{"id":412758,"date":"2026-01-16T08:43:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T08:43:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/412758\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T08:43:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T08:43:09","slug":"nikita-tszyu-vs-michael-zerafa-live-updates-stream-start-time-nelson-asofa-solomona-fight-full-fight-card-results-how-to-watch-highlights-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/412758\/","title":{"rendered":"Nikita Tszyu vs Michael Zerafa live updates, stream, start time, Nelson Asofa-Solomona fight, full fight card results, how to watch, highlights, video"},"content":{"rendered":"

The stage is set for 2026\u2019s most highly-anticipated all-Australian boxing showdown as Nikita Tszyu and Michael Zerafa face off on Friday night. <\/p>\n

Plus, former NRL enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona looks to make a statement against Jeremy Latimore in his professional debut.<\/p>\n

Read on for the latest news from the fight card, including round-by-round updates in the live blog below from the main card (7pm AEDT) onwards.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

N. Tszyu vs Zerafa | Friday 16 Jan from 7pm AEDT | The trash talk and bitterness come to a head when Nikita Tszyu steps into the ring to face Michael Zerafa in one of the most anticipated fights in Australian boxing history. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

BETTING PLUNGE<\/p>\n

The greatest Australian grudge match this decade is no longer a 50\/50 fight.<\/p>\n

Speaking with Fox Sports Australia on fight day, Sportsbet\u2019s Joel Caine revealed a Tszyu KO\/TKO has been wound into $3 after being \u201chammered\u201d by punters, adding big money is also coming for the finish in rounds one, two and three.<\/p>\n

The late Tszyu plunge has also seen him wound into the $1.76 betting favourite \u2013 with Zerafa now out to $2.20.<\/p>\n

The lopsided takings are a surprise given a host of Australia\u2019s biggest fight names are backing Zerafa \u2013 among them the likes of Jeff Fenech, Anthony Mundine, Billy Dib and Jeff Horn.<\/p>\n

American great Shawn Porter is also backing Zerafa by decision.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the start of fight week, and when both fighters were still $1.96 in betting, Fenech said he was going with Zerafa \u2013 albeit with a caveat.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we\u2019re going on boxing ability \u2013 Michael Zerafa,\u201d Fenech said. \u201cThat\u2019s my pick.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it also depends on the real Michael showing up.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause that\u2019s the scary thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe greatest Michael Zerafa I\u2019ve seen hasn\u2019t turned up a lot of times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, Dib said: \u201cI think Mick is going to do a job on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just think he\u2019ll be too much.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd look, Nikita could prove me wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he does too, his career catapults.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut right now, we don\u2019t know if Nikita Tszyu is world class.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe hasn\u2019t proved himself at that level yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s also very hittable.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I\u2019m not going to sit here and tell you what a great fighter he is because he\u2019s still unproven.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet Aussie punters are siding with Malignaggi, and now loading up on \u2018The Butcher\u2019.<\/p>\n

In head-to-head betting, the online bookmaker is also holding twice the cash on Tszyu.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/p>\n

Talking Pts: Awkward NRL question 133kg must answer; reality \u2018broken\u2019 Zerafa can\u2019t escape <\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018Are you serious?\u2019: Tim Tszyu US \u2018megafight\u2019 rumour emerges; Zerafa \u2018kryptonite\u2019 exposed<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018Dumb, stupid\u2019: US greats deliver wild take on \u2018caveman\u2019 Tszyu… with huge HOF call<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018Don\u2019t know what he\u2019s doing\u2019: Zerafa grilled by Choc, Horn over \u2018terrible\u2019 bad boy move<\/a><\/p>\n

Big NAS goes face-to-face with Latimore | 03:11<\/p>\n

BIG NAS ARRIVES<\/p>\n

Talk about making an entrance.<\/p>\n

Ahead of his first professional bout, Nelson Asofa-Solomona has arrived at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre… wearing a balaclava.<\/p>\n

