Nikita Tszyu Faces Controversial Split Decision Against Ben Mahoney
Nikita Tszyu walked into the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre needing a statement. He left with his hand raised, his face bloodied, and his future clouded by doubt.
The IBF super-welterweight title eliminator against Ben Mahoney was supposed to be the final hurdle before a crack at Josh Kelly and a raft of big-money nights. Instead, 12 savage rounds ended in a split decision that satisfied no one and lit a fuse under calls for an immediate rematch.
The cards told the story of chaos: 117-111 Tszyu, 115-113 Mahoney, 114-114. The crowd, fiercely behind their local hero, howled at the verdict. Tszyu didn’t try to sell it.
“I gave the fight to Ben. He was a tough fight,” he told Main Event’s Ben Damon in the ring. “I gave him maybe 1-2 rounds more. It was a close fight, but I thought he edged it.”
Mahoney, bleeding but unbowed, agreed.
“I do believe I won that fight,” he said. “I thought I came home nice and strong. I believe I took the fight in those (last) two rounds … all respect to Nikita, he’s a f***ing warrior.”
On a night that was meant to confirm Tszyu as the next in line, it instead underlined how thin the margins are at world level.
A brutal, messy, brilliant war
From the opening bell, Mahoney refused to play the role of stepping stone.
Backed by a wall of noise and chants of “Benny, Benny, Benny”, the Queenslander stormed out in the first two rounds, slamming home heavy shots while Tszyu dug to the body, trying to slow the local favourite’s legs.
Then came the first twist.
A clash of heads in the third round opened a cut around Tszyu’s eye, blood streaming and bothering him for the rest of the fight. He still managed to close the round with a sharp punch to Mahoney’s face in the dying seconds, a reminder that even under fire, his timing can change a frame in an instant.
The referee’s tumble in the second had brought a brief laugh from Tszyu. That was the last moment of levity. From there, it turned into a trench war.
Tszyu began to edge into the contest, finding his rhythm and range, but Mahoney never went away. Every time the favourite looked like he might finally take command, the underdog bit down and answered with volume, heart and a stubborn refusal to back up.
In the ninth, a low blow from Mahoney brought a timeout and a warning, adding another layer of drama to a fight already dripping with it. Tszyu took the time, reset, and went back to the body.
Mahoney’s corner knew the stakes. Coach Josh Arnold lit a fire under his man heading into the championship rounds.
“You’ve got four rounds to change your life,” he told him before the ninth.
Mahoney responded. He surged late, especially in the final two rounds, where he tried to empty the tank, urged on by Arnold’s final reminder: “This is for your daughter.” The Queenslander waved to the crowd, dragged them back into the fight and went after Tszyu with everything he had left.
A slip in the 11th proved costly for Mahoney, giving Tszyu a window to rip in a series of body shots that banked more points and may well have swung a razor-thin contest.
When the bell finally rang, both men were spent. Both believed they had done enough. The arena braced.
Respect in the aftermath, but no peace
The decision split the judges and infuriated the locals, but it didn’t split the fighters.
There was no bad blood at the end, just two exhausted men who had pushed each other to the edge.
“An all-action brawl, a world title eliminator worth of its position!” Ben Damon said on Main Event. “What a fight we’ve seen. Two warriors on the Gold Coast.”
Danny Green, who had leaned slightly towards Tszyu as the likelier winner before the cards were read, could barely contain his admiration for both.
“Outstanding fight there,” he said. “Ben Mahoney, take a bow … you’re a world class fighter and you proved it once again. Nikita … you’ve conquered that 12 rounds against a world class fighter. The future’s very bright.”
Damon voiced what many were already thinking.
“I think we need a rematch!”
Green didn’t hesitate.
“For me, I’d love to see a rematch. I think it’s fair for both boxers.”
The IBF eliminator was meant to clear the path for Tszyu. Instead, it’s opened up a debate that may demand settling before anyone talks seriously about Josh Kelly.
Mahoney might not have got the nod. But he left with the respect of his opponent, the roar of his home crowd, and the sense that his story at this level has only just begun.
Mazoudier survives Beck to keep Charlo dream alive
Earlier on the card, Koen Mazoudier flirted with disaster but kept his date with Jermall Charlo alive.
The 30-year-old had taken a major gamble by accepting a dangerous tune-up against Sam Beck ahead of a blockbuster clash with the former two-division world champion. Beck almost made him pay.
Across ten bruising rounds, Beck dragged Mazoudier into a slugfest that had the Gold Coast crowd on its feet and, at times, had Mazoudier’s future plans hanging by a thread.
The judges went majority decision: 95-95, 97-93, 96-94 in Mazoudier’s favour.
