The doctor who called off Australia’s biggest grudge match this decade has confirmed Michael Zerafa said he couldn’t see — twice.
Chaos broke out in the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Friday night after the hyped match between Zerafa and Nikita Tszyu was stopped at the third round.
Speaking with Fox Soorts Australia afterwards, Dr Alan Saunders said he called off the fight after Zerafa said he had been blinded.
Dr Saunder said: “I covered Michael’s right eye and said, ‘can you see?’.
“He said ‘I can’t see … I can’t see …”
Dr Saunders said he then had no option but to call off the fight.
Zerafa’s cut man Matt Clark also took to X afterwards to say the cut wasn’t bad at all, and posted a pic of the swab, writing: “I felt the cut on Michael Zerafa wasn’t bad at all. He asked me between rounds “Sweet?” to which I replied “It’s sweet there’s nothing in it”. That’s the total amount of blood on the swab. A very disappointing end to what I thought was shaping as a great contest.”
The cut came after the fighters’ heads smashed together in the second round, with the ‘bad boy’ of Australian boxing left bloodied.
Once the round was complete, the doctor assessed the damage before Zerafa appeared to tell the medico he was unable to see.
The fans made their feelings known, with cups and cans being hurled into the ring — as screams and boos bellowed throughout the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
“Unbelievable scenes here in Brisbane,” Ben Damon said in commentary.
“This is an extraordinary moment… this crowd is furious. This will be a moment that is talked about forever in Australian boxing history. Extraordinary. Unbelievable.”
REACTION: Fury as Tszyu calls out Zerafa’s ‘cowardly’ act and exposes ugly ‘truth’
‘I didn’t stop it’ Zerafa | 00:59
Tszyu and Zerafa’s teams both spoke following the fight’s conclusion, with the latter hitting back at the crowd as they quickly turned on him.
“I don’t know why everyone was booing me, I didn’t stop it, the doctor stopped it,” Zerafa said.
“I said it was blurry but it’s all good, lets go.”
Damon then asked if Zerafa said to the doctor that he was unable to see.
“No, I’m ready to go. We are going to do it again, lets run it back,” he said.
Tszyu was not so sure he would take the rematch offer when asked about it immediately after the fight and couldn’t hide his disappointment on how it ended.
“Sorry to everyone that came out and expected a 10 round war,” said Tszyu.
“Six months of work … what an anticlimactic ending.”
Tszyu also said he was told by his corner that Zerafa had in fact said that he couldn’t see.
“I’m sorry. That sucks. Sorry guys,” he added.
Read on below for a transcript of how the drama unfolded in the ring:
TRANSCRIPT
Ref: “Come over here mate, let’s have a look at the cut.”
Zerafa: “I can’t see.”
Ref: “Yeah I know mate, it’s good. It’s an accidental head clash.”
Zerafa: “I can’t see. It’s my eye.”
Doctor: “Which eye? Can you see me now?”
Zerafa: “It’s blurry. I can’t see. I can’t see.”
Ref: “OK, what’s going to happen is because it was before the fourth round it’s going to be a no contest. You understand?”
Zerafa: “Yep.”
Ref: “OK.”
Zerafa explodes in WILD post fight rant | 03:24
Earlier, Nelson Asofa-Solomona won his first fight as No Limit’s newest crossover weapon, knocking out fellow former rugby league enforcer Jeremy Latimore in the first round with a “brutal” uppercut.
Asofa-Solomona quit the Storm following the conclusion of the 2025 season, signing a lucrative boxing contract, despite interest from rival NRL clubs.
The 29-year-old proved his switch could be a fruitful one, disposing of Latimore in his professional debut on the Michael Zerafa and Nikita Tszyu undercard.
Asofa-Solomona quickly worked his opponent out, finding his distance before collecting Latimore with a punch that floored him. Latimore could do nothing but lay flat on the canvas.
“Took the first exit!” Nikita reacts | 05:45
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