Nikita Tszyu-Michael Zerafa: The week that was

Monday, January 12

BRISBANE, Australia – Nikita Tszyu-Michael Zerafa, Friday’s 157lbs catchweight contest, feels big.

The nature of a fight-week bubble is such that anything within that bubble can receive disproportionate significance, and also like little outside of it exists, but equally there is little hiding a lack of interest in or tension surrounding a fight when the final days’ build-up unfolds. Experienced promoters and broadcasters, similarly, concoct grand plans in an attempt to promote the relevant contest, but the grander those plans, the more futile they feel when there remains that often indefinable quality that a fight or promotion lacks.

The “grand arrivals” for Tszyu-Zerafa were staged at the plush LINA Rooftop, where those of that nature of inclination head to enjoy the bar, restaurant and swimming pool overlooking one of the city of Brisbane’s most impressive views. Beyond those involved in Friday’s promotion, Liam Paro – who had been scheduled to fight Paddy Donovan until illness forced Donovan’s withdrawal – and his trainer Alfie Di Carlo were among those present, as were, working on behalf of broadcasters Main Event, Paulie Malignaggi and Shawn Porter, in addition to Kostya Tszyu’s respected one-time trainer Johnny Lewis and more. Also present were so-called “influencers” (BoxingScene remains unconvinced that that should count as a profession), the Australian comedian Aaron Goccs, and the media; above all else, there was little question that – even with the heavy rainfall that would not have been anticipated in the Australian summer, regardless of Brisbane’s tropical climate – there existed a keenness to be around the fight and an anticipation in the air.

Asked of the presence of retired world champions Malignaggi and Porter, No Limit’s Matt Rose explained that No Limit, not Main Event, had engineered their involvement in an attempt to further “validate” Friday’s contest. BoxingScene also noted that, regardless of his frustration at preparing for as long as he would have done for Donovan, Paro’s training camp hadn’t gone to waste. For perhaps the first time in BoxingScene’s presence he appeared to have matured into a convincing welterweight; there is also the reality that in his previous fight, the victory in September over David Papot, he had injured his eye and to fight as early as January 16 could have represented a risk.

Dalton Smith’s victory over Subriel Matias – perhaps partly on account of Matias being one of Paro’s former opponents and Paro’s victory over him representing one of the finest of an Australian fighter in the modern era – was being discussed by many of those present. That Smith had spoken of taking inspiration from the late Ricky Hatton, another British junior welterweight, in the build-up to winning his first world title also meant that Hatton was someone about which Lewis, who oversaw Tszyu’s exciting defeat by Hatton in 2005, spoke. “Dreadful, mate – dreadful,” Lewis said to BoxingScene about his unexpected death. “Never, ever thought that it was going that way for him. It’s a real sad… he was wonderful. After the fight, the next day he came [and saw us] and he was humble, but excited. It was a great spectacle. Very, very proud to be part of it. I thought we were hard done with a few low punches. You know that Kostya would never quit.”

George Rose, of No Limit, introduced the evening by referencing “the best domestic match-up you could possibly make”, which partly demonstrates why there exists such interest in Friday. Australia often has an island’s mentality; Danny Green-Anthony Mundine represents the biggest fight the country has seen. All-Australian contests, ultimately, appear to “cross over” in a way that others do not.

That the rain had made the glass walkway over the swimming pool so slippery meant that the face-offs then staged appear to present a considerable risk. Former NRL professionals-turned heavyweights Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Jeremy Latimore exchanged words and had one of them shoved the other there was not only the swimming pool they could have slipped into, but the floating fire pits that flanked them. 

Zerafa, similarly, then looked particularly tense opposite his rival.To observe them standing there was to receive another reminder of part of the perceived appeal of their fight. Tszyu, dressed almost inexplicably in a black kimono and dirty white trainers, couldn’t have been more relaxed; the “Pretty Boy” Zerafa, immaculately groomed, looked ready to punch him there and then. What Zerafa couldn’t hide until then was either nerves or an apparent lack of confidence; he regularly looked at the floor when he was close to being the centre of attention; his back was occasionally slumped, there was notable tension in his shoulders, and he regularly fidgeted with his hands. 

Whether that owed to how he feels about Friday’s fight or the publicity and attention surrounding it remains unclear. “To actually feel that tension, to feel the way that everybody’s on board for this fight, it feels good – even to see Nikita’s face,” George Rose told BoxingScene. “He’s locked in. I think it’s a 50-50 fight and he’s most locked in.

