Michael Zerafa says an all-Australian showdown between himself and Tim Tszyu has suddenly got much bigger after Sunday’s Las Vegas heartbreak, stressing: “People are now saying ‘s***, Zerafa could win’.”

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It comes as Keith Thurman has slammed The Soul Taker for “thinking he’s the s***” following a crushing loss against Sebastian Fundora – which saw the Australian retired on his stool after the seventh round.

Thurman also revealed he would still come Down Under and face the fighter he was initially meant to headline T Mobile Arena against early in 2024, but only if “y’all want him to get murdered”.

Speaking with Fox Sports Australia, Zerafa suggested that among a host of discussions around his future earlier this year, there were preliminary talks about him dropping a December bout with Nikita and going straight into a big brother showdown if he lost against Fundora.

It comes as questions are being asked about Tszyu’s immediate future following his third straight title loss in the United States.

Had Tszyu won, No Limit were targeting a hitlist of three US superstars – Thurman, Jermell Charlo and Errol Spence Jnr.

But any Tszyu rebuild will now have to take place domestically, with American great Shawn Porter conceding “the train ride has come to a halt”.

Currently, Zerafa is slated to fight on Nikita Tszyu’s August comeback card and then – should the pair both win – square off with ‘The Butcher’ at the end of the year.

However, the fighter dubbed ‘Pretty Boy’ said he could go straight into a showdown with the man who he was initially supposed to face way back in 2021.

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Zerafa also revealed he had messaged Tszyu’s manager Glen Jennings directly before the Sunday’s fight to wish them all luck, stressing that he wanted his longtime rival to become a two-time world champion.

Elsewhere, Thurman spoke with The Punch Podcast while walking out of the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and was asked if he would still come to Australia to face Tszyu?

“How bad do want Tim Tszyu to get beat up?” he laughed.

“Y’all hate Tim Tszyu?

“Y’all want him to get murdered?”

Asked what the Australian had done wrong, Thurman continued: “He just thinks he’s the s***.

“He believed that boxing outside of Australia, the world of boxing, the plethora of talent and skills, opposition, it’s something that he was just going to fly over here and handle.”

But as for now being done in the sport?

“No, the kid’s not done but they need to pick the right fights,” Thurman said.

“They need to pick somebody who is better than (Joey) Spencer but who is not a world champion.

“Or a Hall of Famer like myself.

“You take me over to the Gold Coast and I will end Tim Tszyu’s career.

“If that’s what you all want to see, pay me and I’ll do it.

“I’ll get rid of Tszyu.”

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Zerafa, meanwhile, said he could go straight into a domestic showdown with Tszyu later this year.

“Our fight just got bigger,” he said.

“Before tonight, everyone was thinking that if a fight was made between us, Tim just wins.

“But after what happened today?

“Now people are saying ‘s***, Zerafa could win this’.

“My phone hasn’t stopped today.

“I’ve had so many people texting me saying ‘it’s going to be all you’.

“It’s a fight that not only I want but everyone wants.”

Asked for his take on the Tszyu loss in Las Vegas, Zerafa said he hadn’t watched.

“But I’ve heard what happened,” he said.

“And honestly, I was backing him.

“My heart goes out to him.

“Before the fight I messaged Tim’s manager Glen Jennings and said ‘from the bottom of my heart I hope you guys win’.

“I also sent a message to the guys from No Limit too.

“I’ve got no malice.

“Whenever people asked me about it on social media or whatever, I was supporting Tim Tszyu.

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“I honestly hoped he would win.

“And I feel for him.

“He should keep his head high, too.

“He dared to be great and fell short.

“It happens.

“And while it’s something of a reality check for him, it’s still hard to hear.

“But I do think I should get a little more respect now.”

So as for what the result means for his December bout with Nikita Tszyu?

“This changes everything,” Zerafa said.

“I go into a fight with Tim Tszyu now and I’m the A-side.

“You take away that last name and just look at the numbers, I’m not only ranked No.8 in the world but ranked with all four sanctioning bodies.

“So it makes sense.

“And I’m happy for No Limit to draw up new contracts.

“Happy for them to say forget fighting in August, let’s keep you to the end of the year and this is the new plan.

“I’m more than happy with that.”

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Speaking on Main Event immediately after the fight, American great Shawn Porter conceded Tszyu’s career had taken a big hit in the Fundora loss.

Fellow analyst Peter Badel suggested the Australian’s build back to world title level could take two years

“It’s hard to not feel this train ride come to a halt,” Porter said.

“It’s doesn’t mean it’s going to end, it’s just slowed down.

“I don’t believe that Tim Tszyu has fought his way out of title contention.

“It just doesn’t go through Sebastian Fundora.

“He can still get it done against elite guys, (but) it’s going to happen back in Australia for a little while.”

Soon after, he continued: “I don’t believe Tim Tszyu is done on the world stage, primarily because he still fought very hard, very courageously.

“We have to assume that there are (some demons).

“I do believe he performed at a level that dictates he can come back at this level.

“We just don’t know what the timeline is.”

Thurman said Tszyu had not shown the tactical nous required to win at the elite level.

“He landed a few shots, right on the chin and different things,” the former champ said of the Fundora performance.

“They just weren’t hard enough, they just weren’t flush enough.

“He tried to poke at the body.

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“Tim Tszyu isn’t tactical enough.

“I said it, there is no evidence that Tim Tszyu can beat Fundora, period.

“It’s a tough fight.

“It’s an awkward fight.

“Styles makes fights and we clearly see after the second run, he wasn’t able to conquer that mountain top.”

Badel agreed Tszyu’s road back to the top would take time.

“It’s got to be delicate, it’s got to be slow,” he said.

“Put Tim in cotton wool, give him some time out, bring him back against some lower-ranked international opponents.

“I think he’s better than a domestic fighter, but maybe some international opponents, get his ranking up again, keep it up there in the world rankings and then slowly rebuild.”

Badel later added: “If Tim wants to rebuild his career — and it could be a one or two-year rebuild — he needs to fix his defence.

“This is the fourth time he’s gone down in the first or second round.

“He’s got to fix his defensive technicalities if he wants to survive in this sport.”

Porter agreed.

“He has to have a tighter guard,” the former world champion said.

“We don’t see head movement back and forth, so he’s a stationary target.

“That’s the biggest problem.”