The former Storm enforcer, who walked away from an $800,000 NRL contract, will take the ring against fellow former rugby league middle Jeremy Latimore.<\/p>\n

Asofa-Solomona signed a three-year deal with No Limit to be the latest big-name crossover boxing star \u2014 and he has made a statement with his entrace.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about this man, Nelson Asofa-Solomona on his way in… sin bins, suspensions and now the sweet science,\u201d Corbin Middlemas said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a night for style, how about the balaclava?\u201d.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Aussie superstar Liam Paro was in awe of Asofa-Solomna\u2019s size, with the mammoth forward weighing in at 130 kilograms.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe means business, look at him, I\u2019m excited for his career,\u201d Liam Paro said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat an athlete, what a human, all the best to him tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nelson Asofa-Solomona makes an entrance.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n

Follow all the action in our live blog below. If you can\u2019t see it click HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

PSYCHO CLAIM<\/p>\n

American boxing great Paulie Malignaggi says a \u201cpsychotic\u201d Nikita Tszyu is set to finish Michael Zerafa <\/a>tonight \u2013 with punters also now \u201chammering\u201d bookies over the same prediction.<\/p>\n

The revelation comes as a fighter famed for dropping Tszyu twice — and almost handing him the first loss of his hyped career — is also now backing \u2018The Butcher\u2019 to knock out Zerafa, and after recently being flown into Sydney as a key sparring partner.<\/p>\n

Fresh off his WBC Grand Prix win in Saudi Arabia, Dylan Biggs has told Fox Sports Australia Zerafa is in danger of being \u201cstopped real early\u201d in what shapes as the greatest Australian grudge match this decade.<\/p>\n

Aussie bookmakers have also confirmed a late plunge on the same result in tonight\u2019s Brisbane Entertainment Centre showdown<\/a>, with Sportsbet taking four times more money on a Tszyu KO than any other method of victory.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, Malignaggi has also explained why he is backing a Tszyu KO, hailing the \u201cpsychotic mindset\u201d of a fighter who, he insists, is the type of guy who could one day walk away from a $20M purse.<\/p>\n

Back in 2023, Biggs almost earned one of the greatest upsets in Australian boxing after dropping Tszyu in the first round of their hyped Australian title fight \u2013 and after having also downed \u2018The Butcher\u2019 in a sparring session years earlier.<\/p>\n

While Tszyu would eventually recover to win the belt by stoppage himself, the teams have stayed in close contact, with Biggs recently jetting into Sydney to help the 27-year-old with preparations for Zerafa.<\/p>\n

The surprise union also comes with Biggs having gone undefeated in all eight fights since the Tszyu loss — including five straight this past year alone as he went and won the WBC Grand Prix middleweight tournament in Saudi Arabia. <\/p>\n

HEATED Final Face-Off! Tszyu v Zerafa | 03:44<\/p>\n

Speaking on Main Event this week, Malignaggi branded Tszyu a \u201cpsycho\u201d, while also suggesting his lack of care around so much of the hype for this event also works heavily in his favour. <\/p>\n

\u201cNikita was asked at the press conference about winning it for his family,\u201d the American started, \u201cand he said \u2018what does that even mean?\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m telling you, that\u2019s an advantage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a saying in Sicilian, and I\u2019ll translate it for you: The water doesn\u2019t wet him and the air doesn\u2019t dry him.<\/p>\n

\u201cNikita doesn\u2019t care.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing affects him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe almost has a psychotic mindset.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe seems too calm, but there\u2019s a psycho behind it. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the way he fights? That\u2019s not just an idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a psycho.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou watch some of his fights, he gets up off the canvas and fights on ferociously.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut then you ask him questions and you\u2019re like \u2018what?\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon after, Malignaggi continued: \u201cYou know what type of person he is? He\u2019s so off in a lot of ways, and that makes him on.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been away from the sport, comes back to the sport, I heard he randomly got married \u2026 he\u2019s a very random, in the moment, free spirited person.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the type of guy who may build up his career, have a $20 million fight on the table \u2013 and walk away.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s that kind of guy.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd in that way, he doesn\u2019t feel the pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mundine breaks down Tszyu v Zerafa | 03:12<\/p>\n

