Nikita Tszyu showed his boxing pedigree by extending his unbeaten streak with a crushing first-round victory over Benjamin Bomber – although he admitted he was “slightly shaken” in the opening moments.
On Wednesday night in the co-main event at Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena, Tszyu landed a big uppercut and then finished off the young Victorian with a flurry of punches.
The referee tried to intervene with Bomber landing on the canvas above him.
Tszyu is the son of former great Kostya and younger brother of Tim, who was at ringside and looked just as excited as his brother about the dominating victory.
The victory came 20 years after three-time world champion Kostya beat American Jesse James Leija in six sets in Melbourne.
Nikita Tszyu showed his boxing pedigree with first-round win over Benjamin Bomber
Tszyu later admitted he was ‘slightly shaken’ after a Bombers straight right found the target early in the fight
Nikita, 25, is undefeated after six professional fights while Bomber was 5-0 prior to this matchup.
He lived up to his nickname “The Butcher” with the ruthless performance.
However, Tszyu didn’t have it all his way and was hit clean with a straight right early in the round which he said left him “slightly shaken”.
“I wasn’t dizzy, I wasn’t hurt, but he grabbed me,” he said.
‘Surprise shot.
“But the thing is, I feel like I can really take a punch.
“My brother warmed me throughout our childhood. I gave him a beating and a half.
“So I feel like my chin has a little mileage on it.”
Tszyu said he wasn’t stunned by the ‘surprise punch’ and could take a punch
Tszyu admitted he wished the fight lasted a bit longer and went into “kill mode” when he saw his opponent was injured.
“It was over in a flash, I was hoping it would last a bit longer,” Nikita said.
“I landed an uppercut. I saw a victim, the hunter instinct inside of me went into kill mode.
“If I see someone hurt, I want to hurt them, it’s just instinct.”
Tim joined Nikita in the ring and rated his display as “10/10”.
‘I am a proud brother. Nikita did an amazing job,” Tim said.
“My dad fought here at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne in 2003, so for Nikita to come back 20 years later and continue the legacy here, it’s an honor for us and I’m sure one day I’ll be back too. .”
After the fight, Nikita said the victory gave him a “huge buzz”.
‘It was unexpected. I didn’t expect it to be this short,” he said.
When asked who he would like to face next, Tszyu gave a cheeky answer by calling out heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
There is speculation that Nikita Tszyu could next fight the talented Aussie Brock Jarvis, who for several years was considered one of the hottest young boxing prospects in the country.
“He (Bommer) was a bit tricky at first, but he opened up a bit and that upper-cut is something I’ve been working on throughout camp.”
When asked who he would like to face next, Tszyu gave a cheeky answer.
“There’s one person in this arena that I’ve had my eye on, and that’s Tyson Fury, the Gypsy King,” Tszyu said.
“Just kidding, don’t kill me,” he added.
There is speculation that Tszyu could next face talented Sydneysider Brock Jarvis, who for several years was considered one of the hottest young boxing prospects in the country.
Jarvis recently parted ways with longtime trainer Jeff Fenech and has expressed interest in moving up from featherweight to welterweight, or even high middleweight.
Bomber, 21, came into the fight with high expectations after calling out Tszyu for the past year.
He spent prep training in Las Vegas with respected American trainer Rodney Crisler, who arrived in Melbourne after helping Devin Haney retain his belts.
But he failed to gain weight on the first attempt, leading Tszyu to describe him as unprofessional.
Tszyu described the victory as a “sweet feeling” and that his previously undefeated opponent would be “emptied” of the result.
“It was a sweet feeling – he was definitely disgusted as this is a tough loss for him at the start of his career.”
“I said at the first press conference that one of us was advancing and the other was not and that’s the harsh reality of the sport.”
Meanwhile, in a clash of former AFL heavyweights, ex-bomber Tom Bellchambers topped Cameron Mooney who played for Geelong.
The pair of super welterweights both landed big blows in the first round with Bellchambers knocking down the big cat.
He then landed a big right with 47 seconds left in the third and final round, winning by knockout.
