Danny Green's Take on Tszyu vs Mahoney: A Close Call

Danny Green rescored Nikita Tszyu’s wild IBF eliminator against Ben Mahoney this week and came to a blunt conclusion: the right man still kept his streak, and it’s time for “The Butcher” to pack his bags for America.

From his lounge room in Western Australia, the former world champion sat down, muted the commentary, and went back through all 12 rounds of the Gold Coast thriller. No crowd noise. No broadcast chatter. Just punches, pressure and a pencil.

His final card? Tszyu 116-114.

Close. Messy. Controversial. But, in Green’s eyes, not a robbery.

Green’s scorecard: Tszyu by two

Seven days earlier, three judges had somehow managed to deliver three different verdicts in an eliminator for IBF super welterweight champion Josh Kelly.

• Phillip Holliday went wide for Tszyu, 117-111.
• Sabrina Kerr saw it 115-113 to Mahoney.
• Carl Zappia split the difference at 114-114.

Chaos followed in the ring when Tszyu, still riding the adrenaline dump, told Ben Damon he thought he’d lost. By the time the post-fight press conference rolled around, the Sydneysider had already started walking that back, admitting frustration at not finishing Mahoney had coloured his first reaction.

Green, calling the bout for Main Event on the night, edged it to Tszyu. After a second look at home, he doubled down.

He gave Mahoney the opening two rounds, plus the sixth and the twelfth. Tszyu, he marked down as winning the fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, tenth and eleventh. Rounds three and nine? Too tight to split. Hence 116-114 to Nikita.

“It was a tight fight,” Green said. “But after rewatching all 12 rounds without commentary, I’ve again scored it in Nikita Tszyu’s favour. And by two rounds.”

What swung it for him was simple: weight of shot.

Mahoney’s jab and volume kept him in the contest, and at times he stitched together those “bap, bap, bap” combinations Green dismisses as arm punches. Eye-catching, yes. Fight-winning, no. Not when Tszyu’s left hand kept detonating with that heavy, thudding authority and his work to the body quietly banked damage.

From the fourth round on, Green saw the younger Tszyu start to “chug” through the gears. The rhythm changed. The punches sounded different. By the back half of the fight, he felt the momentum had swung decisively.

Tszyu’s repeated success with the left, Green insisted, was enough to push him over the line, even as he again paid full respect to Mahoney for proving him wrong after predicting he wouldn’t last eight rounds.

Not ready for the “top dogs” – yet

Green’s verdict on the result is clear. His verdict on where Nikita sits in the global picture is just as sharp.

Yes, the 28-year-old stays unbeaten on paper. No, that doesn’t mean he’s ready for the monsters at 154 pounds.

Green name-checked the likes of Josh Kelly, Sebastian Fundora and Jaron “Boots” Ennis and drew a firm line. Not yet.

He wants to see more from Tszyu’s right hook, a punch he describes as “beautiful” but underused against Mahoney, partly because of the Queenslander’s high guard. He wants more seasoning, more rounds, more time.

Remember, this was only fight number 14 for Nikita, including the non-event against Michael Zerafa. In boxing terms, that’s still early days, especially for a man being fast-tracked under the weight of a famous surname.

For Green, the key is that Nikita himself seems to understand that. A young fighter willing to admit he needs more time before chasing the top tier? That, in Green’s eyes, is not weakness. It’s intelligence.

Why America makes sense now

So if a world title shot is premature, what comes next?

For Green, the answer lies across the Pacific.

He has no issue with calls for a rematch with Mahoney. The first fight was dramatic, close and controversial – the perfect recipe to run it back. But if Team Tszyu decides instead to send Nikita to the US before Christmas, likely on a David Benavidez undercard, Green is all for it.

“I don’t see why not,” he said. As long as the opposition is chosen smartly and the progression continues, a US debut is all upside: new audience, new pressure, new experience.

The Gold Coast provided the chaos. America, if they get it right, can provide the education.

Tim Tszyu and the lure of Lara

While he was at it, Green also cast an eye over the older Tszyu brother and his next move after that gutsy win over Errol Spence Jnr.

His advice to Tim? Think bigger. Think heavier.

Green wants to see Tim chase a second division world title and believes WBA middleweight champion Erislandy Lara is the “perfect” target. Age is a major factor. Lara, a brilliant craftsman in his prime, is now deep into the “back nine” of his career. Green sees a stylistic and physical window for Tim to walk through.

He argued that if Tim had stepped on the gas against Spence, he might have forced the stoppage. That kind of form, he believes, translates well against Lara.

By contrast, Jermell Charlo doesn’t excite him as the next move. “What does Jermell Charlo do for you? What does he bring?” Green asked, suggesting Lara offers a clearer path to legacy and hardware right now.

Whatever Tim chooses, Green insists the confidence from the Spence win should be banked, not nitpicked. Maybe Tszyu could have pushed harder for the finish. But he beat a decorated American star, and that result sits loudly on the résumé.

Heavy hands, heavier expectations

Back on the Gold Coast, Green’s view hasn’t shifted from his live call. He saw Nikita’s left hand land often enough, and hard enough, to shade a fight that will be argued about for a long time.

He still labels it a “magic fight” – brutal, tense, and soured only by the confusion at the final bell.

Now the debate moves from who won to what comes next.

For Nikita Tszyu, the options are stark: settle unfinished business with Mahoney at home, or roll the dice in the US and learn on foreign soil. For Tim, the question is just as sharp: stay where he is and circle familiar names, or jump to middleweight and chase a Cuban veteran with a belt and a ticking clock.

The Tszyu name has never been more prominent on the world stage. The next choices will decide how long it stays there.