Fight week rocked by legal threats after mysterious press conference absence
Zerafa is due to fight American Mikey Dahlman in the co-main event of Nikita Tszyu's boxing return against Lulzim Ismaili, but wasn't present at the standard fight week presser at Moore Park on Monday afternoon.
'I have been informed that he won't be here, but I have been informed he'll be at the weigh in tomorrow,' said No Limit CEO George Rose.
'I was just informed not long ago before coming on air, but he will be coming to the weigh-ins tomorrow.'
Zerafa later issued an incendiary statement claiming he had been told not to attend the press conference, and even threatened legal action.
'They went ahead and falsely told national TV and streaming audiences that I 'no showed',' Zerafa wrote on Instagram. 'That is not just dishonest it's defamation.
'You cannot remove someone, then publicly shame them for not being there.
'That's a direct attack on my integrity, my professionalism, and my name.
'And that has real consequences.
'This attempt to damage my reputation is serious and it won't be ignored.
'Our legal team has now been contacted. Enough is enough.'
Four years ago, Zerafa was scheduled to face Tim Tszyu on a No Limit card in Newcastle, but pulled out due to concerns around travelling interstate during Covid.
Queensland's Stevie Spark was a late-notice call up then, but Rose said there were no concerns about ahead of Wednesday night.
'No, let's keep the ball rolling,' Rose dead-batted when asked if he had any worries about the co-main event.
'Mikey (Dahlman), he's got a really good energy, he's happy to be out here.
'I think he's a guy who can upset the plan too. The fight is happening.'
Dahlman had a horror trip from his home in Illinois to Sydney, including 36 hours' worth of flight delays.
He was eventually forced to rebook his own flights via Dubai to Australia, arriving late last week.
'It was unexpected, because I know Zerafa is a bad boy and a villain,' Dahlman said. 'We all lead different lives, and if he's got something going on, he's gotta answer those questions, not me.
'I've got a job to do. I'm not changing my game-plan just because he's not at a press conference.'
The laidback Dahlman, who arrived in Sydney with his fiancée, said he feels like a hometown fighter in Sydney.
'I was definitely expecting a much bigger hate crowd,' he laughed. 'I got much more support for sure, I love it.
'I'm here to win, I've got business to do and I think I can beat him.'
If they both win on Wednesday, No Limit is expected to push for a domestic blockbuster between Nikita and Zerafa in December.
Zerafa insists he isn't interested in a fight with the younger Tszyu brother though, and only has eyes on Tim.
The impasse has apparently resulted in a breakdown between Zerafa and No Limit, contributing to 'The Pretty Boy's' press conference absence.
No Limit and the Tszyu camp have been adamant for months that Zerafa must fight Nikita before any bout with Tim is possible.
'The rivalry is between me and Tim, that's the one they should be going with,' Zerafa told Code Sports. 'I've got no beef with Nikita.
'They're making it out like I need them. I'm an opportunity for Tim to bounce back and for Nikita to make a name for himself.
'Realistically they need me, I don't need them.'
Tim and Nikita Tszyu's manager, Glen Jennings immediately hosed down any thought of a fight between Zerafa and 'The Soul Taker'.
'He can be as adamant as he wants about fighting Tim, but you don't get everything you want in life,' Jennings told Code Sports. 'He also wants a $100,000 Bentley.
'Dream on.
'Tim Tszyu decides on who fights Tim Tszyu.
'Since Newcastle, Tim has stuck by his stance that he won't fight Michael Zerafa, and I stand by that.
'Right now, there is an option that we'll consider, and that's Nikita. If he decides not to fight him, that's Michael dodging Nikita.
'Make no mistake about that.
'But if Michael wins on Wednesday night, we'll consider him fighting Nikita.'
If Zerafa refuses to fight Nikita, and the impasse remains, Sydney boxer Brock Jarvis says he will gladly step in to face 'The Butcher'.
'I'll step in and fight Nikita, of course. I'm a fighter and I'm here to take on everything that's thrown my way,' Jarvis said.
