Controversial split-draw IBF super welterweight eliminator between Tszyu and Mahoney
Consensus Summary
Nikita Tszyu and Ben Mahoney fought a controversial IBF super welterweight world-title eliminator on a Wednesday, ending in a split draw with scores of 117-111, 115-113, and 114-114. Tszyu initially conceded Mahoney deserved the win but later walked back the statement in a press conference. The fight, held on the Gold Coast, drew strong reactions from both camps, with Mahoney’s promoter seeking a review of the scoring. Tszyu’s family’s streak of 56 wins in Australia was broken, while Mahoney, a 31-year-old, emphasized his training dedication, including eight weeks of preparation for his child’s care. The aftermath saw verbal exchanges between promoters, with No Limit Boxing’s George Rose defending his company’s integrity and Mahoney refusing to fight Tszyu on a No Limit card again.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Nikita Tszyu and Ben Mahoney fought a Wednesday IBF super welterweight world-title eliminator on the Gold Coast.
- The fight ended in a split draw with scorecards 117-111 (Tszyu), 115-113 (Mahoney), and 114-114.
- Tszyu’s post-fight admission that Mahoney deserved to win was later walked back in a press conference.
- Tszyu is 31 years old.
- Mahoney referenced eight weeks of training for 14 weeks of his life.
- Judge Phil Holiday scored the fight 117-111 for Tszyu.
- Sabrina Kerr scored the fight 115-113 for Mahoney.
- Carl Zappia scored the fight 114-114 (draw).
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The Tszyu family’s unblemished run of 56 wins in Australia between Nikita (12-0-1), older brother Tim (26-0), and father Kostya (18-0) ended with the draw.
- Nikita Tszyu said immediately after the fight, 'I gave the fight to Ben, honestly. Maybe one or two rounds more, but I can’t be a judge.'
- Mahoney started well before Tszyu, who had busted his eye in a head clash, and stormed ahead with a dominant stretch from the third round.
- Tszyu rallied and had the better of the final rounds, with the fight lasting 30 minutes.
- Koen Mazoudier fought Sam Beck in a 10-round war, winning a decision despite one judge scoring it a draw, improving to 16-4-1.
- Mazoudier landed more than 300 of the 1089 punches he threw in his fight.
- Blake Wells was stopped in the eighth round by Callum Peters, marking Peters’ eighth stoppage in nine professional wins.
- Rahim Mundine improved to 4-0 with a unanimous points defeat of Jae Larsen.
- Brandon Grach and Ike Pluto fought to a 2-1 decision in Grach’s favor.
- Max Reeves stopped Oliver Firth in an eight-round stoppage.
- Saundre Simmons, arriving with a 9-0 record, was stopped by Kirra Ruston in the first round after being knocked down with 26 seconds left before the first bell.
- Mahoney’s promoter Mick Francis said he would seek an official review of judge Phil Holiday’s scoring.
- Mahoney said any rematch with Tszyu would not take place on a No Limit Boxing card.
- George Rose (No Limit Boxing) said, 'I wanna slap the s*** out of someone' and challenged booers to meet him outside.
- Tszyu’s promoters defended the integrity of No Limit Boxing after the draw.
- Mahoney referenced having a baby and training for eight weeks of 14 weeks of his life.
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- 7NEWS states Tszyu’s post-fight admission was 'walked back' in a press conference, while ABC describes it as a shift in tone but does not explicitly say he 'walked back' the statement.
- 7NEWS mentions Tszyu’s eye was busted in a head clash, but ABC does not reference this detail.
Source Articles
Nikita Tszyu and Ben Mahoney fight out a draw in controversial IBF super welterweight battle
No one was happy with the result and the famous Aussie has now walked back on his initial admission.
Tszyu and Mahoney camps exchange verbal barbs after controversial draw
While Nikita Tszyu and Ben Mahoney were gracious towards each other, the same could not be said about their respective promoters in a testy post-script.
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