Asked by Main Event\u2019s Ben Damon during the round table discussion if he ever wished he had been the guy Tszyu is now, Malignaggi continued: \u201cEarly on, I was that guy.<\/p>\n

\u201cEarly on everyone is that guy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have this self belief.<\/p>\n

\u201cI walked into a boxing gym, my mom thought I was crazy, my grandma thought I was crazy \u2026 I\u2019d had one amateur fight and said \u2018I\u2019m going to be a world champion\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s that ignorance is bliss \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

So as for how different Tszyu is now compared to the guy he fought in 2023?<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s definitely a lot faster,\u201d Biggs said. \u201cAnd I think it\u2019s that speed which will prove his advantage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we sparred, I couldn\u2019t have asked for better rounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it\u2019s why I\u2019m thinking Nikita not only wins, but has a good chance of stopping Zerafa early.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just think his youth and speed will prove his advantage.<\/p>\n

\u201cNikita\u2019s now putting [his punches] together that bit faster, which matters in a game of inches, or milliseconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd while Zerafa has had some really good fights at world level, I think the youth, the speed gets Nikita through.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith that younger body too, he recovers faster, can think quicker on his feet. So it may not matter that doesn\u2019t have the ring IQ of Zerafa, or experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we\u2019ll have to see on the night.\u201d<\/p>\n

ZERAFA REMATCH CLAIM<\/p>\n

While Malignaggi is tipping a Tszyu victory, he also suggested Zerafa could potentially fight the Tszyu family up to three times should he go and cause what is now the betting upset.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are opportunities there for a Tim Tszyu fight,\u201d he said this week. \u201cOpportunities for a Nikita rematch, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Zerafa wins, he puts himself in position to fight both Tszyus.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou beat Nikita, and fight Tim.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen even if you lose that fight, you can always do the rematch with Nikita.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The stage is set for 2026\u2019s most highly-anticipated all-Australian boxing showdown as Nikita Tszyu and Michael Zerafa face…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":412759,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[4587,32758,172469,173627,5806,173621,2840,18614,36369,172448,173623,173616,116268,173624,703,173622,172455,19608,49,48,172461,173628,43147,173617,173626,173618,5220,173239,173619,24117,172450,173615,173614,24118,22751,24119,36375,1671,5185,71944,18600,173613,10151,173625,19603,13341,25291,82,1856,173620,105481,181,42841],"class_list":["post-412758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-america","tag-american-boxing","tag-anthony-mundine","tag-artdefcon","tag-asia","tag-aussie-bookmakers","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-boxing","tag-australian-boxing-history","tag-australian-grudge","tag-australian-title-fight","tag-ben-damon","tag-billy-dib","tag-boxing","tag-boxing-ability","tag-boy-move","tag-brisbane","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-chris-hyde","tag-day-walk","tag-dylan-biggs","tag-fight-day","tag-fight-names","tag-final-time","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-heated-final-face-off","tag-hyped-australian-title","tag-jeff-fenech","tag-jeremy-latimore","tag-joel-caine","tag-key-sparring-partner","tag-michael-zerafa","tag-new-south-wales","tag-nick-walshaw","tag-nikita-tszyu","tag-north-america","tag-northern-america","tag-nsw","tag-oceania","tag-pics","tag-press-conference","tag-psychotic-mindset","tag-queensland","tag-saudi-arabia","tag-sparring-session","tag-sports","tag-sydney","tag-tim-tszyu-us","tag-trash-talk","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-western-asia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=412758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412758\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/412759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=412758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=412758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=412758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}