Michael Zerafa has predicted his grudge match with Nikita Tszyu will end via stoppage.
The 33 year old and Tszyu finally fight on January 16 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia, approaching five years after he was scheduled to fight Tszyu’s older brother Tim.
They will fight at a catchweight of 157lbs in the 27-year-old Tszyu’s 11th professional contest, and do so at a time when opinion is split over whether or not Zerafa is past his best.
It was in 2024 when Zerafa was stopped by Erislandy Lara in a contest for the WBA middleweight title. It was also in 2024 when Tszyu demonstrated his potential by recovering from almost being withdrawn through exhaustion to record his most dramatic victory when stopping Koen Mazoudier in the ninth of 10 rounds.
Their recent form – Zerafa hasn’t gone the distance since 2022, and Tszyu, who made his professional debut that year, has only ever fought beyond nine rounds once – and the tension that exists between them similarly suggests that a stoppage is likely, not least because the nature of the occasion in their home country and the platform on which they are fighting means that a high-profile victory has the potential to make or break their careers.
There increasingly exists cause for his promoters No Limit to believe that Tszyu can reach world level, but Zerafa is by some distance the more proven of the two and his edge in experience may yet prove enough for him to win.
“I feel like this is the best Michael Zerafa you will see,” he said. “Nikita is hot and cold. Sometimes he’s on; sometimes he’s off, and you never know what Nikita is going to rock up but I think he’s a hungry kid.
“My name to him is a world-title fight. I want the best version of Nikita to rock up because when it doesn’t go his way, I don’t want any excuses. I know he’s hungry, I know he wants it and wants to take my head off my shoulders so I’ve got to go out there clear-minded and stick to the game plan.
“I think winning in general against any Tszyu would be amazing for me. I know people want Nikita to knock me out but I plan on doing the same. Either way someone will be looking up at the roof.
“You’ve got two guys that genuinely want to hurt each other. I truly believe someone will be getting knocked out. I’m an experienced fighter. He thinks I’m past my best; I think I’m going into my best.
“Expect fireworks. I think this fight is a bigger fight than me and Tim. I think the build-up between me and Tim could be bigger, but in terms of the fight itself and the performance, this one is bigger.
“On paper you should be backing me. Respectfully, Nikita hasn’t fought the guys I’ve fought. I think me being the favourite is the smart option but I’m not looking too much in to that – I’ve just got to get in there and get the job done.”