“Everybody [seems] invested in what happens with Zerafa and Tszyu and how it’s gonna go, and everyone’s picking a side, which is what we want. I don’t think you can sit in the middle. Tszyu and Zerafa, you sit on a side.

“Rugby league is massive in Australia. For Nelson to do what he’s done – he’s an $800,000 rugby league player. He’s walked away from that into boxing. All the pressure’s on him, but the fact that he took that risk, the interest is in him. There’s a lot of extra interest in this one than we usually get. 

“We came here [to the rooftop] for the recce – it was fucking beautiful. There was a sunset. It was fucking beautiful. It was pinks and yellows and blues. [Tonight] it pisses down rain. 

“I said tonight, ‘Tip toe out there, please. Nobody push and shove – please just go through this’. There was a laugh, ‘Hahaha’, but then straight away their faces change back to being intense. It’s like ‘Yeah, that’s great, but I’m fucking angry – I wanna fight this guy’. I’m glad that we did that [without incident] and we’re back to focusing on the fight.”

Tuesday, January 13

BRISBANE, Australia – The open workouts for Nikita Tszyu-Michael Zerafa were staged in heat and humidity at the PCYC Lang Park – in the bowels of the iconic Suncorp Stadium – so intense that descriptions of the original Kronk were brought to mind. It was not only there that Rahim “CJ” Mundine revealed that he was withdrawing from his middleweight contest with Geoff Matthews, but where the first possible opportunity to judge Nelson Asofa-Solomona as a professional heavyweight following his departure from NRL took place.

BoxingScene had just finished interviewing Matthews about his fight with Mundine when the latter’s father Anthony confirmed that a calf injury meant he had been ruled out, providing the latest demonstration of the cruelty of professional boxing – particularly, on this occasion, for Matthews, who despite being fully fit won’t get paid unless a late-notice replacement as his opponent can be found.

Igor Goloubev, the uncle of Tim and Nikita Tszyu and still Nikita’s trainer, bluntly refused an interview request from BoxingScene – whether that is consistently his attitude or an attempt to keep a low profile in the first big fight in which he has been involved since Tim Tszyu replaced him with Pedro Diaz remains unclear – but the heavyweight Demsey McKean was present and available to speak, having missed Monday’s “grand arrivals” amid speculation that he might be injured or unwell.

Paulie Malignaggi, who has travelled from Florida to work on behalf of the broadcasters Main Event, when asked about Asofa-Solomona’s workout, told BoxingScene: “Intense guy. Big guy. Obviously he was trying to throw with a lot of power. Typically guys from rugby – physical guys who come from physical sports – all they know is intensity and power. They don’t have the intangibles of knowing how to take something off to then put something back on and setting that kind of trap. Does it make him bad? No. What makes them exciting is they have enough error to them to where they’re hittable but also very intense; very explosive. But nothing’s surprising. I’ve seen one, I’ve seen them all. They’re big; they’re strong; there’s a lot of snap on everything they throw. I expect the fight he’s gonna be involved in to be intense. However long it lasts it’s gonna be two trains colliding.

“The subtleties come with experience – it comes with ring time. It’s not that he’s not capable of learning. It’s just that – you go through that first phase, especially if you’ve been an aggressive athlete from a physical sport. If it’s what you know and have had success with in the past, that’s what you’re gonna bring here. What he’s gotta learn is gonna take time. We’ll see how much time, given his grasp of the sport. Sometimes it takes longer; sometimes it takes less; some guys never get it.”

Shortly before then Malignaggi could be seen in conversation with the promising junior welterweight Billy Polkinghorn, who appeared to be asking him advice, and shortly after that hitting the speedball. Whether or not he was doing so because he intends on fighting again in 2026, there existed a reminder of the reality that old habits die hard.

BoxingScene spoke again to Matthews after the disappointing development of Mundine’s withdrawal, and he said: “I’m having mixed thoughts. I don’t want to accuse anybody of anything but I feel like they saw they had a real fight in front of them – I’m not saying he’s scared, but whether he was prepared or not for a real fight and didn’t wanna take that risk, it’s on them. It depends if we can get a fighter to fill in or not – if we can, I’m still fighting. If not, what a letdown. Since I heard about the fight, all we’ve been doing is training. I’ll take their word for it that it’s an injury and he recovers well and then maybe we can run it up when he’s ready.”

