Nikita Tszyu accuses Michael Zerafa of quitting: “He took the first exit he could find”
Nikita Tszyu doesn't hold back when reacting to Michael Zerafa quitting their fight
Nikita Tszyu is “spewing” as he accuses Michael Zerafa of “checking out”
It has been labelled the moment that will be “talked about forever in Australian boxing history”.
Michael Zerafa finally got his long-awaited opportunity to get upstage one of the Tszyu brothers, but instead the championship contest was ended after just two rounds.
Zerafa suffered a cut after a head clash between the pair, but there didn't appear to be a flow of blood impairing his sight.
At the end of the second round, after repeatedly telling the doctor that he couldn't see, the medic called a stop to the fight, which ended in a no result — a decision that left the Brisbane Entertainment Crowd furious.
The fans threw cans and cups into the ring, hurled abuse and booed as Tszyu and Zerafa’s teams had heated conversations before the “no result” was announced.
“This is an extraordinary moment... this crowd is furious. This will be a moment that is talked about forever in Australian boxing history. Extraordinary. Unbelievable,” commentator Ben Damon said.
Post-fight, Zerafa claimed he never said he was unable to see, instead only saying that his vision was “blurry”. However, his words were clear to hear, caught on camera, and were repeated multiple times: “I can't see”.
“I don’t know why everyone was booing me, I didn’t stop it, the doctor stopped it,” Zerafa said, going on to call for a rematch.
“I said it was blurry, but it’s all good, lets go.”
Nikita Tszyu
After the fight, Nikita Tszyu was shown a replay with Michael Zerafa clearly saying to the doctor that he couldn't see, leaving the physician with no other choice than to stop the contest.
“That was annoying... he said it, the doctor said it to me and the referee said it as well. What can you do,” an exasperated Tszyu said.
“I’m honestly lost for words.
“He saw the opening to escape, but he took the first route out. Yeah it’s a cut, yeah it’s on the eye. Is it a need for him? Did he really want this fight?
“He has been calling for it for so long and then he took the early exit... as soon as the head clash happened I could see him panicking a bit.
“But this is boxing, you get cuts, look at my brother... what I think happened is that he underestimated me. I noticed when I landed that first jab on him in the first round, he went ‘oh, how did he land that one me’.”
“And now he’s f***ed it for both of us,” ‘The Butcher’ raged.
Asked if he thought Zerafa had quit, Nikita replied with no histation, “I definitely do.
“He underestimated me.
“And so once the cut happened, there was a bit of PTSD coming through.
“His emotions got the better of him and he started to panic.
“It’s some of the stuff Paulie Malignaggi had been criticising him over.
“He doesn’t have the heart.
“He’s checked out.
“Once that little bit of pain comes in, he looks for the exit straight away.”
Speaking with Fox Sports Australia in fight week, Nikita also argued that his family rival had never recovered from being knocked out and stretchered from the ring by Peter Quillin 11 years ago.
Asked if Friday night’s chaos was another example of the Quillin trauma reappearing, Tszyu contemplated, “I wouldn’t say it’s directly from that fight.
“But every fight has had some sort of impact on him.
“The big one was [Erislandy] Lara as well.
“He was flatlined within two rounds and looked like s*** in that situation.
“And that’s a hard one to come back from.”
When asked about what his big brother Tim said in an interview, branding Zerafa a bitch, Nikita backed his bro, “Bitch, times two,” he blasted.
“Spewing,” Tszyu continued on how he felt when he saw the fight called off in front of him.
“I didn’t think [the cut] was that bad.
“It’s a shame.
“I haven’t fully heard the replays, but I’m being told the referee said ‘if you can’t see then we’re going to have to stop this’. And he agreed.
“So what can you do?
“He took the first exit he could find.”
Tim Tszyu snubs Zerafa
Tim Tszyu was involved in a fiery exchange with Zerafa inside the ring, refusing to shake his hand.
“I’m not shaking your hand,” an enraged Tim Tszyu said to Zerafa.
“I can’t see. I can’t see,” Tim mocked.
“I said it was blurry,” Zerafa responded.
“Brother, I went 12 rounds, I can’t see,” Tszyu then fired back, referring to his bloodbath with Sebastian Fundora in 2024.
Tim then joined the Main Event panel and delivered a damning assessment of Zerafa’s act — and recalling his own issues with Zerafa five years ago.
“I just don’t understand the cowardly act. I heard the doctor went like that (holds hand up to eye) and he went ‘I can’t see, I can’t see’ three times,” he explained.
“I feel like that type of answer shouldn’t come out of a boxer… when you get hit and you know how he said I don’t want to do this anymore, it’s exactly what he went through.
“He felt a little bit of adversity and instead of rising up to the occasion he just said, ‘Nah, I can’t see’. It’s bizarre. It’s really bizarre. I’m very surprised. It just proves the whole thing about him not rocking up to fight me.
“That’s the truth. He pulled out one week before my fight and I stayed staunch about, ‘No. I’m not going to give him the opportunity. I’m not going to give him the opportunity’.”
Tim Tszyu also made it clear whether he believes Zerafa deserves a second fight against his brother.
“They fed him my little brother, who has only had 10 fights. I don’t believe Zerafa deserves the chance to fight Nikita again,” he explained.
“I feel like as fighters and boxers, if a doctor ever says the question ‘Can you see?’ the automatic response is ‘yes, yes’… I remember the Fundora fight, every time the doctor said ‘can you see?’ I said, ‘Of course I can see’.
“There was never a thought in my mind I was going to say no I can’t see. We live and die in this sport… at least go out on your shield.
“For Zerafa, he needs to just relax things down. He’s going to get a lot of hatred. He’s just got to be able to handle it. Zerafa is done. He shouldn’t be on Fox Sports ever again.”
No Limit's George Rose: No Limit boss George Rose admitted to being “p***ed off” with the latest chaos surrounding his most controversial client.
Rose issued an immediate apology to the angry fans post-fight, saying: “First and foremost I’d like to apologise to all the great fans who turned up here tonight.
“To everybody who tuned in tonight who wanted to see this one, I do apologise sincerely to you all.”
He was also asked if Zerafa will be given a rematch with Tszyu: “Ask me this question... look, we will talk about it tomorrow.”
Pete Badel, The Courier Mail: “I’ve got to be honest, maybe I am just riled up, but that was a disgrace. That was a disgrace, Michael Zerafa has a lot to answer for,” Badel said.
“The doctor would not stop that fight if ‘Mick’ Zerafa said ‘I can see’. The mixed messaging is a disgrace, this has just ruined what has shaped as one of the great blockbuster fights in Australian boxing history.
“After this I don’t think Zerafa will ever appear on a No Limit card ever again.”
“With Michael Zerafa, chaos always surrounds him, why did he pull out of the Tim Tszyu fight five years ago?” he said.
“Even before the Isaac Hardman fight that he won, he rung the combat sports authority of Victoria the night before and said he had an injury.
“They said they wanted to see X-rays to prove it, then his trainer said ‘we are not pulling out of the fight on fight eve’.
“These things always happen with Zerafa... look at that knick, that is not the type of cut that stops a fight.”
Shawn Porter: “It’s not bad at all... I can assure you he is regretful of what he did.
“There’s no way to explain it, compare a cut like that to a cut like that between [Sebastian] Fundora and Tim Tszyu.”