“It’s a huge risk for Mazoudier, but it’s an incredible fight. Take a bow!” Damon said.
“Phenomenal performance by both fighters,” Green added.
The numbers underlined the brutality. The pair combined to land 526 punches. Beck absorbed more than 150 body shots and kept coming. Mazoudier’s eye ballooned by the third round, and in the sixth Beck sent his opponent’s mouthguard flying with a savage uppercut followed by a heavy left.
“Two of the best punches of the fight,” Green called them.
Mazoudier and Charlo had been due to meet on the Tim Tszyu vs Errol Spence undercard before visa issues scuppered the American’s trip. The Australian knows he’ll need to be far sharper when that opportunity finally arrives.
“Need to be a lot better than that (against Charlo) – that was a poor performance,” Mazoudier said bluntly. “They dogged us – they were supposed to come here. I love the underdog story. Let’s go back to his backyard and take it.”
The scare was real. The payday is still on.
Ruston’s ruthless first-round finish
If Mazoudier’s night was about survival, Kirra Ruston’s was about statement.
The Australian extended his extraordinary run of stoppages with a ruthless first-round TKO over Saundre Simmons, taking his record to ten TKOs in ten fights.
After a cautious opening, Ruston suddenly sensed weakness. A vicious right hook dumped Simmons on the canvas with a minute left in the round. The Bermudan beat the count, but his reprieve was brief.
Ruston swarmed, pinning Simmons to the ropes with a barrage of punches until the referee stepped in.
“An all-out assault!” Damon roared. “He is something special.”
Simmons fumed at the stoppage, but Green pointed out that he was still “kind of staggered” as he argued his case.
Ruston, buzzing but composed, admitted the early finish surprised even him.
“I didn’t expect it to be the first round,” he said. “Get me in again! I’m ready to go. If he wanted to stay in longer, let him stay in longer.”
Main Event panellist Pete Badel didn’t bother playing down the hype.
Ten fights. Ten TKOs. The trajectory feels obvious.
Grach edges Pluto again as Green backs the loser
Heavyweight chaos returned when Brandon Grach and Ike “From” Pluto ran back their first meeting just a month after Grach’s short-notice win on the Tim Tszyu vs Errol Spence undercard.
This time, Pluto had a full camp. It still wasn’t enough.
In a rough, bloody rematch, Grach was cut above the eye in the final round after repeated late blows, but he banked the only knockdown of the fight – a heavy left hand in the second that floored Pluto – and that proved decisive.
The judges split again: 58-55, 56-57, 57-56 to Grach.
Green, though, saw it differently.
“He’s landed the cleaner shots,” he said of Pluto late in the fight, before doubling down after the decision: “I’m going to call it, I think Pluto was the better fighter tonight.”
Grach, nicknamed “the Bull”, wasn’t interested in controversy, only respect.
“All props to Ike from Pluto, he comes from another planet and he fights like it too,” he said.
Two fights, two wins for Grach. Yet Pluto’s effort, and Green’s verdict, might just earn him another big chance.
Mundine Jr keeps the family name rolling
On the prelims, Rahim Mundine – son of NRL and boxing star Anthony – extended his unbeaten start with a unanimous decision over Jae Larsen.
“The Dream”, whose rugby league ambitions were cut short by a hip injury before he turned to boxing, faded late but had done enough early to secure the win with scores of 52-45, 49-46, 48-47.
With Anthony Mundine and his old rival Danny Green both watching on and barking advice, the 25-year-old moved to 4-0 as a professional. It was his second televised outing after a controversial victory over Lance McDonald in May.
The surname carries weight. Nights like this suggest Rahim is willing to shoulder it.
A quiet snub, a loud question
Away from the ring, the Tszyu family subplot simmered.
Tim Tszyu, fresh from his win over Errol Spence Jr in Sydney a month ago, was understood not to be attending the Gold Coast card headlined by his brother. On social media, he wished luck to “the boys” – Koen, Kira, Callum and Wells – but notably left Nikita out of the message.
Nikita had been there in person for Tim’s last fight. Rumblings about tension between the brothers have lingered. This will only fuel them.
Earlier in the week, Nikita had promised to “bend the rules” if needed against Mahoney, insisting respect would vanish once the gloves were on. He flicked that switch at the weigh-in, marching into Mahoney’s face during a heated staredown and vowing to be ready for a version of the Queenslander “on another level”.
He got exactly that. He survived it. He didn’t convince everyone.
The eliminator was supposed to be a launchpad to Josh Kelly and maybe a US debut against names like Keith Thurman, with his camp confident he could become a world champion within 12 months.
Those plans are still on the table. But after a night like this, with Mahoney’s stock soaring and the crowd demanding more, can anyone really move on without running it back first?