Wednesday, January 14

BRISBANE, Australia – If Monday’s grand arrivals were threatened by rainfall, Wednesday’s public press conference, at Brisbane’s grand King George Square, were equally threatened by intense sunshine and heat. Nikita Tszyu, apparently permanently indifferent to perceptions of him, sat with a pair of dark sunglasses and a white towel over his head in a way that essentially made him unrecognisable. The considerably more image conscious Michael Zerafa sat wearing a hat.

A small crowd had gathered to watch the afternoon’s live press conference – admirably and professionally steered by Main Event’s Ben Damon like there was no such heat – but in all likelihood, particularly given the Australian culture is particularly aware of the need to be safe in the sun, that crowd would have been bigger if it hadn’t been so hot. It was perhaps partly for that reason that a representative of No Limit asked BoxingScene and other members of the media to ask questions before its conclusion. Despite the name suggesting otherwise, boxing press conferences in other territories are so controlled that doing so often isn’t an option – and, also unlike in other territories, doing so didn’t prevent those present later conducting interviews, one-on-one.

The retired Jeff Horn, a veteran of two high-profile all-Australian contests with Zerafa and another with Tim Tszyu, was present in his capacity for broadcasters Main Event. So, too, was the Irish light heavyweight Conor Wallace. But, in many respects unpredictably, the Australia-based junior welterweight Billy Polkinghorn – born in Essex, England – demanded greater attention when, while wearing a 90s era shirt of English Premier League team West Ham United, he left the press conference platform to join the queue of media members asking questions to engage with Zerafa in a tongue-in-cheek exchange. Polkinghorn had previously been described as a “character” by the same representative of No Limit, having also posed on the red carpet at Monday’s grand arrivals for a photo in which he was held up by those around him like a bride often is by the groomsmen and groom when they are newly wed. More relevantly, he consistently presents like a natural showman not only relaxed in but relishing the spotlight on the eve of a fight, suggesting that composure will long be one of his strengths.

Before the press conference’s conclusion Zerafa was asked whether he believed No Limit’s George Rose when the promoter insisted he wasn’t favouring either one of his fighters – the question was asked partly because of No Limit’s long-term investment in both Tszyus. “Erm…,” Zerafa said before pausing, smiling and laughing. Rose, to his credit, also smiled and laughed. 

“I’ve got to read over my contract,” the fighter continued. “I’ve got to see if I can say certain things.

“No, credit to the Rose boys. We have had our ups and downs, but credit to them for believing in me and sticking by me and obviously giving the biggest platform, not only for this fight for Australian boxing, but the undercard. It’s amazing, and they’re the best to do it in Australia, so, despite everything that we’ve had in the past, I do believe that they are invested in me as well as Nikita.”

Polkinghorn later explained to BoxingScene that he was considering using the platform presented by his position on Friday’s undercard to attempt to find a new home for the stray dog he had taken in three weeks earlier. Regrettably the dog appears to have been deliberately abandoned – after Polkinghorn phoned the contact number revealed by the dog’s chip and explained why he had called, whoever answered immediately hung up. He also confirmed that if he doesn’t find a new home soon he will instead commit to keeping the dog.

Thursday, January 15

BRISBANE, Australia – The weigh-in for Nikita Tszyu-Michael Zerafa was largely routine, but the make up of Zerafa’s corner on Friday night, BoxingScene understands, will be anything but.

For all of his experience it is little secret that the 33-year-old, 39-fight Zerafa struggles with overthinking, and for a fight in which he is the one under pressure – the raw Tszyu, 27, is fighting for the 12th time as a professional – he appears at risk of overthinking again.

Zerafa – who when not prompted to has often stressed he isn’t under pressure – has prepared for Tszyu under the guidance of Christian Ennor. Ennor will only be his assistant trainer on fight night, however, because by the time they reach the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Josh Arnold will instead be in charge.

He again cut a tense figure when they weighed in at King George Square – though in many respects it would have been difficult for him not to. He and Tszyu came face to face a week earlier in Melbourne, did so again a day later in Brisbane, and have encountered each other again every day since Monday – it is little wonder that by Thursday afternoon they had so little left to say.

As the lead attraction involved in Thursday’s pay-per-view Tszyu was the final fighter to weigh in and the final one to speak. As a consequence dramatic, cinematic music started playing as he started speaking, but far from complemented the words “There’s no more talking; the weight’s off; we’re ready; you’re gonna witness one of the best showdowns and domestic bouts”.

