{"id":892309,"date":"2026-09-15T01:20:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T01:20:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/892309\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T01:20:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T01:20:11","slug":"international-brawling-championships-2026-joel-camilleri-vs-issac-hardman-preview-date-why-camilleri-wants-a-shot-at-nikita-tszyu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/892309\/","title":{"rendered":"International Brawling Championships 2026: Joel Camilleri vs Issac Hardman preview, date, why Camilleri wants a shot at Nikita Tszyu"},"content":{"rendered":"

He may be readying to become Australia\u2019s next brawling king, but Joel Camilleri also wants a crack at Nikita Tszyu, declaring: \u201cHe isn\u2019t ready for the world stage \u2026 I don\u2019t even know how he\u2019s ranked so high\u201d.<\/p>\n

Himself a world ranked middleweight, Camilleri is set to make a shock sporting switch on the Gold Coast next week, throwing down against Issac Hardman for gold in the International Brawling Championships.<\/p>\n

Both longtime favourites on the domestic boxing scene, Camilleri and Hardman will challenge for the IBC welterweight title in a September 23 showcase broadcast live on Main Event Australia and Kayo Sports. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

IBC 05: Hardman v Camilleri | Wednesday September 23 from 7pm AEST | The World\u2019s fastest growing combat sport returns with a showdown for the ages, as Isaac Hardman takes on veteran boxer Joel Camilleri in the Gold Coast. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.<\/a><\/p>\n

For Camilleri, the brawling crossover comes as the man ranked at No.11 with the WBA also has a December bout penciled in against undefeated Melbourne prospect Mitch Leek.<\/p>\n

Speaking with Fox Sports Australia this week however, Camilleri said what he really wants is a Main Event headliner against the younger Tszyu sibling.<\/p>\n

He says promoters No Limit could also have plenty of fun with the build for the fight, given how he hasn\u2019t only already fought Tim Tszyu, or for a time managed their family gym at Rockdale, but has even rented out an apartment owned by Tszyu.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, the fighter dubbed \u2018Cama KO\u2019 says that while there is no doubting Nikita won last month\u2019s contentious draw against Ben Mahoney \u2013 giving him all but three, maybe four rounds \u2013 he isn\u2019t yet ready for a championship bout. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhich is why, right now, a fight between myself and Nikita makes sense,\u201d Camilleri stressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter that Mahoney fight, you can see Tszyu isn\u2019t ready for the world stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t even know how he\u2019s ranked so high.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, he definitely won the fight.<\/p>\n

\u201cI gave Mahoney three rounds. Maybe four maximum.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I wasn\u2019t going for Nikita.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeading into that fight, I actually thought \u2018maybe Benny wins this\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he just didn\u2019t do enough. He sat on the backfoot, and was copping more punches than he was giving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joel Camilleri in action against Tim Tszyu back in 2019.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n

While Camilleri is pushing for a showdown with either Tszyu or Michael Zerafa, No Limit have apparently offered up another of their growing stable\u2019s young stars — undefeated Olympian Callum Peters.<\/p>\n

While still switching between the amateur and professional ranks, \u201850 Cal\u2019s is already being hailed the Next Big Thing of Australian boxing thanks to an undefeated pro tear of nine straight \u2013 including eight via KO.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut they\u2019re only offering him because Nikita is the next cash cow,\u201d Camilleri continued. \u201cHe\u2019s the guy they can\u2019t afford to lose, especially if Tim retires.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo they\u2019ve got to keep him as high as they can.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s why he fought Ben Mahoney over me. They thought Ben\u2019s an easier proposition.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I want Nikita and let\u2019s be honest, the story is there.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve fought his brother, I\u2019ve managed the family gym, I even lived in their apartment. It\u2019s the biggest fight Team Tszyu can make for him \u2026 that would be a huge fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently, No Limit remain in discussions to have Nikita Tszyu make his US debut in December, fighting on the undercard of Mexican-American superstar David Benavidez.<\/p>\n

Camilleri, however, is convinced a domestic headliner against himself makes the most sense for a fighter who still isn\u2019t ready for the super welterweight division\u2019s elite.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, Nikita is definitely improving,\u201d he said. \u201cThe guy is sharp, he\u2019s strong, but you also saw how even after his last fight against Mahoney, he thought he lost.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd with the experience I have, I believe that I\u2019ll get over the top of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s not me saying \u2018oh, I bash Nikita Tszyu\u2019. He could also catch me.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I know for a fact I\u2019m the hardest fight of his life.<\/p>\n

IBC 05: Hardman v Camilleri | Wednesday September 23 from 7pm AEST | The World\u2019s fastest growing combat sport returns with a showdown for the ages, as Isaac Hardman takes on veteran boxer Joel Camilleri in the Gold Coast. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.<\/a><\/p>\n

Joel Camilleri and Nikita TszyuSource: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if he thinks Ben Mahoney gave him troubles, he\u2019s going to have real issues with me.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause Mahoney is an up and down fighter.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019ve got a really awkward style that would give him much more trouble. I can punch, I can move, and I can take punches. And you\u2019ve seen when Nikita fights guys who can take punches \u2026 he has trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

Camilleri said even a fight with Mahoney was possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually noticed him commenting on my upcoming IBC fight recently, saying Hardman is going to knock me out,\u201d the new brawling title contender grinned.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that really is immature.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s only saying that because I made a video saying he lost against Nikita Tszyu. But if Mahoney wants to fight, and doesn\u2019t want to lose his ranking, I\u2019ve also got no problem with us brawling inside a cage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Only last week, Australian boxing great Danny Green rescored Tszyu\u2019s controversial IBF eliminator against Mahoney \u2013 and said it now made perfect sense for \u2018The Butcher\u2019 to head overseas for his hyped American debut.<\/p>\n

While admitting several rounds were close, the Main Event analyst eventually scored the fight in favour of Tszyu by two rounds.<\/p>\n

During a crazy night on the Gold Coast last week, all three judges came up with different scorecards \u2013 117-111, 115-113, 114-114 — in what was an eliminator for IBF super welterweight champ Josh Kelly.<\/p>\n

Tszyu v Mahoney: Full Fight Highlights | 11:21<\/p>\n

While Green scored the first two rounds for Mahoney, he then found only two more for the gutsy Gold Coast native \u2013 six and twelve.<\/p>\n

Tszyu, meanwhile, earned rounds four, five, seven, eight, ten and eleven.<\/p>\n

Green determined rounds three and nine too close to split, making his final scorecard for Tszyu: 116-114.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it was a tight fight,\u201d he said. \u201cBut after rewatching all 12 rounds without commentary, I\u2019ve again scored it in Nikita Tszyu\u2019s favour.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd by two rounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause while Mahoney started well, and it did take Nikita a while to come on, once Tszyu started finding his groove through rounds four and five, through that middle section he really started chugging.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd overall, I think it was his thudding left hands that proved the difference.<\/p>\n

\u201cNikita also went to the body a lot. And you\u2019ve gotta score those shots \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"He may be readying to become Australia\u2019s next brawling king, but Joel Camilleri also wants a crack at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":892310,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[571],"tags":[64,63,802,85],"class_list":["post-892309","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\/892309","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=892309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892309\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/892310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=892309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=892309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=892309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}