Nikita Tszyu’s IBF world title eliminator finally has a home.
Only days after older brother Tim emphatically upset American superstar Errol Spence Jnr, No Limit have confirmed Nikita’s all-Australian headliner will take place on the Gold Coast, on August 26.
As first revealed by Fox Sports Australia, the showcase also doubles as an eliminator for IBF super welterweight champ Josh Kelly.
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Given the fight is still four weeks away, there is a strong chance Tim – who is now jetting out for a deserved holiday after his big win — will be back and ringside for event, just as ‘The Butcher’ was for him last Sunday.
While the pair went several months without speaking, Tim revealed in the build up to Spence that he not only wanted his younger brother attending his fight, but harboured no ill feelings towards him or his team – which Tszyu dumped last year.
Currently, ‘The Butcher’ is ranked at number seven with the IBF, while Mahoney is two spots further back.
However, with the top two placements in the rankings both vacant, No Limit boss George Rose has confirmed the August bout will also double as a title eliminator for his young star, who is undefeated in all 12 fights since turning professional.
“Nikita Tszyu is the genuine star of Australian boxing,” Rose said. “And now he’s got another world-rated Australian standing across from him with world title glory at stake.
“It doesn’t get any bigger.
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“Ben Mahoney is as tough as they come. A lot of people thought this fight shouldn’t happen, but these are two genuine fighters who back themselves, and the fans are the ones who reap the rewards.
“Expect brutality. Expect raw power. Expect absolute fireworks. Two undefeated Australians, ranked inside the world’s top 10, with everything on the line. This is what the sport is supposed to look like.”
Along with Hall of Fame father Kostya, the Tszyus remain unbeaten on home soil.
And speaking with Fox Sports Australia only last week, Tszyu opened on where the issues between he and Nikita stemmed from, and his eagerness to have the pair supporting each other at fights again.
“Because Nikita’s my younger brother — I love him,” Tszyu said simply. “I mean, you’ve seen first hand what I’m like on those nights where he goes out and fights, you’ve seen what happens to me.
“[Laughs] I’m out of control, ready to punch on with f***ing everyone.
“And nothing is put on there, that’s just how I feel. How I am.
“And I understand people can all react differently. But Nikita is definitely welcome in my dressing room on fight night. Again, he’s my brother.
“And it’s actually the same with his team. Because those guys were also my team for nine f***ing years, too.
“And just because I’ve decided to move on with my life and do something different, it doesn’t suddenly make anything me versus them. Or I hope they don’t feel that.
“Because it’s definitely not that from my side …”
While the Tszyu boys had gone several months without speaking, Tim admitted part of that was due to his going through “a really dark time” after retiring on his stool against Sebastian Fundora last July.
Following the heartbreaking loss, and with question marks hanging over his career, the former world champ then went and dropped his team before heading Stateside and eventually linking up with famed Cuban Olympic coach Pedro Diaz in Miami, Florida.
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While then winning consecutive bouts under Diaz – against previously unbeaten rivals Anthony Velazquez and Denis Nurja – Tszyu still wasn’t satisfied and so, most recently, linked up with Australian Hall of Famer, Jeff Fenech.
“So I went through a dark period there for a while,” Tszyu revealed in the build to his fight. “And that’s why I had to focus on myself, just get through a couple of fights.
“And that last one especially, it was tough.
“And I guess in every family from time to time, people have arguments. It’s normal.
“But unfortunately with my brother and I, it’s just played out a little bit more publicly than it would’ve with anyone else.
“But of course if Nikita wants to be at the Spence fight he can. He’s my younger brother and I love him.”
As hardcore Aussie boxing fans will know, Mahoney is the undefeated Brisbane fighter who famously broke the jaw of fellow Queenslander Benjamin Hussain in a 2020 classic.
“So I’m not here to f*** around,” he told us recently. “Right now, I’m in my prime as a fighter and the winner of this fight between Nikita and I, they’ll then go on to massive things.
“Honestly, I’m getting goosebumps just talking about it now. And that’s because I have such belief in what I can do.
“I mean, if Nikita isn’t ready to test himself with a fight like this, or I wasn’t ready … we shouldn’t be doing this sport. And I’m the biggest test of Nikita Tszyu’s career, I can guarantee that.”