Nikita Tszyu vs Ben Mahoney: Controversial Split Decision Draw

Nikita Tszyu walked into the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre with a clear mission: beat his final domestic test in Ben Mahoney and kick open the door to Josh Kelly and the world title scene.

He walked out with his hand raised, his face bloodied, the crowd booing, and his own future suddenly clouded.

A Split Decision and a Divided Arena

After 12 savage, breathless rounds in their IBF super-welterweight title eliminator, the scorecards told one story, the fighters and the arena another.

The judges returned 117-111 for Tszyu, 115-113 for Mahoney, and 114-114. A split decision draw on the cards, but not in the ring.

Because as the jeers rained down and Mahoney stood centre ring soaking in the love of his home crowd, Tszyu fronted the cameras and cut straight through the controversy.

“I gave the fight to Ben. He was a tough fight,” he told Main Event’s Ben Damon. “I gave him maybe 1-2 rounds more. It was a close fight, but I thought he edged it.”

Mahoney didn’t hesitate either.

“I do believe I won that fight,” he said. “I thought I came home nice and strong. I believe I took the fight in those (last) two rounds … all respect to Nikita, he’s a f***ing warrior.”

The crowd roared its agreement. The scorecards did not.

Mahoney’s Moment, Tszyu’s Escape

Mahoney, the local underdog, fought like a man who had waited ten years for this night. From the opening bell he pressed forward, thudding in heavy shots in the first and second rounds as chants of “Benny, Benny, Benny” rolled down from the stands.

Tszyu, the heavy favourite and world No.5, went to the body early, trying to sap the Queenslander’s legs. A stumble from the referee in the second drew a rare smile from Tszyu, but the mood hardened quickly. This was no showcase. This was a war.

A clash of heads in the third ripped open Tszyu’s eye, blood streaming down his face and bothering him for much of the fight. Yet he finished that round with a sharp punch to Mahoney’s face that hinted at a momentum shift. Slowly, he began to work his way into the contest, his shots downstairs starting to tell.

Still, Mahoney would not go away. Between rounds, his coach Josh Arnold delivered the kind of line that can define a career.

“Four rounds to change your life,” he told his fighter heading into the ninth.

Mahoney responded with a surge. A low blow in that round drew a timeout and a warning from the referee, but the Queenslander kept marching forward, kept punching, kept believing. In the 11th, a slip left him vulnerable and Tszyu pounced with a string of body shots, yet Mahoney refused to fold.

Before the final round, Arnold went back to the well.

“This is for your daughter,” he said, as Mahoney waved his arms and tried to drag every last decibel out of the Gold Coast crowd.

He may not have taken the official win. He took the arena.

Respect in the Aftermath, Questions for the Future

When the final bell rang, both men embraced. Whatever had been promised in the build-up about “bending the rules” and flicking the switch, what unfolded was an honest, brutal, all-action brawl.

“An all-action brawl, a world title eliminator worth of its position!” Damon declared on Main Event. “What a fight we’ve seen. Two warriors on the Gold Coast.”

Danny Green, watching on from commentary, could only applaud.

“Outstanding fight there,” he said. “Ben Mahoney, take a bow … you’re a world class fighter and you proved it once again. Nikita … you’ve conquered that 12 rounds against a world class fighter. The future’s very bright.”

Yet even Green, who thought Tszyu was slightly more likely to get the nod, joined the chorus for a second act.

“I think we need a rematch!” Damon said.

“For me, I’d love to see a rematch,” Green replied. “I think it’s fair for both boxers.”

The IBF eliminator was meant to clear the runway for Tszyu: Josh Kelly, a possible US debut, even names like Keith Thurman already being floated. Instead, it has raised a hard question.

Does he move on with the result, or does this night on the Gold Coast demand a sequel before any talk of world titles?

Mazoudier Survives a Scare to Keep Charlo Date Alive

Earlier on the card, Koen Mazoudier flirted with disaster but clung on to keep his own blockbuster alive.

The 30-year-old has a lucrative showdown with former two-division world champion Jermall Charlo on the horizon. Taking a high-risk, little-reward fight with dangerous middleweight Sam Beck so close to that opportunity looked brave at best, reckless at worst.

Beck made sure it felt like the latter.

Across ten ferocious rounds, the pair combined for 526 punches landed. Beck absorbed more than 150 body shots and still came forward, refusing to bow. Mazoudier’s eye was swollen by the third, and in the sixth his mouthguard flew from his mouth after a perfectly timed uppercut followed by a heavy left hand.

