Nikita Tszyu Overcomes Adversity, TKOs Mazoudier in a Sydney Sizzler

Junior middleweight Nikita Tszyu, the son of the great Kostya Tszyu and younger brother of Tim Tszyu, had to dig deep today to overcome Aussie countryman Koen Mazoudier and maintain his unblemished record. Both fighters were wobbled at times during the bout at Sydney’s ICC Theatre, a skirmish that is being hailed as one of the best domestic fights in Australia in years.

Mazoudier, who entered the match with a 12-3-1 record had his best moments in rounds seven and eight. Heading in to the ninth, Tszyu was plainly ahead but it appeared that his tank was empty. But he got a second wind and took the fight out of the judges’ hands. A barrage of punches beginning with a straight left put Mazoudier in dire straits and forced the referee to waive it off. The official time was 2:05 of round nine.

Tszyu, who trained for this fight in Las Vegas, advanced his ledger to 10-0 with his eighth win inside the distance.

Semi-Wind-up

Melbourne’s Michael Zerafa set up a potential showdown with Nikita Tszyu by dismissing musty 41-year-old journeyman Tommy Browne who retired on his stool after the opening frame, alleging a biceps injury. The best action came after the stoppage when Zerafa’s brother punched Browne’s trainer.

This was the first fight back for Zerafa (32-5, 20 KOs) after getting stopped in the second round by Erislandy Lara in Las Vegas in March. Browne (45-9-2) has been around the sport forever. Back in 2005, in his days as a featherweight, he challenged WBC belt-holder In Jin Chi in Seoul, losing a wide decision.

Zerafa claims that he was promised a shot at Nikita if he defeated Browne, but Nikita’s promoter George Rose insists that this isn’t etched in stone and says the team is exploring international options including a match for Nikita in Las Vegas in March to coincide with the launching of the National Rugby League season at Allegiant Stadium. Zerafa had no comment on Tszyu’s victory over Mazoudier, having been escorted from the arena with his over-caffeinated brother.

Also

In a mild upset, Conor Wallace scored the biggest win of his career, improving to 14-1 (10) with a 12-round split decision over Jerome Pampellone. Two of the judges favored him by 116-112 tallies with the dissenter scoring it 115-113 for Pampellone. With the victory, Wallace is expected to be boosted into the #2 slot at light heavyweight in the IBF ratings, leapfrogging Anthony Yarde.

From the city of Newry in Northern Ireland. Wallace, a southpaw, migrated to Australia and in the fashion of Dennis Hogan, joining the Fortitude Boxing Club in Brisbane. It was the second straight loss for Pampellone (18-2). A London-born New Zealander of Trinidad stock, Pampellone was out-pointed by Libya’s Malik Zinad in his previous bout.

Tim Tszyu Update

Tim Tszyu’s brief reign as the WBO 154-pound champion ended when he lost a split decision to late replacement Sebastian Fundora, a match in which the Aussie fought the last 10 rounds with a deep cut on his forehead that blurred his vision, the result of an errant elbow. His management was eyeballing Erickson Lubin for Tim’s comeback fight, but shifted away from Lubin when Bakhram Murtalaziev won the vacant IBF diadem with an 11th round stoppage of Jack Culcay in Germany.

A 31-year-old Russian, Murtalaziev refuses to defend his belt in Australia. The scuttlebutt is that Tszyu (24-1, 17 KOs) will challenge Murtalaziev (22-0, 16 KOs) in October in Florida.

Photo credit: No Limit Boxing

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