Australia’s undefeated Nikita Tszyu will return to the ring in August against Koen Mazoudier, with Sydney and Newcastle frontrunners to stage the event.
Promoters No Limit made the reveal at Wollongong Entertainment Centre on Wednesday night prior to Australia’s undefeated Sam Goodman headlining against rising Thai product Chainoi ‘Rock Man’ Worawut.
Both fighters were in attendance for the announcement, with the headliner set to take place next month on a yet-to-be-revealed date.
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Speaking live on Main Event, Tszyu said: “We were actually were meant to fight in the amateurs one time, back in 2016, but I got an illness… it’s good that we’re finally able to get it going.”
“It’s an exciting fight,” Mazoudier said. “I respect Nikita as a fighter, as a person, he’s the current Australian champion.”
Tszyu will be looking to score his 10th straight win against Mazoudier, who is now training out of the same Central Coast gym as Goodman, and with the same head coach — Joel Keegan.
The bout will be the second fight this year for the younger Tszyu sibling, who scored a unanimous decision win over tough Italian Danilo Creati back in April.
Before that, he took the Australian super welterweight title from Dylan Biggs, via a fifth round finish.
Mazoudier, meanwhile, is also coming off a strong win in March against Travis Druce, whose team threw in the towel in the fifth round of their fight on Goodman’s first Wollongong show.
The Sydneysider was initially expected to then go straight into a Tszyu headliner weeks later, but was unable to after perforating his eardrum in the Druce win.