‘What’s going on?’ Inside ugly ‘dog shot’ drama — and what it could mean for Zerafa’s shot at Nikita

Nikita Tszyu could potentially bypass Michael Zerafa following the chaotic ‘dog shot’ drama that marred Wednesday night’s No Limit showcase – with no contract in place stating the pair must fight.

A confident Team Tszyu have stressed, however, they have no concerns about taking on Australian boxing’s undisputed bad boy next, and despite the incident which – branded “bananas” by Tszyu – is already under investigation by both police and the NSW Combat Authority.

It comes as Tszyu will go for scans on his left hand today, after suffering what could be a tendon injury, or even a small fracture.

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While there were some concerns it could prevent him from fighting at the back end of this year, Tszyu suffered a similar injury against Italian Danilo Creati in April and was back within four months — a timeline that would likely still allow him to fight late December as planned.

The revelation comes as ‘The Butcher’ also explained just how close he came to breaking in his incredibly gutsy 9th round stoppage win against Koen Mazoudier, saying: “I was hitting him with some of the hardest shots I’ve ever done and he just looks at me, going ‘c’mon’.”

On the same night Tszyu stopped Mazoudier to earn a top 15 world ranking, Zerafa required a security escort from Sydney’s ICC Theatre after his brother, and corner, was involved in an ugly in-ring attack on popular Sydney trainer Tommy Mercuri.

The drama unfolded after just a round of Zerafa’s fight against Tommy Browne – with the latter forced to retire on his stool after suffering a severe biceps tear late in the first.

The shock announcement then prompted a heated verbal exchange between Zerafa and Mercuri, before the fighter’s brother then entered the ring and punched the trainer in the face with “a dog shot”.

Asked by Fox Sports Australia after the fight if he had been aware of the incident, Tszyu said he had been going through padwork backstage when the drama unfolded, before adding: “I heard Michael’s brother punched Tommy Browne”.

Told it was Mercuri, he said: “Bananas.

“I was warming up and heard everyone in the room say ‘what’s going on, what’s going on?’

“But I was worrying about the pads.”

So as for all the talk now about a fight between himself and Zerafa?

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I don’t even want to think about his name right now.”

Instead, the younger Tszyu preferred to heap praise on Mazoudier.

And fair enough.

Especially given, only minutes earlier, that gutsy Blacktown boy with the incredible backstory had, as promised, taken Tszyu through nine incredible rounds of Aussie boxing brutality.

Speaking with Main Event’s Ben Damon immediately after the slugfest, Tszyu admitted to feeling like he was out on his feet as the bout entered into the later rounds.

Asked to expand on that afterwards, he said: “Did I say I was out on my feet?

“I don’t think I meant that.

“I was in deep waters, I think that’s a better way of describing it.

“I was never really ‘out’.

“I was facing myself in the mirror really.

“I was at my lowest.

“At breaking point really.

“I had to dig deep in there.”

Tszyu also branded Mazoudier “a machine” and admitted to being surprised by his game plan adding that “I wasn’t expecting him to come forward the whole time”.

“So it took me by surprise,” he continued.

“But I made the adjustments; some things worked, some didn’t.

“I’m just glad I got him with some body shots to slow him down.”

Soon after he added of Mazoudier: “I was hitting him with some of the hardest shots I’ve ever done and he just looks at me, going ‘c’mon’.

“I was thinking ‘for f***s sake’.

“But, man, that’s exactly what I needed — that test.

“It’s a great introduction for the world I’ve just jumped into … the world rankings.”

So as for how it felt when, finally, he found a way through the fighter aptly dubbed Barbarian in the ninth?

“Did I get him with a body shot first to slow him down?” he asked.

“I think we were in the clinch first.

“I remember a couple of punches landed, he leaned on me so I kept throwing more and more hooks.

“And then the moment I heard the referee say ‘show me something Koen’ I thought ‘OK, we’re close’.

“I started unleashing and, yeah … lucky he didn’t keep throwing.”

While there has been plenty of talk about Tszyu and Zerafa fighting, No Limit CEO George Rose revealed post fight there was nothing currently contracted between the pair.

Tszyu’s manager Glen Jennings also suggested that, while the team has no concerns about Zerafa as an opponent – “we’re confident Nikita takes care of Michael” – the polarising Melburnian remains one of many options.

“There are no guarantees,” Jennings stressed, before adding his charge was also nursing a sore hand that may require further examination Thursday morning.

“But if Nikita is good to fight, we’ll talk to the Rose boys in the next couple of days.

“We have a number of options and Michael is one of them.

“It’s a real chance of happening, there’s no hiding it.

“It’s a great domestic fight, probably the best one we can have in the country.

“It’s about the commercial realities of it and the other opportunities that are already lined up.

“Michael Zerafa is an interest, but there are others also.

“I think Michael Zerafa and Nikita Tszyu is a great fight, it’s just about making it work in a timeframe that’s right for us.”

Rose agreed.

“Michael wants to be a big name here in Australia and at super welterweight Tim and Nikita Tszyu are the kings of the division,” he said.

“They’re the Pay-Per-View kings.

“Everyone turns up to watch them.

“So if you want to be known in Australia you get in the ring with them.”

Rose also said there would be action taken on the Team Zerafa incident.

“I’m not a fan of that,” he said.

“ What happens now … we’ll talk through what happened and hopefully the right action is taken because we don’t want that happening at our events and won’t support it happening at our events in the future.”