Tim Tszyu can't compete with the leading names at 154lbs. That’s the belief of Michael Zerafa, Tszyu’s Australian nemesis, who was set to square off with his arch-rival earlier this year before COVID 19 ruined those plans. A fight between the pair could still materialise this year with international travel to Australia under severe scrutiny meaning travelling boxers must quarantine upon arrival.
Tszyu had been hoping to lure former world champions such as Liam Smith and Tony Harrison to Australia, but those plans are no longer in place. Despite Tszyu’s grand ambitions, Zerafa believes the son of boxing legend, Kostya, is not ready for the leading names at super-welterweight.
"He wouldn't last five rounds with a guy like Tony Harrison. I truly believe that. I've been overseas," Zerafa said when speaking to Wide World of Sports. “He wants guys likes [Bryan] Castano, [Jermell] Charlo and Harrison and then there are guys in Australia that he struggled with. With guys like that, Tszyu doesn't last.
"Tszyu has been knocked down by Wade Ryan. I'm just talking like a boxing fan, but I think he's dreaming. I was there in front of him in Sydney, he didn't have nothing to say and then once the fight is off, he wants to fight me bare knuckle. He found his balls."