Nikita Tszyu’s biggest challenge yet has arrived, with Koen Mazoudier looking to announce himself to the boxing world with an upset victory as the pair fight for the WBO Intercontinental & IBF Australasian Super Welterweight titles.
Follow along for the latest updates from all the fights below!
BOXING: NIKITA TSZYU V MAZOUDIER | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
‘GO TO COURT’: ZERAFA’S BRO THROWS PUNCH IN BROWNE CHAOS
Michael Zerafa’s bout with Tommy Browne quickly became chaotic with Browne withdrawing from the fight after just one round with a bicep injury.
Zerafa was dominant in the opening round as expected, declared the winner via TKO.
Yet things quickly got crazier with Zerafa’s brother throwing a punch at Tommy Browne’s trainer as he traded barbs with the winning fighter.
Zerafa was yelling “you quit” and then pledged afterwards “I was in first gear. Nikita, I’m comin’!”
On Main Event commentary, analyst Peter Badel called for Zerafa’s brother to be barred from coming to the ring for life due to the incident.
“I don’t think his brother should be involved in boxing again. That was disgraceful,” Badel said.
US boxing great Shawn Porter, meanwhile, said he wants to see the incident “go to court”.
“That’s unacceptable. If Michael knows his brother has the ability to do that… he shouldn’t be in his corner,” Porter said.
He was escorted off the premises.
FULL FIGHT CARD RESULTS
Main Card (from 7pm AEST on Main Event)
Nikita Tszyu vs Koen Mazoudier — 10 rounds, WBO Intercontinental & IBF Australasian Super Welterweight titles
Michael Zerafa def Tommy Browne via TKO after one round (Browne withdrew due to injury) — 8 rounds, catchweight
Conor Wallace def Jerome Pampellone via split decision (116-112 x2, 113-115) — 12 rounds, light heavyweight
Dharringarra Trewhella def. Calvin Jensen via unanimous decision (58-56 x3) — 6 rounds, welterweight
Billy Polkinghorn def. Michael Reynolds via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45 x2) — 5 rounds, catchweight
Sonny Knight def. Laban Stringer by split decision (39-37, 40-36, 37-39) – 4 rounds, catchweight
From 5.30pm AEST on Fox Sports and Kayo
Jasmine Parr def. Pannaporn Kaewpawong via unanimous decision (60-54 x3) — 6 rounds, bantamweight
Mounir Fathi def. Suitama Manuele via second-round TKO — 6 rounds, superwelterweight
Mai Soliiman def. Connie Brown via split decision (58-56, 59-55, 57-58) — 6 rounds, super flyweight
LIVE BLOG
Follow along for live updates from the full fight card below! Can’t see the blog? Click here!
BEER DRAMA IN WORLD TITLE ELIMINATOR
Four members of Conor Wallace’s supporter crew have been sensationally thrown out of the ICC Theatre after a plastic cup filled with beer was hurled at the corner of rival Jerome Pampellone.
The drama erupted shortly after the fifth round of the pair’s light heavyweight world title eliminator on the undercard of rising Australian boxing star Nikita Tszyu.
Pampellone’s trainer Isaac Peach was moving up into the ring when a cup filled with beer was hurled from within the crowd of fans clad in green for Brisbane-based Irishman Wallace.
The cup narrowly missed Peach and hit the corner ropes.
Security immediately converged on the group with three men and a woman escorted from the venue.
Several more security then stayed with the group, sat immediately behind the Pampellone corner, as the fight continued on.
Wallace went on to win via split decision, 116-112 x2 and 113-115.
SCORECARD CONTROVERSY OPENS MAIN CARD
Sonny Knight has claimed a contentious split decision victory over Laban Stringer in the first fight of Wednesday’s main card after what Peter Badel described as a “disgraceful” scorecard.
Knight was the more slick and technical fighter in the opening rounds but tired as he went into the third round for the first time in his professional career, with Stringer outhustling him and relentless in the pressure he put on his opponent.
In the end, Stringer was landing at a furious rate late in the fight and looked to have done enough to win. However, the judges scored it in Knight’s favour with one giving him all four rounds.
Water chat sparks “I’ll try & kill you” | 01:57
“I thought they got it wrong,” Badel said after the fight.
“I thought Stringer was the better fighter. I thought Knight was tiring in the third round… I thought one of the judge’s decisions was disgraceful.
“I hope we don’t lose Stringer to boxing because that is his third straight loss… he’s gutted there and he should be. I don’t know how one judge came up with four-zip.”
US boxing great Shawn Porter agreed, saying that Knight looked “completely gassed” late in the fight.
