A highly anticipated fight between the undefeated Nikita Tszyu and long-time rival Michael Zerafa has been agreed upon, with the star Australian pair to finally trade blows on Jan. 16.
The fight, several years in the making and one that will cap months of slander and trash talk, will be at catchweight (71.5kg), with a venue still to be determined. Brisbane and Gold Coast are believed to be among the frontrunners to score the blockbuster card, as neither boxer wants to concede a home turf advantage by having the fight take place in either Sydney or Melbourne.
There's been tension between the Tszyu and Zerafa camps ever since Zerafa withdrew from his scheduled fight in Newcastle with Tim Tszyu, Nikita's world championship-winning brother, amidst the COVID-19 restrictions in 2021.
"I'm going in here to rise to the occasion ... to get on to that world stage properly," said Tszyu at the fight launch press conference in Sydney. "To beat someone that's had a lot of experience, to really make a name for myself."
Tszyu 11-0 (7 KOs) made a successful return to the ring from a year-long injury hiatus in August, crushing Macedonian challenger Lulzim Ismaili at the ICC Sydney Theatre. The son of Hall of Famer Kostya showed no signs of rust in his brief appearance in the ring, battering and bruising Ismaili and forcing him to retire on his stool before the beginning of the second round.
That card also featured Zerafa 34-5 (22 KOs), who looked equally as dominant in his one-sided demolition job of American Mikey Dahlman. The 33-year-old needed just two minutes to capture the WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight title, proving yet again he's much more than just one of the sport's biggest trash talkers.
"To share the ring with a Tszyu is going to be great so we'll go out there and put all the bad blood to rest," said Zerafa. "I believe I am the more experienced fighter, I've been in there with bigger names and I've beaten bigger names, but there's no pressure on me."
The performances by Tszyu and Zerafa made a blockbuster meeting by year's end seem a formality. However, plans were thrown into disarray earlier this month when Tszyu was involved in a car accident and sustained minor injuries, including whiplash, ultimately pushing the showdown back until the new year.
The Tszyu family is a combined 52-0 on Australian soil, with Tim (23-0), Kostya (18-0), and Nikita (11-0) having never tasted defeated Down Under.