UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett | SUN 25 JAN 1PM AEDT | Justin Gaethje faces Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight championship. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.<\/a><\/p>\n And Tszyu made it clear the fallout has left him with no interest in a rematch. Instead, \u2018The Butcher\u2019 says he hopes the Melbourne fighter seriously considers retirement.<\/p>\n \u201cAt this point you don\u2019t need to keep fighting,\u201d he said at a press conference on Friday.<\/p>\n BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 16: Michael Zerafa reacts after a no contest against Nikita Tszyu during the Middleweight \u00e2\u0080\u0093 WBO International Middleweight Title bout at Brisbane Entertainment Centre on January 16, 2026 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t need to keep proving yourself. He\u2019s had a great career, he\u2019s done a lot in sport, but I don\u2019t think he\u2019s mentally there anymore – and it\u2019s nothing to be ashamed of. <\/p>\n \u201cIt happens with the hard fights you get into and the traumatic side of boxing. <\/p>\n \u201cWhile you still have your brain cells. While you\u2019re still healthy, get out.\u201d<\/p>\n Tszyu went on to suggest that Zerafa had \u201cone foot out the door\u201d during the lead up to the fight and may have been thinking about his exit strategy from the sport.<\/p>\n When pressed if Zerafa was looking for an opportunity to exit the contest with Tszyu via a doctor\u2019s stoppage, Tszyu shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I don\u2019t think he was looking for it, but once he saw it he couldn\u2019t unsee it,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he knew after those first two rounds\u2026 I was putting pressure on him and he was on the backfoot for pretty much the whole fight. And when it did get in close, I was playing rough with him.<\/p>\n \u201cI could feel that he wasn\u2019t happy with that.<\/p>\n \u201cHe knew the hard fights he\u2019s been in and it probably took him back to that place and it\u2019s probably not worth it for him.\u201d<\/p>\n Tszyu\u2019s comments come after other prominent Australian boxing figures – including Jeff Fenech and Tszyu\u2019s longtime manager Glen Jennings – also urged Zerafa to consider retirement.<\/p>\n Jennings added it wasn\u2019t just his fighter who was \u201crobbed\u201d, but everyone watching on the night.<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/poster-fallback.png\"\/)
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