Polarising Aussie boxer Michael Zerafa is likely to be handed a life ban and see his No Limit Boxing contract torn up following his controversial bout with Nikita Tszyu on Friday night in Brisbane.
Zerafa, 33, is claiming he suffered a shattered eye socket in the fight which was sensationally stopped and declared a no contest – along with damage to his retina.
On Saturday, Zerafa posted a video of himself on Instagram where he is nursing a swollen left eye.
The controversial Melbourne-based boxer – dubbed Pretty Boy – also claimed to have spent the night in hospital following an accidental head clash with Tszyu in the ring.
Zerafa was left with a small cut over his left eye – and in stunning scenes, ringside doctor Alan Saunders called off the fight after Zerafa twice said he had been ‘blinded.’
Dr Saunders later revealed his exchange with Zerafa on Fox Sports.
Aussie boxer Michael Zerafa (left) is likely to be handed a life ban and see his No Limit Boxing contract torn up following his controversial bout with Nikita Tszyu on Friday night in Brisbane
Zerafa, 33, is now claiming he suffered a ‘shattered’ eye socket in the bout which was sensationally stopped and declared a no contest – along with damage to his retina
A post on X from Zerafa’s cut man Matt Clark insisted the cut was minimal, before sharing an image of the ‘bloodied’ swab (pictured)
‘I covered Michael’s right eye and said, ‘can you see?’.
‘He (twice) said ‘I can’t see…I can’t see.’
Dr Saunders added the only outcome was to end the fight at the end of the second round.
Irate fans didn’t hide their disappointment after the highly anticipated bout was ended in comical fashion, with cups and cans being hurled in the direction of both fighters.
‘Unbelievable scenes here in Brisbane,’ Ben Damon said in commentary.
‘This is an extraordinary moment…this crowd is furious. This will be a moment that is talked about forever in Australian boxing history. Extraordinary. Unbelievable.’
Adding to the considerable drama was a post on X from Zerafa’s cut man Matt Clark.
He insisted the cut was minimal, before sharing an image of the ‘bloodied’ swab.
In chaotic scenes, Michael Zerafa insisted he wanted to fight on, despite microphones picking up him saying ‘I can’t see’ twice to ringside doctor Alan Saunders
Tim Tszyu, the older brother of Nikita, was left fuming at the decision and confronted Zerafa in the ring calling him a ‘pussy’ and ‘cowardly’
‘I felt the cut on Michael Zerafa wasn’t bad at all. He asked me between rounds ‘Sweet?’ to which I replied ‘It’s sweet, there’s nothing in it’.
‘That’s the total amount of blood on the swab. A very disappointing end to what I thought was shaping as a great contest.’
As tension mounted seemingly by the second, Tszyu’s former world championship-winning brother Tim confronted Zerafa in the ring.
He mocked Zerafa as a ‘pussy’, reminding his bitter rival how he himself fought on blindly for 10 rounds with a gruesome cut to his head during a 12-round war with Sebastian Fundora in Las Vegas in 2024.
Following the bout, Zerafa went on a wild, eight-minute rant backstage and has threatened to walk away from the sport for good.
Now the decision is likely to be out of his hands – and his reputation is in tatters.
‘I don’t know if they’re going to see me back in the ring, man,’ Zerafa said.
‘I’m f***ing done. ‘I’ve bled for this sport. I’ve done everything for this sport. I never get the credit I deserve. It’s bulls**t.’
When asked if he could understand why the Brisbane crowd was so furious, Zerafa continued to assert his innocence.
Tszyu referenced his own bloodied bout against Sebastian Fundora where he lasted 12 rounds
Referee Chris Condon was left with little choice but to stop the match and award the no decision result (pictured)
‘I never quit,’ Zerafa maintained.
His opponent though was not buying Zerafa’s excuses.
‘He pulled the pin on the fight. I’m honestly lost for words,’ Nikita Tszyu said.
‘It’s annoying that he saw the opening to escape and just took the first route out.
‘Like, yeah, it’s a cut on the eye, but…as soon as the head clash happened, I could see him panicking a little bit.
‘He wasn’t happy with it but it’s boxing. You get cuts. Look at my brother, he had a bloody squirter [against Sebastian Fundora].’
Speaking with media after the bout, Tim Tszyu doubled down on Zerafa’s ‘cowardly’ act and brought up his own issues with the Aussie fighter from 2021.
‘I just don’t understand the cowardly act. I heard the doctor went like that [holds hand up to eye] and he went ‘I can’t see, I can’t see’ three times,’ he said.
‘I feel like that type of answer shouldn’t come out of a boxer.
‘He felt a little bit of adversity and instead of rising up to the occasion he just said, ‘Nah, I can’t see’. It’s bizarre. It’s really bizarre. I’m very surprised. It just proves the whole thing about him not rocking up to fight me.’
No Limit CEO George Rose admitted he is enraged about Zerafa’s conduct.
‘It’s still very raw,’ he said.
‘I was biting my tongue at the end of the fight because I am passionate about putting on these events. I love this s***. We invest a lot of time, money and effort into what we do. It’s a risk every time we do a show.
‘I know so many people are pissed off.’
