‘Why are you asking me?’ Tim Tszyu mystery hangs over big fight as ‘tired’ ex-NRL star called out

Michael Zerafa is widely regarded as the ‘bad boy’ of Australian boxing, but the 33-year-old was showing no signs of it ahead of his highly-anticipated fight against Nikita Tszyu.

N. Tszyu vs Zerafa | Friday 16 Jan from 7pm AEDT | The trash talk and bitterness come to a head when Nikita Tszyu steps into the ring to face Michael Zerafa in one of the most anticipated fights in Australian boxing history. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.

The pair will enter the ring on Friday night, but before then the trash talk was supposed to continue in Wednesday’s official press conference, especially when you consider what the younger Tszyu brother had said in the lead-up.

Tszyu claimed in an interview with foxsports.com.au this week that he had plans to make Zerafa “break mentally”, adding that he believes his opponent has never recovered from the “trauma” of being stretchered from the ring in 2015 after his knockout loss to American Peter Quillin in 2015.

It is far from the only verbal jab Tszyu has thrown at Zerafa in the lead-up to Friday’s fight, with the 27-year-old also declaring his fierce rival “hasn’t shown much” in the past two years.

Zerafa, meanwhile, suggested that Nikita’s brother Tim was gifted a world title shot because of his surname in their face-off interview with Main Event’s Ben Damon while also questioning if the younger Tszyu has the experience to be talking so much smack.

Outside of that, however, Zerafa hasn’t engaged in the same verbal warfare that has dominated his relationship with Nikita’s older brother Tim over the years.

It was put to Zerafa on Wednesday that it may be a deliberate tactic given Nikita usually thrives when he develops a strong hatred for his opponent, but the 33-year-old insisted he wasn’t putting on an act.

Instead, as Tszyu put it in the press conference, it just seemed like Zerafa was showing a “different side”.

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“This fight he hasn’t been showing so much animosity,” Tszyu said.

“He had a lot of animosity with my brother. But in this time round, it’s been very neutral, very respectful. It’s a different side of Michael that we haven’t seen before.”

Zerafa did at one point declare he is “levels above” Nikita, but that was really the closest he got to any form of trash talk and that seemed to say more about his confidence than a lack of respect for the younger Tszyu brother.

Zerafa said this fight is about making a “statement” to the boxing world with one clear message: ‘I told you so’.

But that doesn’t mean there is any pressure on him, despite Zerafa teasing a world title tilt after his fight against Nikita.

“There is no pressure on me,” Zerafa said.

“I’ve been there, and I’ve done it. I’ve fought all around the world and fought for world titles and basically won all the titles. My next one is the world title.

“So, after Nikita, hopefully the promoters can keep their promise and get me that world title. But I’m not looking past that. I’m looking fully focused on what’s ahead on Friday night.”

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Nikita, meanwhile, was far more willing to put pressure on himself as he admitted this is a “big moment” in his career, especially considering the question marks surrounding his decision to take the fight in the first place.

“It’s a big moment. This is a very big test in my career,” he said.

“It’s a test that a lot of people probably would say that I shouldn’t be taking. It’s too risky at this point.

“There’s a lot of questions that come with this fight. Will Michael’s experience be just too much for me? Or can my youth kind of be the thing that propels me forward? These questions will be answered on Friday night.

“I have confidence in myself. My team has confidence in me. It’s these kinds of moments where you’re expected to lose where you can really rise up and being able to break the narrative of his experience will be too much for me and for me to overcome that will be a monumental moment in my career.”

Given how big a moment it is in his career, surely brother Tim will be in attendance? Well, strangely Nikita didn’t confirm or deny that would be the case when asked by Code Sports’ Brendan Bradford.

“I don’t know, give him a call,” Nikita said.

“Do you have his number. Why are you asking me?”

When then asked if he wanted his brother ringside, Nikita again didn’t seem too fussed.

“I mean if he wants to come, he wants to come,” he said.

“But if he doesn’t, I don’t know. I think he’s still on holidays at the moment… Tim if you want to come, come.”

MORE: Why Asofa-Solomona fears for rugby league’s future

Elsewhere, former NRL enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona called out rugby league rival Jeremy Latimore ahead of the former’s pro debut.

Latimore, who played 182 games for five different NRL clubs throughout his career, is no stranger to being an underdog and embracing his doubters ahead of Friday’s fight against the explosive front rower.

“Obviously I’m very aware of his power, but I’ve had doubters my whole life,” Latimore said.

“I grew up in Port Macquarie, I moved down to Sydney to play rugby league. There were always doubters up there saying I wouldn’t play first grade, and then I finally cracked first grade.

“There were always doubts about how long I’d played, and I ended up going on to play 180 NRL games. I do like feeding off that energy. I do like the doubters. I do it for myself and my family, but I love proving people wrong.”

In fact, while most people would shy away from a fight with Asofa-Solomona, Latimore said he jumped at the opportunity given it will be the Kiwi international’s first professional bout.

“I couldn’t take it quick enough… it’s a big ask: two-minute rounds was his previous fight,” Latimore said.

“He did look tired in that and he was doing most of the punching. I plan on leveling that up on Friday and doing plenty of punching with the big fella. And then that last minute of the first round, three-minute rounds, they are hard.

“The legs do get heavy, and there’s been a lot of pressure brought on to the big boy this week.”

Asofa-Solomona, however, wasn’t buying any of the talk from Latimore.

“He’s saying all this stuff, but I don’t even think he believes in that, so he’s just saying what’s on his mind, but I truly believe he doesn’t believe what he’s even saying,” he said.

“He’s talking about my power, whatever way he wants it, whether he wants to box or he wants to go out in the first round, we can cater that.”