All the trash talk on the sidelines has come to an end as Michael Zerafa has landed his long-awaited match-up with Tim Tszyu.
Melbourne based Zerafa is fresh off a dominant first-round knockout of Australian boxing legend Anthony Mundine. The bout was very controversial as the 45-year-old veteran had questions over his retirement, and following the loss, he decided to hang up the gloves.
Tszyu is ranked second behind WBA and IBF super welterweight world champion in the renowned BoxRec standings.
With the current situation involving the COVID pandemic, Tszyu’s rise to the top has been hindered. He has decided to fight domestically in the meantime, and after dominant knockout victories over Dennis Hogan, Jeff Horn and Bowyn Morgan, the 26-year-old has taken aim at Zerafa.
Tszyu is already in line for a world title fight, so a match-up with the Melbournian is another risk for his career. Zerafa holds a record of 28-4 and only fought former world champion Kell Brook five fights ago in 2018 in a unanimous decision defeat.
Both fighters have a similar reach at around 72 inches with an orthodox fighting style. However, Zerafa is over 2 inches taller than Tszyu, which may pose a threat during the bout.
This would certainly be the last domestic fight for Tszyu if he can walk away with the win with plans of heading to America to take on the world title.
The fight will take place on Wednesday, July 7, at Newcastle Entertainment Centre, and the fight card will be updated in the coming months.
