Nikita Tszyu vs Michael Zerafa Preview Jan. 16th, 2026
Unbeaten Nikita Tszyu of Australia will tangle with fellow countryman Michael Zerafa in a 10-round tilt in Brisbane this Friday, Jan 16th. The fight is at a catchweight of 157 lbs for the vacant WBO International Middleweight Title and can be seen Down Under on Fox Sports, Main Event, and Kayo Sports. Tszyu, the son of former world champion Kostya Tszyu and the younger brother of Tim Tszyu, last fought in August when he stopped Lulzim Ismaili after the first round for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental Junior Middleweight Crown. In his previous outing 12 months earlier Tszyu halted Koen Mazoudier in the ninth round to capture the vacant IBF Australasian and WBO Inter-Continental Junior Middleweight Titles. Zerafa’s last outing was also in August when he stopped Mikey Dahlman in just 122 seconds. It was quite an action-packed first round as Zerafa was dropped before stopping Dahlman to defend the WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight Title which he won in his previous contest by halting Besir Ay in the seventh round.
Tszyu vs Zerafa Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Michael Zerafa +100
- Nikita Tszyu -130
My Pick
The 27-year-old Tszyu is a southpaw who climbs into the ring with a perfect mark of 11-0 with nine of those wins coming by knockout. He obviously carries plenty of power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 81.8 per cent and has halted seven his last eight opponents. The two men to go the distance with him were Danilo Creati over 10 rounds in 2024 and Ben Horn, who went six rounds with him in July, 2022 and dropped a six-round unanimous decision. Tszyu turned pro in March of 2022 and has just 48 rounds of experience under his belt since then.
Before that, he enjoyed a brief amateur career which saw him capture the 2014 Australian National Championship in the 63 kilogram (139 lb) Junior Final. He also won the 2013 Junior Final in the 54 kilogram (119 lb) division. Tszyu hung up his gloves at the age of 16 to focus on his education and that’s why he didn’t make his pro debut until the age of 23. The native of Sydney measures 5-feet-10 inches with a 70-inch reach.
The 33-year-old Zerafa of Melbourne was a relative unknown until stepping into the ring with former world champion Kell Brook in December, 2018. He showed a lot of heart but dropped a 12-round unanimous decision in England. Zerafa was also stopped by former world champ Peter Quillin in the fifth round in September, 2015 on a nationally-televised bout in North America and was stopped by Erislandy Lara in the second round in 2024.
He halted Jeff Horn in the ninth round in 2019 but lost a 10-round majority decision in the rematch and his other pro loss was a unanimous decision at the hands of Arif Magomedov in October, 2014. That brings Zerafa’s current record to 34-5 with 22 Ko’s. He stands 5-feet-11-inches tall with a 71.5-inch wingspan for a one-inch edge in height and 1.5-inch reach advantage on Tszyu. Zerafa has boxed 223 rounds as a pro since making his debut back in 2011. He’s not a huge puncher but 64.7 per cent of his wins have been by stoppage, including nine of his past 10.
Zerafa has captured several regional and minor titles as a pro and has beaten Anthony Mundine and Isaac Hardman, but other than Lara, Horn, Quillin and Brook it’s pretty hard to recognize any of his other opponents. However, he’s definitely faced stiffer opposition than Tszyu has. The pro belts he’s won include the WBA Oceania Light Middleweight Title, the Commonwealth (British Empire) Light Middleweight Title, the IBF Pan Pacific Middleweight Title, the WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental Light Middleweight Title, and the the Australia – Victoria State Light Middleweight Title.
Prediction…
Tszyu hasn’t fought any top-level opposition at this point of his career so he’s arguably taking a step up in class for this hotly-disputed Australian grudge match. Tszyu has the edge when it comes to power but he’s moving up slightly in weight for this fight while Zerafa will have to drop a few pounds. This could be a relatively close fight for a few rounds or they may come out throwing bombs from the opening bell. I’m expecting Tszyu, who is six years younger, to eventually emerge with a victory and it’s possible that he does so before the 10 rounds are over.
Tszyu’s power and aggressiveness should be the difference.
Play Tszyu -130 @ BetOnline.ag
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