The feud between boxing brothers Tim and Nikita Tszyu continues to escalate, with the younger fighter revealing his brother banned him from his last fight.
Nikita did not attend Tim’s fight with Dennis Nurja earlier this month, where he won a unanimous decision in Wollongong on the Easter Weekend.
The pair, sons of the Hall of Famer Kostya, were once always in each other’s corner when they fought.
Eyebrows were raised when Nikita wasn’t in Tim’s corner a few weeks ago, and the younger Tszyu revealed why.
And it wasn’t because he was sick in the days leading up to the fight.
Tim then reposted a video from boxing journalist Jai McAllister of Nikita talking about his illness, adding three laughing emojis, suggesting the story was fake.
Nikita Tszyu says his brother Tim banned him from his last fight
The brothers used to attend each other’s fights before a falling out
Tim hugs Nikita after one of his wins
According to News Corp, Tim told Nikita not to show up at the fight.
‘I don’t want to get into it too much, I know you guys feed off the spicy drama and everything that’s happening between us, but you are correct,’ Nikita said when asked if Tim banned him from his fight.
Nikita worked in Tim’s corner against Bakhram Murtazaliev in Orlando, and threw in the towel when his older brother suffered the worst beating of his career.
He was there in Las Vegas for Tim’s two world title fight losses against Sebastian Fundora.
Tim was ringside for Nikita’s no-contest fight with Michael Zerafa in January.
Nikita, who goes by the nickname, ‘The Butcher’, is three weeks away from his fight with Oscar Diaz in Newcastle on May 6.
When asked if Tim would be there, he said: ‘I don’t care. I don’t care at this point.’
‘I’m not fussed about anything. My fight is my fight, I only really need my team. They’re the ones I need behind me,’ Nikita said.
Tim Tszyu was at his brother’s no contest fight against Michael Zerafa at Brisbane Entertainment Centre on January 16
The pair are sons of the legendary Kostya, who is a Hall of Famer
Nikita Tszyu (right) celebrates with brother Tim after defeating Dylan Biggs during their Australian Super Welterweight Title fight at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre
The pair’s feud started with Tim’s firing of longtime manager Glen Jennings in a dispute over money.
Jennings still manages Nikita, and Tim’s team reportedly isn’t happy that his younger brother is still supporting Jennings.
Nikita’s next assignment will be difficult against the undefeated Spaniard Diaz.
He said he wanted it to last longer than the embarrassing no-contest fight against Zerafa in January which ended in the third round after an accidental headbutt caused a cut over Zerafa’s eye.
Zerafa told the doctor that he could not see, causing frustration among fans and leading to objects being thrown in the ring.
‘I want to get some rounds in,’ Nikita said of the Diaz clash.
‘I want the people of Newcastle to really get their money’s worth. That’s how I really want it to go. I want it to be a night for everyone to remember.’
Nikita said he has been frustrated since the Zerafa fight because he hasn’t been able to ‘show anything’ and feels like he’s been stuck in first gear since.
‘I want to show what I’ve been working on and the improvements I’ve made,’ he said.
‘They have been working in sparring, but I haven’t been able to express it yet.’
