Nikita Tszyu faces Michael Zerafa on Friday, January 16, live from the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, QLD, Australia. The contest, billed as “Bad Blood”, is scheduled for 10 rounds, with the vacant WBO International middleweight title on the line.
Unbeaten 27-year-old southpaw Tszyu (11-0, 9 KOs) of Sydney returns to the ring after defeating Lulzim Ismaili last August. Melbourne’s 33-year-old former title challenger Zerafa (34-5, 22 KOs) aims for his fourth straight victory since being stopped by Erislandy Lara in March 2024.
On the Tszyu vs Zerafa undercard, Demsey McKean (23-2, 15 KOs) takes on Toese Vousiutu (8-2, 7 KOs) in an eight-round heavyweight bout. A four-round heavyweight matchup features Nelson Asofa-Solomona making his pro boxing debut against Jeremy Latimore (1-0).
Also, Stevan Ivic (7-0-1, 2 KOs) defends his Australian heavyweight title in a 10-round bout against Liam Talivaa (7-1, 3 KOs). Additionally, former title challenger Liam Wilson (17-3, 9 KOs) defends his WBO International super featherweight title in a 10-round bout against Rodex Piala (12-1, 1 KO).
Tszyu vs Zerafa results
Get Tszyu vs Zerafa full fight card results below.
Main card
- Nikita Tszyu vs. Michael Zerafa – no decision (R3, 0:03)* | Watch video
- Demsey McKean def. Toese Vousiutu by TKO (R7) | Watch video
- Nelson Asofa-Solomona def. Jeremy Latimore by KO (R1) | Watch video
- Stevan Ivic def. Liam Talivaa by majority decision (96-94, 95-95, 96-94)
- Liam Wilson def. Rodex Piala by KO (R4) | Watch video
Prelims
- Max Reeves def. Sonny Abid by unanimous decision (60-54, 60-54, 60-54)
- Billy Polkinghorn def. Jomar Paliwen by unanimous decision (60-54, 60-54, 60-54)
- Blake Wells def. Ainiwaer Yilixiati by technical unanimous decision (88-84, 87-84, 88-83)
- Jack Javed def. Zephy Vaotu’ua by unanimous decision (40-36, 40-36, 40-36)
*Zerafa suffered a cut on his left eye from a head clash in the second round and told the ringside physician that he couldn’t see and that his vision was blurry. On the physician’s advice, the referee stopped the fight.
Tszyu vs Zerafa live blog
Nikita Tszyu vs Michael Zerafa – No Decision
The main event bout between unbeaten Sydney southpaw Nikita Tszyu (11-0, 9 KOs, 1 NC) and Melbourne’s former title challenger Michael Zerafa (34-5, 22 KOs, 1 NC) ended in the third round and was declared a No Decision. The official time was 3 seconds into the round.
Zerafa suffered a cut on his left eye from a head clash in the second round. When examined by the ringside physician at the start of the third round, he said he couldn’t see, prompting the referee to call it a day.
Main event time: Tszyu vs Zerafa
It’s time for the main event, featuring Nikita Tszyu, 27, against Michael Zerafa, 33. Tszyu (11-0, 9 KOs), the unbeaten Sydney southpaw, is the younger fighter, while Melbourne’s former title challenger Zerafa (34-5, 22 KOs) has far more professional experience in the ring.
The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds, with the vacant WBO International middleweight title on the line.
Demsey McKean TKOs Toese Vousiutu in seventh round
Demsey McKean (24-2, 16 KOs) defeats Toese Vousiutu (8-3, 7 KOs) by seventh-round TKO at heavyweight.
Video: Nelson Asofa-Solomona KOs Jeremy Latimore
Here’s a video featuring Nelson Asofa-Solomona as he knocks out Jeremy Latimore with a big right uppercut to make a successful pro boxing debut.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona KOs Jeremy Latimore in first round
Nelson Asofa-Solomona (1-0, 1 KO) makes a successful pro boxing debut, defeating Jeremy Latimore (1-1) by first-round knockout with a big right uppercut in a heavyweight bout between rugby players.
Stevan Ivic defeats Liam Talivaa by decision
Stevan Ivic (8-0-1, 2 KOs) defeats Liam Talivaa (7-2, 3 KOs) by majority decision to retain his Australian heavyweight title. The judges scored the fight 96-94, 95-95, and 96-94.
Liam Wilson KOs Rodex Piala in fourth round
Former title challenger Liam Wilson (18-3, 10 KOs) defeats Rodex Piala (12-2, 1 KO) by fourth-round knockout with a body shot to retain his WBO International super featherweight belt.
Max Reeves defeats Sonny Abid by decision
Wrapping up the prelims, Max Reeves (12-1-1, 8 KOs) defeats Sonny Abid (9-3, 4 KOs) by unanimous decision in a six-round super middleweight bout. All three judges scored the fight 60-54.
Billy Polkinghorn defeats Jomar Paliwen by decision
Billy Polkinghorn (5-0, 2 KOs) defeats Jomar Paliwen (7-2-2, 5 KOs) by unanimous decision. After six rounds at lightweight, all three judges scored it 60-54.
Blake Wells defeats Ainiwaer Yilixiati by technical decision
Blake Wells (13-2, 5 KOs) defeats Ainiwaer Yilixiati (20-3, 14 KOs) by technical unanimous decision to claim the vacant IBF Pan Pacific middleweight title. The fight was stopped by the doctor in the ninth round following an accidental clash of heads. Yilixiati suffered a cut on his right eye The judges’ scores were 88-84, 87-84, and 88-83.
Jack Javed defeats Zephy Vaotu'ua by decision
In the event opener, Jack Javed (1-0) makes a successful pro debut, defeating Zephy Vaotu’ua (0-1) by unanimous decision. After four rounds at super welterweight, all three judges scored the fight 40-36.
Tszyu vs Zerafa Final Face-Off
The fights start at the top of the hour. In case you missed it, check out the video of Nikita Tszyu and Michael Zerafa facing off one last time ahead of their bout during the weigh-in.
Tszyu vs Zerafa: How to watch and start time
Tszyu vs Zerafa airs live on Kayo in Australia at 6:00 p.m. AEST / 7:00 p.m. AEDT, following the prelims, which start at 4:00 p.m. AEST / 5:00 p.m. AEDT.
Boxing fans in other countries can stream the event via a VPN, such as ExpressVPN. The U.S. start time is 3:00 a.m. ET, while in the UK it is 8:00 a.m. GMT. The prelims begin at 1:00 a.m. ET and 6:00 a.m. GMT, respectively.