Friday’s fight has felt increasingly significant since at least Monday. Where little over a week earlier access to Tszyu at his gym in Sydney was considerably quieter than that for his higher-profile brother Tim on the eve of his recent fight with Anthony Velazquez, at Monday’s grand arrivals – and the media workouts at a gym in Brisbane on Tuesday – he was particularly in demand. That Thursday’s weigh-in attracted a bigger presence from both the public and media than Wednesday’s press conference is a similarly positive sign for promoters No Limit – not least because they were staged in the same place at the same time.

Among those present on Thursday was one Mike Altamura, of Tim Tszyu’s new management team, and he told BoxingScene that speculation regarding a fight between Tszyu and Errol Spence is premature. That Altamura once managed Zerafa and is working with his opponent’s brother likely makes him well placed to predict the outcome of a contest so many consider a 50-50, but for those same reasons it was a subject on which he therefore refused to be drawn. 

Paulie Malignaggi, in town on behalf of broadcasters Main Event, can by comparison be tempted to give an opinion on almost anything. “I liked the intensity of Zerafa,” he told BoxingScene of the weigh-in. “That’s what’s been missing. Nikita’s always Nikita – he’s very hard to read. But I like that Zerafa’s switched it on. Zerafa thrives off of his energy levels; off the chip on his shoulder. The fact that that chip on his shoulder came out in that face to face was important to see. It gives me the belief that this can be a good fight ‘cause I was starting to lose faith that this can be a good fight.

“Tszyu looked really good [physically]. Zerafa’s a little bit older, and you struggle to make the weight when you’re a little bit older, but they looked to have made weight fine.”

Tszyu-Zerafa represents the third pay-per-view fight in Australia in under six weeks, following Jai Opetaia-Huseyin Cinkara and Tszyu-Velazquez. Opetaia is Australia’s finest fighter and Tim Tszyu its highest profile, but Tszyu-Zerafa unquestionably feels the biggest of the three, which may in part owe to its timing as much as the reality that an all-Australian grudge match appeals.

Opetaia-Cinkara and Tszyu-Velazquez came during the Ashes series between England and Australia, where cricket is so popular. From Sunday the Australian Open starts, and in Brisbane there will big screens on which to watch one of tennis’ four grand slams unfold.

“The Australian Open’s huge here in Australia,” No Limit’s George Rose told BoxingScene. “It’s always a risk when you’re coming up against different sports but it is something different for people to tune into. Tennis is a finesse sport; this is a combat sport, a contact sport, and I know there’s a great appetite for it here in Australia.

“Whenever we’re putting fights on we don’t want to come up against huge events like that. It’d be silly to come up against The Ashes. We try to avoid the big sports like that – it’d be like going up against the NRL or AFL Grand Final – something we’d never try to do.” 

On the undercard on Friday the Philippines’ Rodex Piala fights Liam Wilson, and he explained that the money he is being paid will go towards rebuilding the family home destroyed in November by a typhoon. Piala lives with his parents, partner and four children. He will likely be little more than an afterthought in the grand scheme of Friday’s promotion, but he provided a reminder of how for so many prizefighters so much is at stake.

Friday, January 16

BRISBANE, Australia – Michael Zerafa quit, and for all his protestations at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, he didn’t remotely convince.

What after two rounds with Nikita Tszyu had promised to be an entertaining contest instead ultimately became farcical. BoxingScene had thought it unnecessary that the ringside doctor had sought to inspect the minimal damage to his eye; it then seemed almost unthinkable that he was suggesting that he couldn’t see out of it and, at the conclusion of an evening with countless – on this occasion justifiable – recriminations, it would be naive to suggest anything other than that he wanted out.

Zerafa had seemed untroubled when his response to the doctor meant he was told that the fight wouldn’t continue. After a period of reflection, he then started to protest – and did so excessively – and it shouldn’t be overlooked that when he was protesting it was far too late.

He, similarly, attempted to leave the ring before giving a post-fight interview. Main Event’s Ben Damon then provided the most admirable of demonstrations of how to handle such circumstances when, unlike so many in his position past and present, he recognised that the story was about the fight and the fighters, and not him. Instead of offering his opinion he asked Zerafa more than once if he had told the doctor that he couldn’t see; Zerafa’s unconvincing answers were then left for the viewers and those present to judge for themselves; there was certainly no point at which Damon appeared to attempt to be the fighter’s friend.

That Zerafa didn’t attend a post-fight press conference contributed to the suspicion that he had something to hide. His former manager Mike Altamura – in 2026 an influential figure in the team leading Tim Tszyu – also believed that he could have fought on.

