'You won't survive': Michael Zerafa tees off on rebooted version of Tim Tszyu after comfortable victory
Michael Zerafa believes Tim Tszyu "won't survive" with the best fighters in his division following his unanimous decision victory over the previously undefeated Anthony Velazquez in Sydney on Wednesday night.
Tszyu rarely looked in trouble and dominated from start to finish, opening a cut on his opponent's face in his first outing under new coach Pedro Diaz.
Diaz will have plenty of film to work with to identify a plan moving forward but Zerafa criticised his longtime rival for not getting the knockout.
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Zerafa, who takes on Tszyu's brother Nikita on January 16, said "the old Tim is better".
"Tim should've got him outta there in three rounds," Zerafa said on Main Event's post-fight coverage.
"I feel like it's a worse Tim - he still looked like he didn't know what he was doing. He couldn't finish him, he was prancing around a little bit.
"You're fighting a guy that wasn't throwing any punches.
"I know it's easier said than done, I'm a fighter, I've been in there and there's critics on the outside saying do this, do that.
Michael Zerafa wasn't impressed by Tszyu's performance. Main Event
"But I just feel like old Tim is better.
"If he's fighting like that you're not going back to the top. I'm saying that not as a hater, not as Tim and I not liking each other, I'm just saying that as a pure boxing lover. There's killers out there in my division and his division.
"Doing that, you won't survive."
Zerafa stressed it wasn't out of spite or trying to build up tension, just simply that he "wasn't impressed".
Tszyu told Main Event that he wanted to spend more time in the ring, rather than winning easily and learning nothing in the process.
"I really just wanted to feel comfortable in there," Tszyu said.
"I wanted to get in the ring, not try go for the KO and get reckless. In the past, that's what actually came wrong by me.
"I wanted to take my time, use my jab. I have all the skills in the world, I just need to apply them."
