If everything goes to plan on Wednesday night, Nikita Tszyu and Michael Zerafa will be a collision course for a highly-anticipated all-Australian grudge fight.
Nikita Tszyu vs Lulzim Ismaili | Wednesday 20 August 7PM AEST | Order this PPV event now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
MORE TSZYU VS ISMAILI NEWS
BURNING QUESTIONS: Nikita clears up injury concern… and Tim ‘fear’ hanging over return
ULTIMATE GUIDE: Full card and start time as Tszyu makes long-awaited return
TSZYU VS HOLYFIELD: Mega fight options emerge as Vegas NRL Aussie double act in the works
It is the expectation, with Tszyu’s opponent Lulzim Ismaili paying $11 with TAB while Mikey Dahlman — who fights Zerafa in the co-main event — isn’t given much more of a chance at $9.
But the American, who boasts a 18-1 record and turned pro after a second stint in jail, has plans to spoil both Zerafa and Tszyu’s plans.
Speaking after Tuesday’s weigh-in, Dahlman said he was “very well aware” of the Tszyu family, starting with Hall of Fame father Kostya.
“While Tim has also been on the big stage for a while,” he said.
As for Nikita? Dahlman doesn’t know much about the 27-year-old. But he does know he has plans of beating Ismaili in the main event and then facing Zerafa, who has long had eyes for older brother Tim but has been told by both No Limit and the Tszyu camp that he must fight Nikita first before any fight with the former WBO junior middleweight champion is possible.
“While I’m not as familiar with Nikita, I’m definitely embracing the idea of becoming a massive roadblock in his plans,” Dahlman said.
“I really think I’m going to surprise some people.”
LIVE BLOG
Follow all the live action from the Tszyu vs Ismaili card in our blog below! Can’t see it? Click here!
MAIN CARD RECAP
Jarvis ‘back’ as KO brings Tszyu hype
Australia’s Brock Jarvis has catapulted himself into the Nikita Tszyu sweepstakes in devastating fashion – needing just four rounds before a brutal left hand ended the undefeated run of Sam Beck.
Fighting for the first time since being stopped by American great Keith Thurman in March, Jarvis ended his Queensland rival with a left hook and then immediately declared himself ready for the younger Tszyu.
“I’m a fighter, I’m here to fight,” he told Main Event’s Ben Damon immediately afterwards. “I’m ready.”
Reunited once more with his longtime trainer, Hall of Famer Jeff Fenech, the Sydneysider was understandably cautious early but then quickly found his range.
Once considered a genuine world title contender at super featherweight, Jarvis has more recently moved up five divisions for several reasons – among them a shot at Australia’s fighting Tszyu brothers.
Should Nikita Tszyu win tonight’s headliner, there is already paperwork drawn up for a December showdown with Australian boxing bad boy Michael Zerafa.
However with Zerafa now angling for a grudge match against Tim Tszyu, who has lost three of his pat four fights, promoters No Limit could switch focus and instead hand Jarvis a fight.
There are also whispers suggesting that, with an early finish tonight, The Butcher could still possibly fight twice more this year.
Regardless, Jarvis declared himself ready.
“It feels unreal,” he said of his outstanding return. “And so good to be fighting here at home
“I’m grateful to No Limit.
“We are back.”
‘I’m coming for them all’: Big ambitions for hyped rising star
Ahmad Reda has declared his intentions to chase world titles – and with Hall of Fame trainer Johnny Lewis in his corner – after scoring an emphatic Australian super lightweight title win in Sydney.
“I’m coming for them all,” Reda said after scoring a comprehensive decision win over longtime domestic favourite Bruno Tarimo inside the ICC Theatre.
“This proves we can bang.
“Tell them boys I’m going to be knocking on the door real soon.”
In what shaped as the biggest test of his undefeated career, Reda doubled the ring time of his previous longest fight, going through all 10 rounds against the far more experienced Tarimo — with the final scorecards reading comprehensively in his favour, 99-91, 98-92, 97-93.
While he has long chased a showdown with Olympic favourite Harry Garside, 22-year-old Reda said now the was ready to take himself onto the international stage, and told promoters No Limit to ready themselves for a boxing takeover.
The Sydneysider is now undefeated in seven professional appearances.
The win came with Lewis – who formerly helped guide Garside – in his corner, with Reda saying he was “blessed” to have the Australian boxing godfather’s support.
Princess calls out ‘big names’
Australian super flyweight Jasmine ‘Jazzy’ Parr confirmed herself ready to go chase the sport’s “big names” – including hyped world champion Gabriela Fundora – after earning a big stoppage win in Sydney.
After boxing strongly throughout her first four rounds against Singapore’s undefeated Efasha Kamarudin, the daughter of Australian combat legend John Wayne Parr then started the fifth as if fired out of a cannon – and eventually ended her rival with 10 seconds remaining.
Already this week, Parr had told Fox Sports Australia of her plans to fight at least two more times this year as she pushes towards the biggest names in both her division and the one below.
Among them is Gabriela Fundora, the undisputed flyweight queen whose big brother Sebastian most recently defend his own WBC super welterweight crown against Tim Tszyu.
After winning on Wednesday night, Parr said she was determined to get the finish.