“I’m really disappointed, especially because I thought from a skill and technical standpoint he turned up,” Altamura told BoxingScene. “He was finding his range early, even though he’s always struggled against left-handers with his positioning. Nikita clearly won the second round and finished strong, but I was looking forward to seeing how it was going to warm up.

“Mick’s so much better than that as fighter, as a ring warrior, and that’s why it’s disappointing. This is one of those nights – he’s going to look at it at the end of his career and say, ‘I maybe could have braved through that’.

“I’m not going to use the word ‘quit’, but I believe he could have continued. Fighters by trade are supposed to mask pain and mask when they’re in danger. You get a magnificent win you’re probably gonna get a world-title shot. To allow that to fall away, I don’t know what he’s thinking on the other side of it. There might be something there with his vision that none of us can see – maybe a scratched eyeball or something – but I’m clutching at straws even saying that stuff.

“If you look at Tim, his thoughts are a lot more emotional and frustrated and disappointed, for his brother. He feels Michael quit. He said it straight out: ‘He doesn’t deserve to be on this platform.’ That’s what he said, and he feels strong about that.”

It by then had come as little surprise to learn that the ringside commentators and former world champions Paulie Malignaggi and Shawn Porter had also accused Zerafa of “quitting”. It had already pained BoxingScene to see Malignaggi around the build-up to Friday’s fight and to observe that the grotesque cuts he suffered in his bareknuckle contest in 2025 were continuing to heal.

By the time Tszyu and Zerafa made their way to the ring, there had regardless unfolded plenty that had been worthy of attention.

Tim Tszyu’s presence had been expected but less so was him being interviewed with his recently dismissed manager Glenn Jennings and trainer Igor Goloubev – also his uncle – in the background in his brother’s dressing room while that interview unfolded on screen.

In a reflection of the popularity of boxing and other sports to the Australian public, the former AFL professional Jonathan Brown joined Malignaggi and Porter on Main Event’s screens. Brown was almost certainly recruited to attract a bigger audience in Melbourne, where AFL is so popular (interest in sports in Australia is often regional), and to help Tszyu-Zerafa to “cross over” to those requiring convincing of its appeal.

Among those BoxingScene had spoken to, pre-fight, was Jeremy Latimore, matched with Nelson Asofa-Solomona on the occasion of the NRL convert’s professional debut. Latimore had spoken with confidence of his chances of succeeding but by the time he made his way to the ring had the unsettling air of a fighter who no longer believed that he could win. Latimore’s body language and facial expressions suggested that he finally recognised that he had been matched with Asofa-Solomona to lose and of the unenviable size of the challenge he was confronting. Asofa-Solomona then made his way to the ring with a sense of ease that belied the pressure he was under given the attention he has attracted. He is an understated individual but appeared a natural showman; there’s also little question that he cut an intimidating figure from the moment he appeared.

That Latimore is also a successful former NRL professional made the conclusion to their fight difficult to witness. Asofa-Solomona, with the best intentions, called for applause for his efforts and applause followed him doing so. Latimore, however, looked hurt at having lost and like the applause offered little consolation, and to the extent that Floyd Mayweather attempting to compliment the heartbroken Ricky Hatton after Hatton’s first defeat in 2007 was unexpectedly then brought to mind.

Peter Badel, a rugby league journalist, was also on the Main Event panel. If his presence seemed unusual it potentially provided an insight into promoters No Limit’s plans around Asofa-Solomona – George Burgess, another former NRL professional, was present and seen interacting with Asofa-Solomona. Burgess is the brother of the former England rugby union international Sam, once the world’s finest rugby league player, and the expectation is that the day will come when they will fight. A further reflection of the New Zealander Asofa-Solomona’s profile in Australia then came when he, unlike the victorious Liam Wilson – an Australian former world-title challenger and active world-title contender – staged a press conference, post-fight.

Above all else, it is difficult to see how Zerafa – who has had a fine career – can recover from the damage to his reputation. “She’ll be right” is an expression used in the particularly machismo culture of Australia, typically when men are attempting to justify resisting seeking treatment for something that requires medical care.

In front of a significant audience on a pay-per-view platform Zerafa chose not to continue when everything suggested he could have. Fighters with truly threatening injuries have harshly – and unfairly – not been forgiven by audiences for “quitting”. Zerafa – particularly if No Limit and Main Event understandably decide that they no longer want to invest in him – may find that there is simply no way back.