“Two of the best punches of the fight,” Green said.

When it was over, Mazoudier got the nod by majority decision: 95-95, 97-93, 96-94. He had his win, and his Charlo date survived.

“It’s a huge risk for Mazoudier, but it’s an incredible fight. Take a bow!” Damon said. Green called it a “phenomenal performance by both fighters.”

Mazoudier himself was harsher.

“Need to be a lot better than that (against Charlo) – that was a poor performance,” he admitted. “They dogged us – they were supposed to come here. I love the underdog story. Let’s go back to his backyard and take it.”

The risk is still on. So is the reward.

Ruston’s First-Round Fury

If the main event went long and the Mazoudier–Beck war went deep, Kirra Ruston had no interest in hanging around.

The Australian extended his remarkable run of stoppages with a brutal first-round TKO of Saundre Simmons, making it ten TKOs in ten professional fights.

It began cautiously. Then Ruston found his opening. A vicious right hook dumped Simmons on the canvas with a minute left in the opening round. Simmons beat the count, but Ruston smelled the finish. He pinned the Bermudan on the ropes under a barrage of punches until the referee stepped in.

“An all-out assault!” Damon shouted. “He is something special.”

Simmons raged at the stoppage, though Green pointed out he was still “kind of staggered” as he argued with the referee.

Ruston, buzzing, wanted more.

“I didn’t expect it to be the first round,” he said. “Get me in again! I’m ready to go. If he wanted to stay in longer, let him stay in longer.”

Main Event panellist Pete Badel didn’t hold back.

“He is the real deal,” he said, predicting the 28-year-old will soon be fighting for a world title.

On this evidence, it won’t be long before someone very brave – or very desperate – signs up to find out.

Grach Edges Pluto Again in Bloodied Rematch

The heavyweight rematch between Brandon Grach and Ike “From” Pluto delivered exactly what it promised: chaos, blood, and another razor-thin verdict.

Just a month after Grach beat Pluto on 24 hours’ notice on the Tim Tszyu vs Errol Spence undercard, the pair ran it back. This time, Grach was the one left bloodied, a cut above his eye opened by repeated late shots in the final round.

The judges split again: 58-55 for Grach, 57-56 for Grach, 57-56 for Pluto.

Green thought Pluto had done enough.

“He’s landed the cleaner shots,” he said late, before declaring after the fight: “I’m going to call it, I think Pluto was the better fighter tonight.”

On the cards, one moment stood out. A heavy left hand from Grach in the second round dropped Pluto – the only knockdown of the fight and, ultimately, the difference.

“All props to Ike from Pluto, he comes from another planet and he fights like it too,” Grach said after his second win over the same man in as many months.

Pluto may feel cursed by the scorecards, but this rivalry suddenly looks too good to leave at two.

Mundine’s Son Extends Perfect Start

On the prelims, another famous surname kept moving.

Rahim Mundine, son of NRL and boxing star Anthony Mundine, pushed his record to 4-0 with a unanimous decision win over Jae Larsen.

‘The Dream’ once chased a rugby league career before a hip injury pushed him into the ring. Against Larsen, he started sharply but faded late, tiring in the closing rounds. Even so, the judges had him comfortably ahead: 52-45, 49-46, 48-47.

It was his second televised bout after a controversial win over Lance McDonald in May. This time, the drama stayed in the ring, where Anthony Mundine and his old rival Danny Green watched on from ringside, offering advice to a young fighter trying to step out from a very long shadow.

A Subtle Snub and a Sibling Question

Away from the ropes, another storyline simmered.

Tim Tszyu, fresh from his win over Errol Spence Jr in Sydney a month ago, was not at the Gold Coast to watch his younger brother’s biggest night. On social media, he sent his support to “the boys fighting” and name-checked Koen, Kira, Callum and Wells.

Nikita’s name was missing.

Nikita had been there for Tim’s last fight. Rumblings about tension between the brothers have circled for weeks. This latest omission will only add fuel.

On a night when Nikita was supposed to punch his way towards Josh Kelly and a world title, he ended up locked in a brutal 12-round struggle, walking out with a split draw on the cards and a split opinion in the crowd.

The judges say he moves on. He himself says Mahoney edged it. The fans want a rematch.

So what comes next for ‘The Butcher’ – a leap to the world stage, or one more night under the Gold Coast lights with Ben Mahoney standing in front of him, demanding the decision he believes he already earned?