{"id":510996,"date":"2026-03-03T06:01:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T06:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/510996\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T06:01:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T06:01:09","slug":"michael-zerafa-reveals-death-threats-broke-him-after-nikita-tszyu-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/510996\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Zerafa reveals death threats \u2018broke\u2019 him after Nikita Tszyu fight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aussie boxer Michael Zerafa has revealed the torrent of abuse that followed his controversial showdown with Nikita Tszyu<\/a> \u2013 including graphic death threats \u2013 left him \u201cbroken\u201d.<\/p>\n

The former world title challenger admitted he was blindsided by the scale of the backlash that followed their blockbuster grudge match in January.<\/p>\n

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Fight fans were left stunned when the fight was waved off seconds into the third round after Zerafa suffered a cut over his eyebrow caused by a headclash.<\/p>\n

\u2018Pretty Boy\u2019 told the ringside doctor \u201cI can\u2019t see\u201d before later insisting that he was fine to continue. <\/p>\n

Chaos erupted inside the Brisbane Entertainment Centre as frustrated fans hurled cans and cups toward the ring, showered the fighters with abuse before the bout was officially ruled a no-contest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know why everyone was booing me, I didn\u2019t stop it, the doctor stopped it,\u201d Zerafa said at the time.<\/p>\n

But it was what happened in the hours afterwards that stunned the Melbourne fighter most.<\/p>\n

\u201cStill to this day I don\u2019t understand (the abuse),\u201d he said on The Billy Joe Podcast.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople say, \u2018It\u2019s because you bitched it\u2019, but I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a genuine injury. I was winning the fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 16: Michael Zerafa and Nikita Tszyu after a no contest is called during the Middleweight \u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u0082\u00ac\u00e2\u0080\u009c 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

In the 48 hours that followed, Zerafa said his phone was flooded with hate \u2013 including repeated threats to his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt broke me. I was on top. I\u2019ve given my absolute all for this,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen all that subsided, to see death threats, memes\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201c(There were death threats) not once, not twice. In that 48 hours, I reckon I copped 20.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re talking 48 hours. You get so much crap, man.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll directed at me. For what?\u201d<\/p>\n

He then detailed one message that really crossed a line.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was, \u2018When I see you, I\u2019ll make sure I\u2019ll cut your throat, I know where you train, be expecting me there\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Zerafa insisted that he wasn\u2019t overly worried, because he knew he didn\u2019t do anything to deserve it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat, because you weren\u2019t entertained enough?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what it comes down to.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeading up to the fight, if I\u2019m not villain enough, people complain.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m nice, [people say] you\u2019re fake.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m honest, [people say] you\u2019re rude.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the emotional hit, Zerafa insists the experience has ultimately strengthened his resolve.<\/p>\n

Even after being banned by No Limit Boxing and told there would be no rematch<\/a>, the 33-year-old says he is more determined than ever to rebuild.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not done yet,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know a lot of people would like to see me done, but I\u2019ve still got a fire burning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a lot of people to prove wrong, I\u2019m hungrier and better things are coming.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve cleaned out my backyard, it\u2019s time to get back to where I belong, back with the bigger guys, back where people know what they\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m top ten in the world. I\u2019ve fought 11 world champions. I\u2019ve been in there with the best, beaten the best.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoxing is a beautiful sport, but there\u2019s too many people with their hands in it who are destroying it.<\/p>\n

Hearn’s big praise for Aussie star | 14:10<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I don\u2019t even need to say names\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cThe world is tough as it is. Spread love, not hate.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Aussie boxer Michael Zerafa has revealed the torrent of abuse that followed his controversial showdown with Nikita Tszyu…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":510997,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,49,48,82],"class_list":["post-510996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510996","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=510996"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510996\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/510997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=510996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=510996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=510996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}