Michael Zerafa called out Tim Tszyu after finishing a 45-year-old Anthony Mundine’s career inside the first round of their fight in Bendigo on Saturday night.

Mundine hit the deck once before the referee ended the one-sided bout after Zerafa, 28, knocked him down a second time after just 129 seconds.

The Australian boxinng legend was clipped on the ropes early on and fell forward as Zerafa hit him with a barrage of punches before surviving the 10-count only to face an even greater onslaught.


Zerafa wasted no time in pressing his attack and sent Mundine back to the canvas after landing a searing right hand over the top on the former NRL star’s temple.

Speaking after the fight, Mundine confirmed it would be the last time he would step inside the ropes as a fighter.

“Definitely, that’s it for me – even if I won I would have hung them up. I just don’t have the heart to do it anymore,” Mundine said.

“God gave me great talent, both in rugby league and boxing. I’m not the fight I was one year ago, five year ago or ten years ago, but I achieved a lot in my life.

“Thank God, I’m healthy, but I got caught in the first round and that happens in boxing.

“He wanted to fight me when he was 15 – lucky he got me when I was 45, not 35.”

It was the third straight defeat for Mundine, who has gone 1-5 since 2015.

After losing to a career kickboxer, John Wayne Parr, in 2019, the idea of Mundine facing an in-his-prime Zerafa was something many disagreed with.

“This “fight” should never have happened,” US boxing promoter, Lou DiBella, tweeted. “DISGUSTING. Australian #boxing owed a debt to Mundine to protect him from himself. The man is forty-five and had NO chance. This was wrong. And I said what I said.”

Fox Sports’ Dan Ginnane added: “There is something very wrong when there is a body willing to sanction this. Only positive is it ended quickly and Mundine didn’t cop as many blows as he could have.”

Grantlee Kieza called it “a sad end” to Mundine, who was “once a brilliant boxer”.

As for Zerafa, he got to do what he has been itching to do and call out Tszyu again for an all-Australian bout.

Tszyu faces Dennis Hogan at the end of this month live on Main Event.

“Stop f***ing running!” Zerafa said afterwards, in relation to Tszyu saying he wouldn’t fight him, instead aiming to claim a world title before the end of the year.

foxsports.com.au