Nikita Tszyu vs Ben Mahoney: Unbeaten Rivals Collide on the Gold Coast

Two unbeaten super welterweights meet at the top of this card, and that alone gives Nikita Tszyu against Ben Mahoney a bit more bite than another routine step along the Tszyu path.

Tszyu brings a perfect 12-0-0 record into the fight, while Mahoney arrives at 17-0-1 and with considerably more professional rounds behind him. Neither man has tasted defeat, so somebody’s record is taking a hit.

The supporting card has a similar theme. There are unbeaten fighters matched against each other, prospects being tested and a couple of bouts where the records make you stop and have a second look.

Main Event: Nikita Tszyu vs Ben Mahoney

Nikita Tszyu (12-0-0) faces Ben Mahoney (17-0-1) at super welterweight in the main event.

Tszyu has inevitably carried the family name and the attention that comes with it throughout his professional career, but at 12-0 the conversation is increasingly about how far he can go rather than simply who his father and brother are. Mahoney should give us a better idea.

At 17-0-1, Mahoney isn’t arriving with the record of somebody brought in to make Tszyu look good. He’s unbeaten himself and has five more professional wins on his record. That makes this an interesting point in Tszyu’s development: the expectation will be on him, but he’s facing a man who has his own unbeaten record to protect.

There’s been plenty of confidence around Tszyu heading into the fight, and it’s easy to see why people are excited about him. Still, Mahoney is exactly the sort of opponent he needs now. If Tszyu deals with an unbeaten 17-0-1 fighter convincingly, the calls for another jump in opposition are only going to get louder.

Co-Main Event: Blake Wells vs Callum Peters

The middleweight co-feature pits Blake Wells (13-2-0) against unbeaten Callum Peters (8-0-0).

Peters has made the perfect start to his professional career, but Wells brings the experience of 15 fights and has already had to deal with defeat and come back from it. On paper, this feels like one of those fights where the records only tell half the story. Peters can make another statement by moving to 9-0, while Wells has the chance to put the first blemish on a promising unbeaten record.

Other Key Fights

There’s another battle of unbeaten fighters at light heavyweight as Kirra Ruston (9-0-0) meets Saundre Simmons (9-0-0). You don’t need much of a sales pitch for 9-0 against 9-0. Someone loses that zero unless they can’t be separated.

At middleweight, Koen Mazoudier (15-4-1) takes on Sam Beck (8-1-0). Mazoudier has the deeper professional record, while Beck has lost only once in nine fights.

Max Reeves (13-1-1) faces another unbeaten fighter in Oliver Firth (8-0-0) at super middleweight. Firth gets the chance to protect his zero against an opponent with considerably more professional bouts behind him.

Featherweights Vegas Larfield (14-1-0) and Jubert Buhat (9-0-0) also meet in an interesting piece of matchmaking. Larfield has 15 professional fights under his belt, but Buhat comes in unbeaten through nine.

Undercard

Heavyweights Brandon Grach (6-1-0) and Ike Pluto (5-3-0) meet further down the bill. Neither has a padded perfect record to protect, which can sometimes make for a much more straightforward fight.

At welterweight, Louise Creaven (5-2-0) takes on the considerably more experienced Thanchanok Phanan (21-15-0).

Unbeaten super welterweight Rahim Mundine (3-0-0) continues his young professional career against Jae Larsen (1-1-1).

Another super welterweight contest sees Callum Young (1-0-0) face Octavio Soares (0-2-0), with Young looking to build on his winning professional debut.

Opening up the professional journey is Luke Williams, who makes his debut in a four-round super welterweight contest against Prem Rungtiwa (0-1-0).

Tszyu-Mahoney is the obvious attraction, but the unbeaten-against-unbeaten matchmaking underneath it is what makes the whole card worth watching. By the end of the night, quite a few zeros could be gone.

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