Nikita Tszyu: Danny Green Sees Unbeaten Potential Ready for America

Danny Green has gone back to the tape and, in his eyes, Nikita Tszyu is still unbeaten – and ready for America.

A week after sitting ringside for Tszyu’s chaotic IBF eliminator with Ben Mahoney on the Gold Coast, the former world champion has rescored the fight at home, round by round, in silence. His verdict: Tszyu by two rounds, 116-114. No robbery. No scandal. Just a tight, bruising contest where the heavier hands won.

And now, Green says, it’s time for “The Butcher” to take that power to the US before Christmas.

Green’s card: close, but clear enough

The original scorecards were a mess. Phillip Holliday went 117-111 for Tszyu. Sabrina Kerr saw it 115-113 for Mahoney. Carl Zappia split the difference at 114-114. A split draw in an IBF eliminator for Josh Kelly’s super welterweight crown, and a chorus of confusion to go with it.

Tszyu didn’t help the chaos. In the ring with Ben Damon moments after the final bell, the Sydneysider stunned everyone by saying he thought he’d lost. By the press conference, he was already walking it back, blaming the emotion of not getting the finish he craved.

Green, though, trusted his eyes. Live on Main Event he edged it to Tszyu. Back in his West Australian lounge room on Wednesday, he hit play again. No commentary. No crowd noise in his ear. Just punches.

He gave Mahoney the fast start: rounds one and two. After that, the Gold Coast underdog only got six and twelve on Green’s card. Tszyu banked four, five, seven, eight, ten and eleven. Rounds three and nine? Too close to split.

“So it was a tight fight,” Green said. Tight, but not enough to overturn Tszyu’s momentum once he found his rhythm.

The key, in Green’s eyes, was simple: impact.

Mahoney’s jab was busy, his output high. He kept himself in the argument with constant work, flashes of “bap, bap, bap” as Green called it – plenty of arm punches, plenty of shoe-shining. But when the exchanges deepened, it was Tszyu’s left hand that changed the tone of the night.

Green saw a man digging to the body, thudding home shots that judges have to notice. He saw Mahoney land his own “solid, cracking shots” throughout, but not often enough with the same authority. When the fight moved into the middle and late rounds, he watched Tszyu slowly take control.

Seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven. That’s where Green felt the younger Tszyu “really started chugging”, imposing himself, leaning on his power and presence. The kind of stretch where careers tilt one way or the other.

Not ready for the sharks – yet

All of that, though, comes with a reality check.

Green might have Tszyu winning, but he doesn’t have him ready for the likes of Josh Kelly, Sebastian Fundora or Jaron “Boots” Ennis. Not yet.

“I would’ve liked to see Nikita throw his right hook more,” Green admitted, noting a weapon that barely left its holster. Mahoney’s high guard smothered some of those opportunities, but the point stands: Tszyu is still a work in progress.

This was only fight number 14. One of those, against Michael Zerafa, barely qualified as a contest. In Green’s view, racing him into a world-title showdown now would be “premature”.

The praise, then, comes wrapped in a demand for patience. Green wants Tszyu to stay humble, to recognise that he still needs rounds, still needs different looks, still needs to sharpen the tools that will matter when the belts are on the line.

Which is exactly why he has no issue with the next move being across the Pacific.

America calling

A US debut in December, likely on the undercard of American star David Benavidez, is now firmly in play for Nikita Tszyu. Green is all for it.

“I don’t see why not,” he said. The caveat is clear: keep improving, keep testing yourself, keep growing. The upside of an American launchpad, against the right opponent, is obvious. New market. New pressure. New level of scrutiny.

Green’s view is that exposure and experience, not a rushed title shot, should drive the next phase of Tszyu’s rise. A controversial draw at home doesn’t change that. If anything, it underlines the need to learn under fire.

And if the judges in Australia can’t agree on him, why not let the US see for itself?

Tim Tszyu’s next move: Lara, not Charlo

While Nikita eyes America, Green also has a clear idea of what Tim Tszyu should do after his gritty win over Errol Spence Jnr.

Go up. Go big. Go after Erislandy Lara.

Green called the Cuban veteran the “perfect” opponent for Tim – not just because Lara is now deep on the “back nine” of his career, but because the stylistic matchup suits the Australian. Tim’s pressure, timing and body work, Green believes, can break down the ageing WBA middleweight champion.

He even suggested that if Tim had “stepped on the gas” against Spence, he might have closed the show. That thought lingers over any talk of what comes next: a sense that Tszyu is capable of more, that he has another gear still to be fully unleashed.

What about Jermell Charlo? For Green, the appeal is limited.

“What does Jermell Charlo do for you? What does he bring?” he asked, framing Lara – and the chance to become a two-division world champion – as the smarter, more meaningful play. Another belt, another division, another statement.

Tim has options. But Green is adamant: if you’ve just beaten Spence, you don’t tread water. You chase legacy.

The punch that swayed a nation

Back on the Gold Coast, the debate over Nikita Tszyu vs Ben Mahoney will rumble on. Three judges saw three different fights. Fans split into camps. The word “robbery” bounced around social media.

Green isn’t buying it.

From his commentary position on the night, he kept coming back to one thing: that left hand. The same shot he saw, over and over again, on the replay at home.

“I just felt that Nikita landed that left hand so often … it’s difficult to score,” he said. Difficult, because volume and optics often seduce judges. But in his mind, the more telling punches belonged to Tszyu.

He also didn’t shy away from crediting Mahoney. Before the fight, Green doubted the Queenslander would see the ninth round. Mahoney tore up that script, fought his heart out and walked away with his reputation enhanced, even in a draw that pleased no one.

“It was a magic fight,” Green said. The ending? Messy. The aftermath? Loud. The lesson for Nikita Tszyu? Clear.

He’s good enough to win nights like that. He’s not yet good enough to rule the division.

So the next step is obvious: pack the gloves, board the plane, and find out how his power plays under American lights.