Nikita Tszyu Sets Sights on American Boxing Stage
Nikita Tszyu has watched the tape, replayed the rounds and changed his mind. The domestic job, he believes, is done. Now he wants America.
A month after his bruising Brisbane battle with Ben Mahoney ended in a controversial draw, Tszyu has flipped his own post-fight verdict. On the night, he surprised everyone – including himself – by admitting he thought he’d lost. The judges couldn’t agree, three wildly different scorecards landing on a stalemate that satisfied no one.
Mahoney celebrated like a new world champion, dancing around the ring as if the belt was his. Tim Tszyu bristled at the show, and the Mahoney camp quickly howled robbery. The debate rumbled on.
Then Nikita sat down and watched it back.
"I'm not a very good judge," he admitted, reassessing his performance with cold eyes instead of adrenaline. "I scored it 7-3. In a good way, 8-4. I thought I won the majority of the middle rounds. I gave him the first two rounds and the last two rounds, but [I won] everything else in between.
"I don't regret it, because it was what I felt at the time."
That honesty – and that revision – frames where he stands now. Still undefeated. Still learning. Still dangerous.
At 29, the Sydney southpaw believes his best work lies ahead, and he wants those nights under American lights. His team has never rushed him, happy to let him grow away from the harshest glare of the boxing mecca. Twelve wins, one draw, ten knockouts: a steady climb, not a sprint.
But the clock keeps ticking, and the Tszyu name already carries scars from the US. Tim surrendered his IBO super-welterweight belt to Sebastian Fundora there, then suffered again in a rematch and a punishing world-title defeat to Bakhram Murtazaliev. America has not been kind to the family lately.
Nikita sees that history. He isn’t turning away from it.
"I think I can figure it out," he told AAP, leaning into the lesson of the Mahoney fight rather than hiding from it. "This fight was a great learning curve for me and it puts things a lot into perspective. I've got to be a lot more professional with the way I do things."
That means lifestyle as much as left hooks.
"I can't be landscaping close to the fight. I can't be doing woodworking close to the fight. Just some bad habits I do.
"Yeah, I've got to be a professional athlete."
It’s a rare glimpse behind the curtain: a contender still juggling real-world work with a world-level ambition. The Mahoney draw didn’t just sting his pride; it sharpened his focus.
Now the path ahead is starting to take shape. No Limit Boxing is pushing to land him on a major American stage, targeting the undercard of the David Benavidez–Michal Cieslak unified blockbuster in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 12. That would be the launchpad: a Tszyu in the US again, this time with a different script in mind.
If that slot doesn’t materialise, the plan doesn’t collapse. No Limit has already confirmed he will box at least once more in 2026 on home soil, keeping the engine warm while the US door waits to open.
He’s seen the replays. He’s judged himself harsher than any crowd. Now the question is simple: when the call finally comes from America, will Nikita Tszyu walk through it as a prospect – or as a problem nobody in the super-welterweight division really wants to solve?
