WBO number one junior middleweight contender Tim ‘The Soul Snatcher’ Tszyu 18-0 (14) will not be taking on Michael ‘Pretty Boy’ Zerafa 28-4 (17) at Newcastle Stadium in Newcastle, Australia next Wednesday night as planned.
Team Zerafa voiced concerns this week about travelling from their home state of Victoria to New South Wales where there is a current Covid-19 outbreak underway.
Newcastle, two hours drive north of the state capital of Sydney, is outside of the areas currently deemed hotspots.
Earlier this week Melburnian Zerafa’s trainer Sam Labruna said they would withdraw from the fight if they weren’t provided with a Covid-safe plan.
“I will be speaking to the Victorian government tomorrow as to the advice on the current Covid situation in reference to the Zerafa v Tszyu fight,” Labruna wrote on social media.
“The team’s safety and wellbeing comes first and once we get full clarification on what lies ahead we will be in a better position to comment and act accordingly, it’s unfortunate but it’s out of our hands.”
Zerafa, 29, has long coveted a shot at Sydneysider Tszyu. He has turned up at his fights to call him out from ringside and has been vocal on social media about his desire to face the 26-year-old son of International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Kostya Tszyu.
The fight only got made when 31-year-old Argentinean Brian Castano 17-0-1 (12) opted to unify his WBO 154-pound belt with WBC, WBA and IBF champion Jermall Charlo 34-1 (18) of Houston, 31, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas on July 17.
Now if seems like Zerafa has missed his chance.
George Rose, CEO of No Limit Boxing Promotions, confirmed the fight was off and said they had a backup plan in place.
“The main thing is that this was always Plan Z,” Rose told Fox Sports.
“Tim’s plan was always to get an international opponent. The timing of this fight works out well with what’s happening with [Brian] Castano and [Jermell] Charlo.
“Tim’s goal is a world title and that’s the level that he’s at. He’s aiming for a world title, he deserves that shot, so if Michael Zerafa doesn’t want this opportunity, he’ll never get it again.”
Zerafa suffered a stomach complaint early in June that saw him hospitalised and threatened to derail the bout.
In his last fight he knocked out former world titleholder Anthony Mundine 48-11 (28) in the opening round in March after splitting a pair of fights against former WBO welterweight champion Jeff ‘The Hornet’ Horn 20-3-1 (13) in 2019.
Tszyu is coming off an impressive fifth-round knockout of former world title challenger Dennis ‘Hurricane’ Hogan 28-4-1 (7) in Newcastle in March. That bout was intended to be his last fight domestically before heading overseas.
“We believe, now, looking at it, the writing was on the wall over a month ago when Michael Zerafa hadn’t said a word to the media,” Matt Rose of No Limit Boxing Promotions said to Fox Sports.
“He hadn’t shut up for two years to get this fight and then I think he realised he was in a real fight against Tim Tszyu.”
Zerafa insists the only thing preventing the fight from going ahead is the current Covid-19 environment.
“We’re happy to fight him anywhere in the country if it’s deemed Covid-free,” Zerafa told the Herald.
“I’m not going to go and fight with no team and no trainers behind me after being with them for the last 12 weeks in camp.
“[Their health and financial wellbeing] always comes first. I could go over there and fight but we start as a team and finish as a team. I stick by my team and, when COVID is in place, we can’t afford that.
“We said we’ll do it when things go back to normal in NSW, but they didn’t want to comply.”