“That means that judge was on this card and assumed Sonny was going to win this fight and judged every round for him when there was clearly two if not three rounds where Sonny clearly lost,” Porter said.
FULL FIGHT PREVIEW:
Tim Tszyu is predicting younger brother Nikita will make Koen Mazoudier quit in Wednesday night’s hyped No Limit pay-Per-View headliner – and has even sent an emotional Judgement Day text to ensure it happens.
Speaking with Fox Sports Australia from Las Vegas, Australia’s boxing poster boy has backed little brother to finish Mazoudier within six rounds tonight and ink his name into the world’s top 15 super welterweight rankings.
The prediction comes as No Limit CEO George Rose also says, with a world ranking, ‘The Butcher’ will be catapulted onto a journey that could quickly see him earning $10 million and “taking over the world” alongside sibling.
Currently preparing to face reigning IBF champ Bakhram Murtazaliev in October, Tim Tszyu also revealed his stirring text exchange with Nikita over the past 24 hours as he prepares to be absent for the first time in his sibling’s breakout career.
Late on Tuesday evening, Tim sent his younger brother a personalised message which included various passages taken from old warrior creeds.
“Go be great,” he wrote.
“May you move like water, strike like thunder and may your intentions be as dark and impenetrable as the night.
“Come Judgement Day, may the sight of your shadow paralyse the minds of men like poison and may your dominance reign down upon their souls.
“For when the time comes to cement your name in the history books, may the gods smile down upon you with pride …”
Tszyu also then attached a song with the message: “A little song for fight day. Make sure you listen to his heartbeat out there and live in the moment.”
In his reply soon after, Nikita wrote: “You certainly know how to set the mood …”
Asked about the message in camp this morning, Tszyu told Fox Sports Australia: “I know how Nikita’s brain works so, even though I may not there physically, I still now how to amp him up for fight night.
“And for this one, I think Nikita stops him.”
And as for how?
“I think Koen quits,” he continued.
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‘Zoned in’ Nikita ready for a battle | 02:34
“Nikita will make him quit.
“I think come the middle rounds, my brother will really start hurting Koen to the face, to the body and, in my opinion, Koen isn’t going to be able to handle that.”
Despite this being the first time Tim will not be in the same building as Nikita for one of his fights, the former champ “feels calm” about an event which, Stateside, will take place in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Tszyu is still trying to finalise a live stream, which he hopes to watch with his fiancée Alexandra Constantine, who has joined him for a brief stay in Las Vegas while the rest of his team is home cornering Nikita in Sydney.
Should the younger Tszyu take his undefeated run to 10 straight, and catapult into the world rankings, a host of opportunities will open up – including a potential Las Vegas headliner on the same weekend as the 2025 NRL season launch.
“It’s a sliding doors moment tonight,” No Limit boss Rose told us early Wednesday.
“We’re talking $10 million fights in the future, or it’s back to the drawing board.
“Nikita is on the verge of super stardom.
“Tim is already there alongside the biggest names in boxing globally.
“Guys like Canelo Alvarez and Tank Davis.
“(A win tonight) and it’s not a matter of if, but when the Tszyu brothers take over the world.”
Asked if he was nervous given how much is riding out the outcome, Rose laughed: “Oh, of course I’m nervous.
“Koen is a beast.
“He’s the guy planning to ruin all these plans.
“He’s also unlike anyone Nikita has faced before – tricky, tough and more experienced.
“Nikita needs to prove he has gone to the next level and, if he does that, if he gets the win, it will put him top 15 in the world.
“And that’s where the real fun begins.”
BOXING: NIKITA TSZYU V MAZOUDIER | WED 28 AUG 7PM AEST | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
Elsewhere, Tim also stressed fight fans are going to see a smarter version of his brother after spending the best part of a month training in Las Vegas together.
“We’re really seeing his boxing brain now,” Tim said.
“Nikita isn’t just throwing to hurt, he’s thinking in there.
“Playing the game, being smart.
“I actually remember in the amateurs, that’s what he was all about.
“It was (only later) he started scaring us by becoming this ferocious power puncher and trying to knock everyone out.
“But now Nikita is realising he just needs to box.
“That you don’t always need to look for the KO, it will come itself.
“And when he comes in with that approach, he knows now he will do a lot more damage”.
Tszyu also hailed his younger brother’s improved endurance.
“He is doing rounds with ease now and not getting tired,” he said.
“Previously, around halfway through the rounds (in sparring) his legs would become dead and everything would be a grind.
“But he’s not going through that now which is due to the consistency he’s putting in.”
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