Nikita Tszyu vs Michael Zerafa Tips - Tszyu facing first career defeat at the hands of Zerafa

Leigh Copson

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Last updated: Mon 12 Jan 2026 10:56

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Leigh Copson 12 Jan 2026

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Michael Zerafa aims to hand Nikita Tszyu his first defeat.
Zerafa's experience and reach may challenge Tszyu's perfect record.
Tszyu enters the fight with an 11-0 record, most by stoppage.

Expired

Michael Zerafa (Getty Images)

Tszyu vs Zerafa Stats
Nikita Tszyu Record
Michael Zerafa Record

Michael Zerafa is backed to become the first man to beat Nikita Tszyu. Zerafa will need to be wary of Tszyu’s power early on, but he has the ability to land on his hittable opponent and win this showdown.

Tszyu vs Zerafa Stats

Michael Zerafa has won 5 of his previous 6 fights
7 of Michael Zerafa’s last 8 wins have come via stoppage
Michael Zerafa has a 2.3” reach advantage over Nikita Tszyu

Nikita Tszyu Record

Nikita Tszyu enters this fight boasting a perfect record, having won all 11 of his professional fights so far.

Tszyu debuted in 2022 and over the next 18 months he reeled off seven consecutive victories to land a shot at the Australian super-welterweight title.

Six of those successes came via stoppage, and when he challenged for the title he got the job done inside the distance too.

The 27-year-old Australian took five rounds to knock out Dylan Biggs to claim his first career title.

Tsyzu then successfully defended that title with a decision win over Danilo Creati in April 2024, before stepping up a level to claim the IBF Australasian and WBO Inter-Continental titles.

‘The Butcher’ knocked out Koen Mazoudier in the ninth round to claim those championships in August 2024.

Then almost one year to the date, he successfully defended the WBO Inter-Continental title with a first-round stoppage of Lulzim Ismaili.

Michael Zerafa Record

Michael Zerafa is a former world title contender with a professional record of 32-5 (20 KOs).

Zerafa made his professional debut back in March 2011 and quickly established himself on the domestic scene over the next few years, winning several minor championships.

His first big fight came in December 2018 when he took on British star Kell Brook, and although he took Brook the distance he came out on the losing end of a decision.

The 33-year-old rebounded with a second-round knockout of Les Sherrington, and then backed that up with his biggest win up to that point, knocking out Jeff Horn in the ninth in August 2019.

Zerafa dropped the rematch fourth months later, losing to Horn via majority decision, only to rebound with a first-round demolition of Anthony Mundine.

He backed that up a fourth-round knockout of Siliveni Nawai and a second-round stoppage of Issac Hardman, before out-pointing Danilo Creati over 10 rounds.

That earned ‘Pretty Boy’ a first world title shot in March of 2024, but he came up short on the night as he was knocked out in the second round by WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara.

Zerafa rebounded in his last outing though, taking just two minutes to beat Tommy Browne.

Verdict

Nikita Tszyu v Michael Zerafa

Nikita Tszyu may boast an unbeaten record, but this is clearly his biggest challenge to date.

Michael Zerafa is an experienced campaigner with pop in his hands, and he should have few issues landing on Tszyu’s chin so we expect ‘Pretty Boy’ to deliver in this all-Aussie affair.