Nikita Tszyu will enter the world rankings with the IBF and WBO after a 10th consecutive win to open his career.

The Aussie stopped the dangerous Koen Mazoudier late in the ninth round on Wednesday night in Sydney, with hopes Tszyu’s latest win will propel him onto the global stage and eventually onto American shores.

Tszyu looked exhausted after eight rounds before exploding to force the ref to intervene and end an absolute war.

“How does he do that?!” ex-world champion Shawn Porter proclaimed on Main Event.

Michael Zerafa, who claimed a controversial TKO win earlier in the night, looms next.

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A cagey opening round arguably went Mazoudier’s way, before Tszyu lifted well in the second and landed some huge shots in the latter stages.

Tszyu’s head movement looked notably improved making it difficult for Mazoudier to make any real in-roads back into the bout.

More heavy shots got through in the fourth, with Tszyu landing 90 of 184 power punches through the opening quartet of rounds as he worked towards a finish.

Mazoudier wasn’t done, getting through with a big right early in the fifth, but looked hurt late in the sixth with blood coming from his nose. Still he lifted in the seventh as the pace of the fight slowed, with Tszyu’s defence an issue seeing him looking rocked in the final seconds.

With Mazoudier sensing the potential upset and swelling emerging on Tszyu’s face, he decided all-out attack was the best form of defence, with huge swings and neither man resorting to the clinch.

The ninth round proved decisive as a huge series of blows — headlined by a brutal straight left hand — suddenly left Mazoudier without an answer, Tszyu winning via stoppage.

Speaking after the fight, Tszyu described it as a “wake-up call”, admitting he will have to work even harder as he looks to climb further up the ranks in the super welterweight division.

“I had to work for that. That was not easy It sucked during the fight, but the feeling right now is indescribable,” he said post-fight.

“It’s everything that we expected. I have to tip my hat to Koen, he is one tough, tough bastard. I was honestly very, very impressed.

“I didn’t expect him to be that hard. I didn’t expect the fight to be that hard.”

Tszyu even went on to add that there was a moment in the middle of the fight when he was “out on my feet” and his trainer Igor Goloubev looked at him and asked if he should stop the fight.

“I was like, ‘No’. I had to push through and dig deep,” Tszyu said.

“This is where strength comes from, pushing through those tough times.”

And what did he say to give himself the strength to push through those tough times?

“I just kept saying (to myself) don’t be a bitch. Don’t be a pussy!” laughed Tszyu.

‘GO TO COURT’: ZERAFA’S BRO THROWS PUNCH IN BROWNE CHAOS

Michael Zerafa’s bout with Tommy Browne quickly became chaotic with Browne withdrawing from the fight after just one round with a bicep injury.

Zerafa was dominant in the opening round as expected, declared the winner via TKO.

Yet things quickly got crazier with Zerafa’s brother throwing a punch at Tommy Browne’s trainer as he traded barbs with the winning fighter.

Zerafa was yelling “you quit” and then pledged afterwards “I was in first gear. Nikita, I’m comin’!”

On Main Event commentary, analyst Peter Badel called for Zerafa’s brother to be barred from coming to the ring for life due to the incident.

“I don’t think his brother should be involved in boxing again. That was disgraceful,” Badel said.

US boxing great Shawn Porter, meanwhile, said he wants to see the incident “go to court”.

“That’s unacceptable. If Michael knows his brother has the ability to do that… he shouldn’t be in his corner,” Porter said.

He was escorted off the premises.

FULL FIGHT CARD RESULTS

Main Card (from 7pm AEST on Main Event)

Nikita Tszyu def. Koen Mazoudier via ninth-round TKO — 10 rounds, WBO Intercontinental & IBF Australasian Super Welterweight titles

Michael Zerafa def Tommy Browne via TKO after one round (Browne withdrew due to injury) — 8 rounds, catchweight

Conor Wallace def Jerome Pampellone via split decision (116-112 x2, 113-115) — 12 rounds, light heavyweight

Dharringarra Trewhella def. Calvin Jensen via unanimous decision (58-56 x3) — 6 rounds, welterweight

Billy Polkinghorn def. Michael Reynolds via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45 x2) — 5 rounds, catchweight

Sonny Knight def. Laban Stringer by split decision (39-37, 40-36, 37-39) – 4 rounds, catchweight

From 5.30pm AEST on Fox Sports and Kayo

Jasmine Parr def. Pannaporn Kaewpawong via unanimous decision (60-54 x3) — 6 rounds, bantamweight

Mounir Fathi def. Suitama Manuele via second-round TKO — 6 rounds, superwelterweight

Mai Soliiman def. Connie Brown via split decision (58-56, 59-55, 57-58) — 6 rounds, super flyweight

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BEER DRAMA IN WORLD TITLE ELIMINATOR

Four members of Conor Wallace’s supporter crew have been sensationally thrown out of the ICC Theatre after a plastic cup filled with beer was hurled at the corner of rival Jerome Pampellone.

The drama erupted shortly after the fifth round of the pair’s light heavyweight world title eliminator on the undercard of rising Australian boxing star Nikita Tszyu.

Pampellone’s trainer Isaac Peach was moving up into the ring when a cup filled with beer was hurled from within the crowd of fans clad in green for Brisbane-based Irishman Wallace.

The cup narrowly missed Peach and hit the corner ropes.

Security immediately converged on the group with three men and a woman escorted from the venue.

Several more security then stayed with the group, sat immediately behind the Pampellone corner, as the fight continued on.

Wallace went on to win via split decision, 116-112 x2 and 113-115.

SCORECARD CONTROVERSY OPENS MAIN CARD

Sonny Knight has claimed a contentious split decision victory over Laban Stringer in the first fight of Wednesday’s main card after what Peter Badel described as a “disgraceful” scorecard.

Knight was the more slick and technical fighter in the opening rounds but tired as he went into the third round for the first time in his professional career, with Stringer outhustling him and relentless in the pressure he put on his opponent.

In the end, Stringer was landing at a furious rate late in the fight and looked to have done enough to win. However, the judges scored it in Knight’s favour with one giving him all four rounds.

“I thought they got it wrong,” Badel said after the fight.

“I thought Stringer was the better fighter. I thought Knight was tiring in the third round… I thought one of the judge’s decisions was disgraceful.

“I hope we don’t lose Stringer to boxing because that is his third straight loss… he’s gutted there and he should be. I don’t know how one judge came up with four-zip.”

US boxing great Shawn Porter agreed, saying that Knight looked “completely gassed” late in the fight.

“That means that judge was on this card and assumed Sonny was going to win this fight and judged every round for him when there was clearly two if not three rounds where Sonny clearly lost,” Porter said.