'Cinderella' story Steve Spark eyeing 'greatest upset in boxing history in Australia' as Tim Tszyu bout awaits

Steve Spark has dubbed himself "the Cinderella man" and made a giant call ahead of his bout with Tim Tszyu, declaring if he beats the superstar it'll go down as "the greatest upset in boxing history in Australia".

Michael Zerafa's decision to bail on his fight with Tszyu left Australian boxing in shock and thousands of pundits slamming the Melbourne product.

But on the same evening that Zerafa abandoned the blockbuster super-welterweight duel, unheralded Queensland youngster Steve Spark stepped up to ensure Tszyu wasn't stripped of next Wednesday night's Newcastle fight.

Spark is a 24-year-old boxer from Toowoomba whose professional record stands at 12-1-0 (11 knockouts).

In his most recent visit to the ring, he sprung an upset against Jack Brubaker on the undercard of Paul Gallen's clash with Lucas Browne in April, defeating his rival via a unanimous decision.

Spark admits that his first fight with Tszyu, Australia's super-welterweight champion and the son of boxing legend Kostya Tszyu, has arrived quicker than expected.

But he says he's still zeroing in on the Tszyu bout with an ambition to secure a mighty underdog win.

"I'm not here to make up numbers; I'm a fighter and I come to win every time ... and I'm here to upset the apple (cart)," Spark said.

"It's all respect between me and Tim. We're probably the two nicest blokes in Australian boxing, we conduct ourselves in a great manner, but when we step up into that ring me and Tim both mean business. We're both going in there to hurt each other and we're both here to win.

"If I can pull off this it's probably the greatest upset in boxing history in Australia - and that means the world to me. This is my golden ticket, I'm the Cinderella man in this fight and I'm Rocky. I'm here to win.

"It's come a lot quicker than expected but you jump at these opportunities. It is for the opportunity, it is for the money, it is for the legacy I'm going to leave. If I can pull this off it's huge."

Zerafa canned his fight with Tszyu citing financial and health concerns amid the COVID-19 challenges.

But his stunning cancellation has been shredded by thousands of boxing fans in light of the assurances of the NSW and Victorian governments, as well as the extraordinary efforts of promoter No Limit Boxing to save the fight.

Australian boxing great Billy Dib labelled Zerafa's withdrawal "weak".

But there's a new air of excitement as Tszyu awaits the little-known Spark - and Spark is clear on why he was called up to take Zerafa's place.

"I earned this shot, I 100 per cent earned this shot," Spark said.

"Tim picked me because I'm someone he hasn't sparred and I'm someone he hasn't fought and I impressed on that last card. He saw what I did to Jack Brubaker. I dismantled him after that first round and absolutely pulverised him.

"Tim picked me because, I believe, I pose the biggest threat in Australia to him because of the performance I put on and my excitement."