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Australian boxing sensation Tim Tszyu described the idea of one day fighting former would-be opponent Michael Zerafa as “complete stupidity”.
Tszyu (21-0) currently finds himself preparing for the biggest fight of his career in late January when he takes on Jermell Charlo (35-1-1) in Las Vegas to unify the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring light-middleweight titles.
As a result, the 28-year-old is done talking about Zerafa, who stunned the Australian boxing community last year when he pulled out of a match-up with Tszyu at the last minute, citing concerns over COVID restrictions.
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“I’m going to Vegas to fight for four belts, I’m fighting for like a Super Bowl final and what? I’m going to go back to a pub show with 200 people watching (against Zerafa)?” Tszyu said.
“I don’t even want that name mentioned anymore.”
Zerafa’s former long-time trainer Sam Labruna recently alleged in a News Corp interview that Zerafa asked his team to sabotage the Tszyu fight by injuring him in the lead-up so he wouldn’t have to face Tszyu.
“The whole thing’s a mess,” Tszyu said.
“It’s lies and excuses and this and that, that’s why I don’t bother anymore.
“When you’ve got someone that’s just full of lies like that, just don’t give them the attention, they don’t deserve it … Zerafa who?”
Tszyu flies out to America next week for a 10-week build-up to the Charlo fight, but he’s also spent time recently training in Thailand as part of his preparation.
“I feel like (with) boxing, you need to go back to your roots and in Thailand it’s like the jungle there, you’re in the middle of nowhere, the heat, it’s just a good spot to just go hard,” Tszyu said.
When asked if he had been scouting Charlo in the lead-up to the fight, Tszyu responded: “He’s the one that should be worried, not me.”
The Charlo showdown will be Tszyu’s first fight in the combat sports mecca that is Vegas, and the Australian was still pinching himself.
“I think it’s every kid’s dream to fight in Vegas,” he said.
“That’s where all the big fights are, back from the Muhammad Ali days, that’s where everything’s at.
“To be able to do it over there and to be fighting for all the four belts as well, it still hasn’t sunk in.”
And what would it mean to Tszyu to unify the belts?
“It would mean the world, it would be a pretty unreal feeling, let’s just say that,” he said.
“There’s pinnacles of every sport – there’s the Super Bowl in the NFL, there’s the NBA finals and the last winning shot (but) this is as big as it gets.
“This is the pinnacle of boxing – not just boxing, but of sport.”
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