Tszyu vs Zerafa: Why Michael Zerafa's Ricky Hatton sledge hit so hard

Brendan Bradford

Tszyu vs Zerafa: Why Michael Zerafa's Ricky Hatton sledge hit so hard image

From the moment he said he wanted to be known as 'Micky Hatton,' Michael Zerafa's fight with Tim Tszyu on July 7 turned personal.

It's no longer just about two of the best super welterweights in Australia meeting in the middle of the ring. It's now about family, pride, pain and personal grudges. 

With a little over two weeks until fight night, Zerafa demanded people call him 'Micky Hatton' in reference to the legendary English boxer Ricky Hatton's win over Tim's dad Kostya in 2005. 

There's always hype, trash-talk and banter to build interest in fights and sell pay-per-views. Much of it is fabricated, but this feels like legitimate angst

Hatton's win in Manchester 16 years ago was the last fight of Kostya's illustrious career and remains a dark day for boxing fans around Australia. 

It's even worse for Tim, who was 10 years old at the time. 

In compelling footage that has gone viral on social media this week, Tszyu is clearly agitated when Zerafa delivers the 'Micky Hatton' line, saying: "don't talk about that fight. Don't talk about that fight, man," while giving Zerafa a death stare. 

He generally remains emotionless and detached during any heated pre-fight trash talk, but it's clear Tszyu reacted to this one. 

Buy the Tszyu vs Zerafa PPV on Kayo here 

Speaking alongside Kostya on the Main Event Boxing Podcast in 2019, Tszyu gave a glimpse into the pain that followed his dad's loss to Hatton. 

"I remember. It was just a horrible time. Horrible," he says before trailling off. 

"I can't describe it anymore..."

Kostya adds more. 

"I was lost. For three or four months, I was completely gone from my head," he said. 

"No one could stop me...I was alone. I was alone for five or six months. I couldn't find any motivation to fight. No reasons. Nothing. 

"And a couple of health issues, which no one should know." 

Tszyu's manager Glen Jennings, who was in Kostya's corner that night, said Zerafa's sledge went too far. 

“It’s still raw. I’ve seen some of the social media reaction, and they’re attacking the guy hand over fist. It’s raw with the family, it’s raw with me,” he told Sporting News.  

“We were there - we experienced the end of Kostya’s career that night - and why you would think that was somehow funny or comical to bring up is just delusional. There’s something not right there.

“It’s a poor choice on his behalf, and he seems to make a lot of these poor decisions when he opens his mouth.

“The country will take him to pieces over it, because of the respect and reverence they had for Kostya.”

Hours after the sledge was delivered, Tim posted a simple message to social media.

"This one is for the TSZYU name," he wrote. 

"To all the Aussies. To all my Russians. To all my fans. This one is for you. Time to cause pain."

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Brendan Bradford