“I’ve got to build this record and get the big names,” she said.
“I was itching all day for this, couldn’t wait.
“I just love to fight”.
Parr also praised the toughness of a rival who she conceded was “a lot harder than I thought … but I got the job done”.
The win is the Queenslander’s second straight since dropping a contentious decision to longtime Aussie boxing queen Shannon O’Connell last year.
PRELIMS RECAP
Heal wins on debut
Ashleigh Heal has announced herself on the Australian domestic scene, scoring an entertaining debut win as her old man, Aussie basketball great Shane, watched on from the crowd.
Entering her first bout with plenty of hype, the Sydney super middleweight earned a gutsy split decision win over the Gold Coast’s Shannon Rose – who she dropped and bloodied in the second, and walked down through the opening three rounds.
In the fourth and final round however, Rose rallied big time and at one point appeared to rock Heal when she caught her against the ropes.
By the finish, two judges gave Heal the fight 39-36, while a third went 38-37 for Rose.
‘Sign the contract’: KO declaration from heavyweight
Australian heavyweight Brandon Grach has demanded longtime rival Liam Talivaa sign on for a blockbuster trilogy bout this December, declaring: “You owe me”.
The declaration comes after ‘The Bull’ opened Wednesday night’s No Limit pay-per-view with a brutal first round KO against Bensyn Pauga, and with his team revealing to Fox Sports Australia they are now battling to find even sparring partners willing to trade.
An outstanding amateur who disappeared from the sport for 12 years, 32-year-old Grach has now called out both Talivaa and Demsey McKean as part of what he eventually wants to be a move into the United States.
Opening the ICC Theatre card, Grach dropped his rival twice in the first round, both times with devastating right, left combinations, before the referee waved it off.
It followed a bizarre start, with the fight delayed by several minutes after Pauga forgot to wear his groin guard to the ring.
Eventually, the Queenslander disappeared backstage to get sorted, to return to the ring where Grach was waiting.
From there, it lasted less than three minutes.
With Bull saying afterwards he now wants into a trilogy.
After finishing Talivaa with a brutal KO in 2023, it was Grach who then found himself stopped in a second incredibly entertaining showdown between the pair in April.
And with the scores now split, the man who shares a promotional stable with the Tszyu brothers says the time has come for the two heavyweights to settle the deadlock.
“And absolutely Liam Talivaa owes me,” he told Fox Sports Australia afterwards.
“Immediately after that second fight, we were stood there in the ring and I’ve said, ‘so are we going to do this again or what?’.
“And then he says you don’t deserve it’.
“I laughed.
“This bloke, I put him to sleep.
“And still I gave him another shot.
“So if his team is now saying he’s got another fight lined up, fine.
“I’ll fight him after that.
“There would be so much interest in a trilogy fight, it has to happen.
“It’s the best fight in Australian boxing right now.
“We’re one each.
“So why not have another one and see who really is the better man?”
Grach’s manager Glen Jennings also revealed he wants the heavyweight to now fight almost every month, and has already signed off on a November bout against 2012 Olympian Johan Linde.
“We want to fight every six weeks,” the agent declared.
“Problem is, every time I try to line up an opponent, it’s crickets.
“In fact, there are so few heavyweights at his level in Australia right now, they’re all potential opponents which means these boys can’t even spar each other.
“So my plan for Brandon going forward, we want him in the US.
“We’ll put him into camp in the States and then bring him home for the biggest fights here.
“And those fights will all be exhausted quickly.
“So once he gets the win column into double digits, we’ll fight over there too.”
Zerafa ‘feels for’ Tim Tszyu after loss | 01:20
And as for a Talivaa showdown?
“I’ve asked Matt Rose to make that fight,” Jennings continued. “And by December.
“For those first two fights between them, the crowds went berserk.
“It makes no sense not to do a trilogy.”
Grach also said he would have no issue throwing down against McKean, who has previously called for a fight for either himself or Talivaa.
“I’ll throw down with anyone in this country,” he declared.
The Newcastle product also credited Wednesday night’s performance, in part, to spending part of this camp sparring in Las Vegas, including a stint at Floyd Mayweather’s gym.
“Which was an awesome experience,” Grach said.
“It was so invaluable because you just can’t get that sort of sparring here in Australia.
“They’ve got so many bodies over there, and the level overall is high, that you’re always being pushed in sparring, always seeing new things, different styles, all the things that help you become a better fighter.
“They were big guys, too.
“It was awesome.”
Welterweight brawl
Meanwhile, Sydney welterweight Isaias Sette won an entertaining, and at times chaotic, decision over Mt Druitt’s Jacob Clenshaw – who he dropped and almost finished in the fifth and final round.
Through 15 minutes, the pair traded in a continuing run of entertaining exchanges, although by the finish the scorecards read overwhelmingly for Sette: 49-45, 48-46 and 49-45.
Debutant sizzles
Earlier, Wollongong lightweight Blair Geraghty made an eye-catching debut on the early prelims, stopping Papua New Guinea’s Naki Saguba in the third round. In an impressive first up showing, the finish came shortly after the Aussie worked his rival into a corner and, from there, teed off, with the fight then quickly waved off.