'Sad' star hits back at Tim Tszyu 'rubbish'

3 years ago 351

It's been astir six months since Michael Zerafa opted not to question to Newcastle to combat Tim Tszyu successful what would person been the biggest Australian combat successful caller history.

But clip hasn't healed each wounds for seething fans.

"I bull it everywhere," Zerafa told Wide World of Sports. "We've had a fewer altercations and worldly similar that. I conscionable artifact it retired and grin and wave. That's each you tin do. If these guys knew amended they'd beryllium doing better."

While Tszyu (19-0) has intelligibly moved connected from the Newcastle no-show with his combat against Takeshi Inoue (17-1-1) locked successful for November 17 astatine Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena, Zerafa (28-4) volition yet enactment the career-damaging occurrence down him erstwhile helium takes connected Fijian Siliveni Nawai (12-4-1) astatine the Melbourne Pavilion successful mid-December.

Zerafa spent conscionable 129 seconds successful the ringing this twelvemonth owed to the pandemic, with his archetypal circular decision of Anthony Mundine the lone existent enactment he's seen since his nonaccomplishment to Jeff Horn astir 2 years ago.

Now that helium has an hostile finalised, Zerafa tin yet determination connected from the Tszyu saga, but the satellite ranked middleweight admits helium volition inactive ticker Tszyu's adjacent combat with interest. Zerafa has faced Inoue successful the ringing earlier - albeit successful a sparring league successful the fighter's autochthonal Japan.

"He's a pugnacious boy. He walks forward, helium doesn't f--- around. He doesn't person a precocious enactment complaint but he's ace strong. He uses his assemblage good and he's got unsafe hands and chaotic hooks. I deliberation Tszyu's patience volition get him implicit the line.

"Tszyu stands up gangly and pulls his backmost up a batch that's what this Japanese feline loves. When I sparred I learnt that beauteous quick. It's going to beryllium a pugnacious combat for Tszyu. It's not arsenic casual arsenic they deliberation unless there's much to the story.

"I'm not a sore loser. I privation him and his squad each the best. He's got a pugnacious hostile ahead. But maine and him is the combat Australia wants and I anticipation we tin marque it hap present that everything is clearing up."

Horn scores arguable triumph implicit Zerafa

That mightiness beryllium wishful reasoning though, since Tszyu has been made mandatory for Brian Castano's WBO ace welterweight title. The Sydney combatant has intelligibly stated that Zerafa is present successful his rear-view with a rubric changeable wrong reach.

Zerafa says he's got a program of his ain that hopefully includes warring a large sanction adjacent year. He's conscionable blessed to permission the play from the Tszyu fallout behind.

"It's been tough. I've been getting a batch of negativity from the full Tim Tszyu thing. I'm inactive copping it. It's bittersweet due to the fact that I effort and springiness backmost to everybody. Whether you emotion maine oregon hatred maine I conscionable privation to springiness backmost to the athletics and marque things interesting.

"It was each politics. Say what you privation but don't accidental I was frightened (and) that's wherefore I didn't privation to stone up. That's rubbish. There was a batch of things that were promised and ne'er delivered."

As for his adjacent opponent, Nawai, Zerafa denied the clash is simply a "tune up" fight. The Fijian has won 2 of his past 7 bouts and past fought astir a twelvemonth ago.

"I told Sammy (Labruna) and the squad arsenic overmuch arsenic it is simply a tune up fight, I don't privation a s--t-kicker. I privation idiosyncratic that's had experience.

"(I'm) grooming arsenic if determination was a satellite rubric fight. Keeping fit. I'm ever ready."

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