Team Tszyu and livid, can-throwing fans have condemned Michael Zerafa for “cowardly” forcing officials to stop short Australian boxing’s biggest grudge match this century.
Zerafa was booed out of the Brisbane Entertainment Centre after his much-hyped showdown with unbeaten emerging superstar Nikita Tszyu was stopped before the third round on Friday night.
The bout was abruptly declared a “no decision” when Zerafa repeatedly told the ringside doctor, “I can’t see, I can’t see” following a series of head clashes between the two combatants during the frenetic first two rounds.
Officials told the jeering crowd the fight was stopped because of an “accidental head butt”.
Zerafa was captured on TV saying he couldn’t see out of his left eye before changing his story during a post-fight in-the-ring interview and insisting “it’s blurry, but all good. Let’s go.”
“I don’t know why everyone’s booing me. I didn’t stop it, the doctor stopped it. It’s not my fault,” he said.
In a messy aftermath, as spectators hurled cans at Zerafa, Tszyu’s former world championship-winning brother Tim confronted Zerafa in the ring.
He mocked Zerafa as a “pussy”, reminding the Melburnian how he himself fought on blindly for 10 rounds with a gruesome cut to his head during a 12-round war with Sebastian Fundora in Las Vegas in 2024.
“I just don’t understand the cowardly act,” Tim Tszyu told Kayo.
Grilled again on whether or not he said ‘I can’t see’ – which TV captured – Zerafa insisted, “No, I’m ready to go” before calling for a rematch.
“This is boxing, man. Like, let’s do it again. No disrespect to anybody, I don’t know what everyone’s booing for.
“I want to apologise to everybody but I don’t know why you are booing. I really don’t understand.
“You guys should be getting behind us athletes, whether you love or hate me. This is the sport, guys.”
His opponent, though, was not buying Zerafa’s excuses.
“He pulled the pin on the fight. I’m honestly lost for words,” Nikita Tszyu said after being denied the chance to finally put the Melbourne motor mouth in his place.
“It’s annoying that he saw the opening to escape and just took the first route out.
“Like, yeah, it’s a cut on the eye, but … as soon as the the head clash happened, I could see him panicking a little bit.
“He wasn’t happy with it but it’s boxing. You get cuts. Look at my brother, he had a bloody squirter (against Fundora).”
Tszyu, bidding to finally settle a long-running score, looked on the path to a dominant victory following a spicy and bitter build-up to the domestic blockbuster.
The Tszyu family has made no secret of their lack of respect for Zerafa ever since the one-time world title challenger was a late withdrawal from a scheduled showdown with Nikita’s older and now world championship-winning brother Tim during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nikita said as much as the family’s long-running manager Glen Jennings was “pissed” about Friday night’s events, his family were downright livid.
“Glen was obviously pissed off because Zerafa’s been a pain in his arsehole for a very long time and, yeah, for it to end like this,” he said.
“My brother came in full of so much anger. He was just like, ‘You pussy’.”
No Limit Boxing boss George Rose apologised to the packed crowd at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre and appeared a man lost for patience when asked if Zerafa would get a rematch with Tszyu.
“Ask me this question? Oh, look,” Rose said.
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
