Nikita Tszyu puts his Australian super welterweight title on the line on Wednesday night when he faces tricky Italian opponent Danilo Creati – but there’s a big question hanging over ‘The Butcher’ after concerning scenes at Tuesday’s weigh-in.
Tszyu arrived late after struggling to shed the kilos, and looked severely depleted after tipping the scales at 69.82kg, just under the 70kg limit.
Creati told Tszyu he “looked weak” as they faced off for the final time ahead of tonight’s headline bout, after the Aussie star only managed to drop the final two kilograms he needed on Tuesday morning.
BOXING: Nikita Tszyu returns to the ring for the first time in 2024 to defend his title against Danilo Creati plus another 4 big titles on the card | WED 24 APR 7PM AEST | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
‘I’m all good’ – Why was Nikita late? | 00:43
Tszyu downplayed the drama, saying “I had to lose two (kilos) today but I do it all the time” and blaming a faulty steam room at his house for his struggles.
But after revealing he felt “light-headed”, the key question is whether Tszyu can fully recover and be at his best when the pair take to the ring.
34-year-old Creati has never been stopped and has lost just once, to Michael Zerafa, with his awkward and unpredictable style making him hard to hit.
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Promoter George Rose told Fox Sports he was concerned for Tszyu given the combination of a difficult weight cut and Creati’s difficult style.
“It was already going to be a tough enough ask getting his hands on Danilo,” he said.
“But now after his struggles with weight a whole lot of other things come into it.
“The ability to recover from a punch, things like that.
“And if he has to then chase Danilo all night, he could run out of puff.”
Unbeaten Tszyu has won seven of his eight fights by stoppages, and has declared he is chasing a ‘highlight-reel’ finish in his first fight of 2024.
But Creati has claimed he can exploit Tszyu’s ‘fragile’ chin and pull off the upset.
That headline bout is just one of a host of massive fights on Wednesday at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney.
Jerome Pampellone vs. Malik Zinad face off in a IBF light heavyweight world title eliminator.
Australia’s Linn Sandstrom is hoping to hand WBA super flyweight champion Clara Lescurat a first-ever defeat in a clash that has been ignited in recent days by allegations from Sandstrom’s trainer that Lescurat was “absolutely a nightmare” to deal with and had made outrageous demands.
And unbeaten rising star Mateo Tapia faces Keiber Gonzalez for the vacant WBO global middleweight title.
Watch the undercard from 6pm AEST on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo before the main card begins at 7pm.
BOXING: Nikita Tszyu returns to the ring for the first time in 2024 to defend his title against Danilo Creati plus another 4 big titles on the card | WED 24 APR 7PM AEST | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
FULL CARD
MAIN CARD (from 7pm on Main Event)
Nikita Tszyu (c) v Danilo Creati — for Australian super welterweight title
Jerome Pampellone v Malik Zinad — IBF light heavyweight world title eliminator
Clara Lescurat (c) v Linn Sandstrom — for WBA super flyweight world title
Mateo Tapia v Keiber Gonzalez — for vacant WBO global middleweight title
Benjamin Hussain (c) v Mason Smith — for WBA Oceania super welterweight title
PRELIMS (from 5:30pm on Channel 503)
Jasmine Parr v Sarah Watt — super flyweight
Shanell Dargan v Christine Gillespie — super bantamweight
Charlie Kazzi v Joe Kara — lightweight
Andrei Mikhailovich v Les Sherrington — 78kg catchweight
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