'Payback's coming': Nikita Tszyu ignites Zerafa boxing rivalry
Not normally one for trash talk, Nikita is understood to have grown increasingly sick of seeing Zerafa mention his family's name in the media and is taking a stand.
Zerafa has had a long-running rivalry with Tim Tszyu, dating back to their cancelled 2021 showdown in Newcastle, but Nikita has been dragged into the drama over the last two years.
Just over a week out from his long-awaited comeback against Lulzim Ismaili in Sydney on August 20, Nikita has taken aim at Zerafa once more, calling him fake and using the Tszyu name to stay relevant.
Zerafa fights American Mikey Dahlman on the Tszyu-Ismaili undercard, and as recently as last week claimed that Nikita would beat his older brother in a fight.
It has been less than a month since Tim's knockout loss to Sebastian Fundora, which was his third defeat in four fights.
Tszyu is sick of Zerafa. Pictures: No Limit Boxing/Gregg Porteous
If they both win next week, Tszyu and Zerafa could meet later in the year, while Sydney's Brock Jarvis is also in the mix for a fight with one of them.
Zerafa sent Tim a classy message in the hours after 'The Soul Taker's loss to Fundora in July, but Nikita says it's an act, and hit out at Zerafa pulling out of his 2021 bout against Tim.
'Zerafa is a chameleon. Changes his colours whenever it suits his need for recognition,' he said.
'Right now, it's 'nice guy', but deep down, he's still the bloke who talked big then ran from Tim.
'He'll carry that forever. The only cure for that is for me to retire him.'
Zerafa is adamant he wants to fight Tim rather than Nikita, but 'The Butcher' believes he just uses any opportunity to say their name to keep himself in the headlines.
'I can't wait for the day he's silenced,' he said. 'No more bullshit, no more stories, no more mentions of Tszyu.
Zerafa stopped the experienced Besir Ay in March. Pictures: No Limit Boxing/Gregg Porteous
'To be honest… no more Zerafa. That's a day I'm planning for.
'You can't hide from your history. You can try and convince the world it never happened – but I'll make sure it catches up with you.
'Payback's coming.
'He's had plenty to say about my family just to stay relevant in boxing.
'Without the Tszyu name, Zerafa doesn't exist. His day is coming, and retribution is near.'
Zerafa lost a middleweight world title fight against Erislandy Lara on the same card as Tim's first loss to Fundora in 2024.
He returned with a bizarre win over Tommy Browne, before stopping Besir Ay in Sydney in March.
'Nikita's doing his thing, and he's gotta earn his stripes a little bit,' he told Code Sports. 'He's doing great things, but to say that I'll be fighting him is a bit of a kick in the teeth.
'He's doing his thing, I'm doing my thing, and my goal is to be a world champion.
The fight that never happened. Picture:'The fight with Tim, that's always something in the cupboard for a rainy day – it's a big money fight – but I'm not gonna keep pushing and pushing for it.
'If it happens, it happens.'
In response, Nikita labelled Zerafa 'delusional' for thinking he could still land a fight with Tim.
'I kind of feel sorry for him sometimes,' Tszyu told Code Sports. 'He's just seeking approval and attention.
'I feel sorry for him for that mindset he has and how he feels like he's been wronged.
'But then I look at his face and I'm like, 'Nah, screw that guy, I don't feel sorry for him'.
'The fact that he thinks that he's ever fighting Tim again is hilarious. That's not a chance.
'Not a bloody chance.
'He's just completely delusional. He thinks he knows everything.'
Brendan Bradford
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Brendan Bradford is a sports writer for CODE Sports. He primarily covers combat sports, league, union, cycling and athletics. Brendan has worked in sports media for a decade, covering world title fights, World Cups, Grand Slams and Spring Tours.
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