Zerafa’s shock injury reveal as local boxing villain targets ‘biggest fight in Australia’

Australia’s Michael Zerafa has likely fought for over a dozen minutes with a broken right hand before viciously dropping Germany’s Besir Ay twice – and then calling out arch rival Tim Tszyu.

With Tszyu watching on from ringside, Zerafa twice knocked down Ay in the seventh round with a pair of brutal flurries that, after snapping back his rival’s head, then sent him, crumpled, to the canvas.

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Both times, however, the German regained his feet.

Yet after the second knockdown, Ay regained his feet only for Zerafa to quickly swarmed again, with referee Chris Condon immediately stepping in to wave the fight off.

Speaking with Main Event’s Ben Damon immediately afterwards, the fighter dubbed ‘Pretty Boy’ revealed he likely broke his hand early in the fight.

“I felt it go in round two,” said the man whose win also claimed him the WBO Intercontinental middleweight strap. “That’s when I started head hunting.”

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Asked what fight he wanted next, Zerafa described a Tszyu showdown as “the biggest fight in Australia”.

However, the Melburnian was also incredibly respectful about an eventual showdown and said he would be backing ‘The Soul Taker’ in his upcoming fight with US prospect Joey Spencer.

Despite likely breaking his hand in the second, Zerafa looked strong throughout and really started to dominate late in the fifth, pinning his rival up against the ropes and landing heavy in what, for a moment, hinted at a finish.

But Ay?

He not only survived the onslaught, but then went back to his corner where, looking across the ring, the German started balancing on one leg while motioning to Zerafa that he was fine.

In the sixth however, the Melburnian landed strongly again, before in the seventh Zerafa twice dropped his rival who, after eventually finding his feet, got whacked again before referee Condon stepped in and waved it off.