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Don't miss out on the headlines from Boxing/MMA. Followed categories will be added to My News. Michael Zerafa was mysteriously absent at Monday's press conference ahead of this Wednesday's pay-per-view card at the ICC Exhibition Centre in Sydney. Zerafa is due to fight American Mikey Dahlman in the co-main event of Nikita Tszyu's boxing return against Lulzim Ismaili, but wasn't present at the standard fight week presser at Moore Park on Monday afternoon. 'I have been informed that he won't be here, but I have been informed he'll be at the weigh in tomorrow,' said No Limit CEO George Rose. 'I was just informed not long ago before coming on air, but he will be coming to the weigh-ins tomorrow.' Zerafa later issued an incendiary statement claiming he had been told not to attend the press conference, and even threatened legal action. 'They went ahead and falsely told national TV and streaming audiences that I 'no showed',' Zerafa wrote on Instagram. 'That is not just dishonest it's defamation. Zerafa mysteriously didn't attend Monday's press conference. Picture: No Limit Boxing 'You cannot remove someone, then publicly shame them for not being there. 'That's a direct attack on my integrity, my professionalism, and my name. 'And that has real consequences. 'This attempt to damage my reputation is serious and it won't be ignored. 'Our legal team has now been contacted. Enough is enough.' Four years ago, Zerafa was scheduled to face Tim Tszyu on a No Limit card in Newcastle, but pulled out due to concerns around travelling interstate during Covid. Queensland's Stevie Spark was a late-notice call up then, but Rose said there were no concerns about ahead of Wednesday night. 'No, let's keep the ball rolling,' Rose dead-batted when asked if he had any worries about the co-main event. 'Mikey (Dahlman), he's got a really good energy, he's happy to be out here. 'I think he's a guy who can upset the plan too. The fight is happening.' Dahlman had a horror trip from his home in Illinois to Sydney, including 36 hours' worth of flight delays. He was eventually forced to rebook his own flights via Dubai to Australia, arriving late last week. 'It was unexpected, because I know Zerafa is a bad boy and a villain,' Dahlman said. 'We all lead different lives, and if he's got something going on, he's gotta answer those questions, not me. 'I've got a job to do. I'm not changing my game-plan just because he's not at a press conference.' Mikey Dahlman promises to cause a boilover against Zerafa. Picture: No Limit Boxing The laidback Dahlman, who arrived in Sydney with his fiancée, said he feels like a hometown fighter in Sydney. 'I was definitely expecting a much bigger hate crowd,' he laughed. 'I got much more support for sure, I love it. 'I'm here to win, I've got business to do and I think I can beat him.' If they both win on Wednesday, No Limit is expected to push for a domestic blockbuster between Nikita and Zerafa in December. Zerafa insists he isn't interested in a fight with the younger Tszyu brother though, and only has eyes on Tim. The impasse has apparently resulted in a breakdown between Zerafa and No Limit, contributing to 'The Pretty Boy's' press conference absence. No Limit and the Tszyu camp have been adamant for months that Zerafa must fight Nikita before any bout with Tim is possible. Nikita Tszyu is just focused on Lulzim Ismaili. Picture: No Limit Boxing 'The rivalry is between me and Tim, that's the one they should be going with,' Zerafa told Code Sports. 'I've got no beef with Nikita. 'They're making it out like I need them. I'm an opportunity for Tim to bounce back and for Nikita to make a name for himself. 'Realistically they need me, I don't need them.' Tim and Nikita Tszyu's manager, Glen Jennings immediately hosed down any thought of a fight between Zerafa and 'The Soul Taker'. 'He can be as adamant as he wants about fighting Tim, but you don't get everything you want in life,' Jennings told Code Sports. 'He also wants a $100,000 Bentley. 'Dream on. 'Tim Tszyu decides on who fights Tim Tszyu. 'Since Newcastle, Tim has stuck by his stance that he won't fight Michael Zerafa, and I stand by that. Brock Jarvis says he'll fight Nikita if Zerafa doesn't. Picture: No Limit Boxing 'Right now, there is an option that we'll consider, and that's Nikita. If he decides not to fight him, that's Michael dodging Nikita. 'Make no mistake about that. 'But if Michael wins on Wednesday night, we'll consider him fighting Nikita.' If Zerafa refuses to fight Nikita, and the impasse remains, Sydney boxer Brock Jarvis says he will gladly step in to face 'The Butcher'. 'I'll step in and fight Nikita, of course. I'm a fighter and I'm here to take on everything that's thrown my way,' Jarvis said. Originally published as Fight week rocked by legal threats after mysterious press conference absence
