Nikita Tszyu says brother Tim’s rivalry with Michael Zerafa could explode at Bommber fight
The bitter rivalry between Tim Tszyu and Michael Zerafa is expected to resurface in an unexpected way when Nikita, the Australian boxer’s younger brother, fights in two weeks, Daily Mail Australia can reveal.
Nikita’s famous brother will be in his corner and they both prepare for Zerafa to disrupt his opponent Ben Bomber’s entourage during the fight on May 24.
“Tim said he’d fly down and work my angle, which could be interesting,” the younger Tszyu told Daily Mail Australia.
“This guy I’m fighting, Ben, has a bit of a mouth like Zerafa and I think he either trained or is from the Zerafa gym, so Michael will probably show up.”
WBO super welterweight world champion Tim Tszyu (pictured left) will turn the corner for his younger brother Nikita (pictured right) when Nikita fights in Melbourne next week. Fireworks are expected outside the ring.
That prospect of a ringside showdown became significantly stronger after the elder Tszyu’s spray at a press conference this week when he questioned Zerafa’s legitimacy as a fighter.
Zerafa and Tim have been at each other’s throats since the former infamously dropped out at the last minute in June 2021 fighting Tszyu, citing Covid fears as the reason.
“Tim Tszyu is delusional,” Zerafa said in an interview last year.
“He always goes back on his word and while he was in the amateurs contemplating turning pro, I was fighting for world titles after Daniel Lewis beat the hell out of him. He was dropped by B+ fighters.’
Zerafa recently said of his rival, “He’s an idiot, he has no idea. He’s interim world champion, thinks he’s the best fighter in the world, but nobody wants to fight him because nobody knows him, he’s only known in Australia.’
Tim fired back in an explosive verbal retaliation last week when he announced that his next opponent will be top-five ranked Mexican Carlos Ocampo.
“That just shows his character, shows exactly what type of person he is. He’s a swindler,” Tszyu said.
Michael Zerafa – who was assaulted by Tim Tszyu at a recent press conference – is expected to be ringside when Nikita fights in Melbourne later this month
Tim Tszyu will be ready for Zerafa when he shows up at the Margaret Court Arena fight on May 24
On the other hand, last month Zerafa repeated his no-show antics by stepping away from a world title fight, saying he could make more money by fighting someone else.
That also infuriated Tszyu.
“I would never distance myself from a world title fight,” he said.
“But in saying that, the only fighters offered money to step aside are the ones who aren’t important, the ones who nobody cares about.
‘I don’t know how much he took. But that guy would accept $500.”
Nikita, 25, is about to have his sixth professional fight and steadfastly works towards his own career as he tries to step out of the great shadow created by his famous father and brother.
He has incorporated a lot of athletic speed training into his preparation this time around, sprinting regularly and improving his speed on the running track – and is very fast over 100 meters as a result.
Experts who have seen him run believe that if he ran more than 100 meters, he would clock in 11.3 seconds.
Nikita Tszyu is pictured improving his sprinting and mobility this week, leading experts to say he could run the 100 meters in just over 11 seconds.
But Bomber has criticized him for lacking stamina.
“Nikita Tszyu is 25 years old. He’s in great shape, but he can’t do more than six rounds? I want to fight him over eight rounds, which we asked for, but no, he only wants six,” Bomber said.
“Everyone knows that he comes out strong and just shoots opponents. But come on, I know You Tubers who can run eight rounds. So he should be fighting six rounds at this point.
“Fans want to see eight rounds or 10 rounds. And we wanted that too.’
Nikita – who attended the prestigious Newington College in Sydney and broke every VO2 Max Test record at the school – says eight laps are not part of the process… yet.
“I will fight eight rounds at my next fight. Building a career in boxing is about taking the right steps and soon enough I’ll be fighting 10 rounds or more when I’m ready,” he explained.
‘Look at Tim. He’s in shape now to fight anyone for over 15 rounds, but he’s built that up and will now fight every fight for 12 rounds. This is how you build a career.
“I really don’t think I’ll need six rounds against Ben. He seems like a nice guy, but I’ve seen his fights. He didn’t fight anyone and it could be over soon.’
Undefeated Bomber has fought three times on the undercard of Zerafa fights and trained in Zerafa’s gym.
“That’s why I think Zerafa will show up and cause a scene,” Nikita said.
Nikita defeated Bo Belbin (pictured) in his last fight to bring his impressive record to five fights, five wins and four by knockout
If Zerafa is in the crowd, he will be joined by current WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, who claimed the title in 2020 when he beat Deontay Wilder into submission.
Fury is a friend of the main heavyweight act on this card, Kiwi slugger Joseph Parker, and has trained with him.
Bomber says he will have world-renowned trainer Rodney Crisler in his corner.
Crisler trains Devin Haney, the man who took the world title from Aussie George Kambosos in the lightweight division late last year.