the heart. He’s just checked out. Once that little bit of pain comes in, he’s looking for the exit straight away. Maybe Tszyu-Zerafa … it’s always going to be a question mark. It’s cursed."
The no contest on Friday night only served to further ignite the volatile history between Zerafa and the Tszyu family. The animosity traces back to 2021, when Zerafa and Nikita’s world champion brother, Tim, were scheduled to fight in Newcastle. Zerafa’s withdrawal from that bout, citing COVID-19 restrictions, ignited a firestorm of criticism and has fueled a persistent public feud between the two camps ever since.
Speaking to Main Event in the chaotic aftermath, Tim Tszyu did not mince his words, labelling Zerafa’s decision to seek medical attention as "cowardly." The former world champion firmly believes Zerafa faltered the moment adversity presented itself. "Instead of rising to the occasion, he just went ‘I can’t see’ … it’s bizarre," Tim stated, his voice laced with frustration. "He pulled out one week before my fight … they fed him my little brother and then what happened? I don’t believe Zerafa deserves the chance to fight Nikita again."
George Rose, CEO of No Limit Boxing, while not entirely ruling out a second encounter between Tszyu and Zerafa, acknowledged the disastrous nature of the no contest for both his promotion and his star fighter, particularly after the immense build-up and anticipation. "I was pissed off. I was biting my tongue at the end of the fight," Rose admitted, his disappointment evident. "I love this s—. I love that we get to put on these fights for Australia. We invest a lot of time, we invest a lot of money, we invest a lot of effort into what we do. Every time we do it, it’s a risk. It’s too early for me to answer how we progress forward in the Tszyu-Zerafa space."
Despite the disappointing main event, the undercard offered glimpses of compelling action. In a highly publicized heavyweight bout, former Melbourne Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona made a successful professional boxing debut, stopping fellow NRL convert Jeremy Latimore. Asofa-Solomona delivered a thunderous right-hand uppercut to Latimore’s chin midway through the opening round, sending the rugby league journeyman to the canvas. The imposing ‘Big Nasty’ celebrated his emphatic victory with a definitive jaw-slitting gesture. "I want to clean up the entire NRL division," Asofa-Solomona declared, brimming with confidence after his debut knockout. "And then we can go from there."
The Queensland faithful enjoyed a largely fruitful evening. In the co-main event, veteran heavyweight Demsey McKean showcased his power, battering Victorian Toese Vousiutu en route to a seventh-round stoppage. Super featherweight Liam Wilson extended his unbeaten streak to five fights, overcoming a sluggish start to knock out Filipino Rodex Piala in the fourth round.
Further down the card, Stevan Ivic successfully defended his Australian heavyweight title, securing a razor-thin majority decision over challenger Liam Talivaa. Meanwhile, Sydneysider Blake Wells claimed the vacant IBP Pan Pacific belt with a convincing unanimous points victory over China’s Ainiwaer Yilixiati. The Brisbane Entertainment Centre, however, was left to ponder a night that promised fireworks but delivered a damp squib, with the lingering question of what might have been hanging heavy in the air.
