Aussies targeted for monster US superstar showdowns as talks begin<\/a><\/p>\nNikita Tszyu speaks on Mahoney clash | 03:18<\/p>\n
Now 37, the fighter dubbed \u2018One Time\u2019 last fought, and lost to WBC super welterweight champ Sebastian Fundora in March.<\/p>\n
Back in 2025, Thurman also travelled Down Under to beat popular Sydneysider Brock Jarvis, in what everyone thought would be a warm up for the elder Tszyu sibling \u2013 however that fight has never materialised.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd kangaroo tasted good the last time,\u201d the American told us via message over the weekend. \u201cSo I could see myself taking another bite.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be looking for one more fight to close out the year I enjoyed my time working with No Limit.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo if they send the contract and I haven\u2019t signed to another fight, then I will be open the idea.<\/p>\n
Thurman also stressed he was still keen to throw down against the elder Tszyu sibling, who most recently earned a huge win over American great Errol Spence Jnr.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came to Australia to fight Tim Tszyu and I still would fight Tim,\u201d Thurman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut his team seems to no longer want that fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo now his lil\u2019 brother is calling my name. I\u2019m a simple man \u2026 and while the lack of fights throughout the past six years has been unfortunate, my overall goal is to fight two times a year until 40.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tszyu v Spence Jr: Full Fight Highlights | 12:38<\/p>\n
Currently on an undefeated tear stretching 13 straight fights, Tszyu is now making final preparations for the biggest test of his promising career, with the undefeated Mahoney, also once a Muay Thai star, long considered his greatest test anywhere on the domestic scene.<\/p>\n
While the bout is being billed as an IBF eliminator \u2013 with Tszyu ranked at No.5 both them and the WBO \u2013 there have already been suggestions reigning champ Josh Kelly is in talks to unify against Jaron \u2018Boots\u2019 Ennis, who holds the WBA and WBO crowns.<\/p>\n
Regardless, Tszyu\u2019s team is keen to have the Sydneysider take a fight in the United States, which could potentially come on the undercard of a big Las Vegas bout.<\/p>\n
No Limit have also not given up hope of staging a unique boxing card on the same weekend as the NRL\u2019s incredibly popular annual season opener in Sin City.<\/p>\n
Should that happen, they now consider a big enough name to headline.<\/p>\n
And in either case, Thurman is now a leading candidate for such a bout. <\/p>\n
Jennings also confirmed reports of Tszyu potentially fighting in the US before Christmas, or early in 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m extremely keen to introduce Nikita to the US market,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd against a real quality opponent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pushed on what would be next for Tszyu in victory on Wednesday, Jennings continued: \u201cA win over Ben Mahoney opens plenty of doors.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a start, it\u2019s an IBF eliminator which means the winner gets a shot at Josh Kelly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it also gives us the chance to put Nikita in with a well credentialled fighter, someone without a belt, who gets him ready for that world title opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd as I\u2019ve said, Thurman is one of those names. That\u2019s the type of challenge that gets Nikita Tszyu out of bed each morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tszyu v Mahoney | Wednesday August 26 from 7pm AEST | The only thing standing between Nikita and an IBF world title shot is Ben Mahoney. The stage is set for an All-Australian blockbuster with the winner securing a direct shot at IBF champion, Josh Kelly. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.<\/a><\/p>\nNikita Tszyu.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
While Wednesday\u2019s fight is being billed as an eliminator for IBF super welterweight champ Josh Kelly, that shot may not be available to whichever Aussie wins on the Gold Coast.<\/p>\n
In recent weeks, there have been reports of Kelly now being in unification talks with Jaron \u2018Boots\u2019 Ennis, who holds both the WBO and WBA titles.<\/p>\n
However should \u2018Boots\u2019 win, a bout with Tszyu could also be in the mix given he is also currently No.5 in WBO rankings, with a the WBO Intercontinental strap also up for grabs on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
Back in April, UK promoter Eddie Hearn also suggested he would potentially be keen to bring Ennis Down Under for a fight against Nikita Tszyu, especially given he has signed a new broadcasting deal that involves staging seven fights in Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really like Nikita Tszyu, think he\u2019s an exciting fighter,\u201d Hearn said. \u201cAnd he\u2019s going to be putting himself into a position very soon to be challenging for a world title.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd maybe that\u2019s Josh Kelly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut don\u2019t forget also that we\u2019ve got Jaron Ennis \u2026 so maybe we come to Australia and do something. I\u2019d love to bring a big name American fighter over to Australia and so maybe that\u2019s the fight with Nikita Tszyu, who knows?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"American superstar Keith Thurman has expressed his interest in a blockbuster showdown with hyped Australia prospect Nikita Tszyu,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":864985,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[571],"tags":[64,63,802,85],"class_list":["post-864984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-boxing","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=864984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/864985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=864984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=864984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=864984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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