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Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Nikita Tszyu reveals bizarre story about the birth of his baby daughter in WILD interview after announcing his boxing comeback with epic first-round victory
Aussie boxing star Nikita Tszyu ended his year-long hiatus from professional boxing in sensational fashion, blowing away Macedonian fighter Lulzim Ismaili with a devastating first-round victory. After the fight, an overjoyed Tszyu celebrated with fans and his family, having now extended his record to 11-0. While much of the post-match talk revolved around who he could face next, with Michael Zerafa and Brock Jarvis also claiming dominant victories on Wednesday evening at the ICC Exhibition Centre in Sydney, Tszyu notably opened up on the bizarre thing he asked a midwife to do while his daughter, Curiosity, was being born. The 27-year-old and his partner, Nikita Bedwell, welcomed their first child into the world in June, and the Aussie fighter, who recently revealed that he had been eating his wife's placenta as a nutritional supplement, was asked whether he had a message for Curiosity after his sensational victory by Main Event's Ben Damon. Tszyu, who had walked out to ACDC's Thunderstruck blaring over the speakers, paused for a moment before leaving the audience perplexed. 'Thunderstruck is the song she came out to as we were having her,' he said. Damon cut a quizzical look before saying: 'Huh?' 'You heard it right!' Tszyu continued. 'As we were having a C-section, I got one of the nurses to play it,' the Aussie fighter, who is the son of former world champion Kostya Tszyu and the brother of boxing superstar Tim Tszyu. 'As she was coming out it was going: "Dun, dun!"' 'As the song has a very special place in my heart, I closed my eyes [during the ring walk] and was just thinking about Curiosity. I was seeing her naked body being pulled out.' Any doubts that Tszyu could exhibit some rustiness on his return to the ring were very quickly extinguished after he advanced into the middle of the ring and began to unload on Ismaili. The Australian sent his opponent crashing to the canvas a minute into the first round with a brutal left hand, with Ismaili returning to his feet before being tested again by the relentless Tszyu. After the bell sounded at the end of the first round, Ismaili returned to his corner but would retire on his stool, following Tszyu's brutal barrage of punches. He also appeared to put to bed any concerns over his left hand. The Butcher had undergone surgery to rectify an injury in his hand that had been bugging him for some time. Complications over that injury had been some cause for concern too. 'It's not busted up,' he added. 'So a great success!' 'It wasn't a concern. But it would've been annoying if it flared up again… but it didn't.' On the undercard, Jarvis, who has recently reunited with his old coach Jeff Fenech, claimed a fourth-round stoppage over his opponent Sam Beck. He and Fenech notably embraced in the middle of the ring, having seemingly set aside their differences over the past year. Meanwhile, Zerafa stepped into the ring and brutally dispatched American Mike Dahlman inside two minutes, to win the WBO Inter-Continental middleweight title, with a technical knock-out. Either one could face off against Tszyu in his next fight, with Zerafa admitting while he had a lot of respect for Tszyu, he added: 'I believe I beat Nikita,' should the pair step into the ring. Tszyu, this week, has admitted he would love to take his next fight internationally and fight in Las Vegas when the NRL returns to Sin City for its opening round in 2026. Tszyu, this week, has admitted he would love to take his next fight internationally and fight in Las Vegas when the NRL returns to Sin City for its opening round in 2026. However, he was staying coy over who he could fight next. 'Line them up,' he stated. 'I don't care. Whoever.' 'I'm back. After a year, I'm back,' he added.
Daily Telegraph
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Telegraph
Boxing: Nikita Tszyu wins comeback fight against Lulzim Ismaili, undefeated, live updates, full card
Nikita Tszyu has wasted little time celebrating his return to the ring, ending his comeback fight against Lulzim Ismaili after just one round. The son of Kostya and younger brother of Tim, the promising Nikita Tszyu had a 10-0 record entering Wednesday night in his three-year professional boxing career. Nikita Tszyu vs Lulzim Ismaili | Wednesday 20 August 7PM AEST | Order this PPV event now with Main Event on Kayo Sports. He took on previously undefeated Macedonian Ismaili (12-1) in a super welterweight bout at Sydney's ICC Exhibition Centre as the Aussie tested out his surgically repaired left hand for the first time in 12 months. The 27-year-old showed few issues, however, as he dropped Ismaili with a huge left hand just over a minute into the first round. Ismaili seemed to want nothing to do with Tszyu's power, surviving the first round but then refusing to get off his stool to start the second. Nikita Tszyu celebrates after beating Lulzim Ismaili with ease. (Photo by) Ismaili refused to continue the fight after the first round barrage. Picture: Thomas Lisson The Tszyu family is among the most revered in Aussie boxing history, although Tim Tszyu and his camp have received some flak after he lost his world title and has fallen short in three of his past four fights. Nikita had a message for the haters shortly after his victory. 'Thank you to my team for always being there number one,' he said. 'They've copped a lot of criticism with my brother's recent fights, but we're here til the end. 'This is my family.' Never miss the latest sports news from Australia and around the world — download the app direct to your phone. Tim Tszyu leaves the ring after his defeat to Sebastian Fundora last month. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images) Tszyu, who goes by the ring name 'The Butcher', demonstrated in the build-up to his first fight since August last year he is a unique character, even among boxers. Tszyu raised plenty of eyebrows when he revealed his wife's placenta in capsule form and breast milk were part of his pre-fight diet. Whatever his approach, it appears to be having the desired effect as he took another step forward in his young career. Michael Zerafa also looked strong as he dominated his fight against American Mikey Dahlman, setting up a potential showdown with Nikita Tszyu in the future. Brock Jarvis also overcame a slow start to also get back on the winner's list following his brutal defeat to Keith Thurman earlier this year. Check out how the big night of boxing unfolded below. Originally published as 'Ouch': Nikita Tszyu's boxing comeback ends in seconds
News.com.au
18 hours ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Nikita Tszyu vs Lulzim Ismaili boxing live updates: ‘Punch from the gods' rocks undercard
A brutal punch sent a boxer to the canvas and ignited the crowd ahead of Nikita Tszyu's boxing return in Sydney on Wednesday night. Welcome to live coverage of Nikita Tszyu's return to the ring after a 12-month hiatus. The son of Kostya and younger brother of Tim, the promising Nikita Tszyu has a 10-0 record to date in his three-year professional boxing career. He is taking on undefeated Macedonian Lulzim Ismaili (12-0) in a super welterweight bout at Sydney's ICC Exhibition Centre. The 27-year-old Tszyu, who goes by the ring name 'The Butcher', demonstrated in the build-up to his first fight since August last year he is a unique character, even among boxers. Tszyu raised plenty of eyebrows when he revealed his wife's placenta in capsule form and breast milk were part of his pre-fight diet. It remains to be seen if the diet helps him get past Ismaili as he continues his quest to become the third boxing world champion in the family. Aussie boxing stars Michael Zerafa and Brock Jarvis are also on the undercard, along with debutant Ashleigh Heal, the daughter of Boomers great Shane Heal.
