'Very special': Nikita Tszyu cherishes boxing comeback

Perth Now

02-07-2025

Enjoying his own journey, Nikita Tszyu is pledging to be a more complete and mature fighter when he makes an eagerly awaited comeback to boxing after a life-changing year out of the ring.
A month after his celebrated brother Tim fights for a second world title in Las Vegas, Tszyu will return from a hand injury on August 20 as a proud first-time father.
While the opponent or location have yet to be revealed, the undefeated 27-year-old announced his return exactly - and just - a week after the birth of daughter Curiosity.
"Life couldn't be better," Tszyu said.
"It's a very special moment. Yeah, very pivotal moment in my life and many more to come."
It has certainly been a busy and, as Tszyu himself put it, a reflective 12 months since the son of a gun underwent surgery for tendon injuries to his left hand.
Tszyu carried the pain through multiple victories before his 10th and most recent fight, a ninth-round stoppage of Koen Mazoudier in Sydney last August.
Branded "The Butcher" for the merciless manner in which he slices up his opponents, Tszyu has also often been accused of being a bit loose with his lips in victory.
Now, even he admits to being unsure if fatherhood will affect his motivation or approach inside the ring.
"We'll find out when I do go to dark places in the ring, how my brain reacts, because I don't know how it's reacted in the past," Tsyzu said.
"I don't know how it's going to react to this time, hopefully for the better."
Regardless who he fights next, all the talk is of Tszyu squaring off with motormouth-turned-No Limit Boxing stablemate Michael Zerafa later in the year.
Zerafa (33-5, 21 KOs) has had more than triple the amount of professional fights than Tszyu (10-0, 8 KOs), but Tszyu sees being the underdog as a great opportunity.
"I'm not going to say that I'm on the same level as him. I've had 10 fights. He's had 30," Tsyzu said.
"He's just very well experienced and has fought overseas.
"So I know the test I have ahead of me and the challenge I have in front of me, and for me it's a very big stepping stone.
Tszyu sees a potential domestic super fight with Zerafa to his 10-round war against Dylan Biggs in November, 2023.
"I know they kind of put me forward as the favourite (against Biggs) but I thought I was clearly the underdog in that fight," he said.
"There was a lot for me to prove to myself in that fight, and this is not the same situation, but a similar situation."
Tszyu conceded he had some nerves returning to training, but dismissed any concerns about how his hand was holding up.
"Guys, we're good. Relax," he told reporters.
The super-welterweight is hoping he can follow in his brother's footsteps as Tim Tszyu prepares for a spicy rematch against Sebastian Fundora in Las Vegas on July 20.
"Vegas is the pinnacle. It's where everyone aspires to be," Tszyu said.
"Hopefully I do get there one day, but I take every step as it comes.
"At the moment, I'm still bound to Australia. I've still got to conquer this land first before I represent Australia on the world stage."