Reflections – Zerafa’s second sight
We all love somebody getting their comeuppance and whether it be through The Observer exposing the possibility that somebody who went on a medically miraculous walk around the coast of Cornwall didn’t or someone being caught out serving their former in-laws poisoned mushrooms in a beef wellington, we all love when there is a ta-da moment, often because it proves to us that people are fallible just like ourselves.
And so, in the farcical Nikita Tszyu fight against Michael Zerafa, the fact that Zerafa has been caught telling absolute porky pies frames its own narrative.
The fight between these two Australian boxers was a fight that had been brewing for many years. Zerafa had claimed that Tszyu was ducking him, Tszyu had claimed that Zerafa was a coward but finally the Australian public got to see what everybody had been wanting for many, many years – the two of them in the ring settling it.
What did they settle? Not very much.
At the end of the second round, Michael Zerafa had a cut on his left eye, and it was bleeding. It was bleeding, but how bad is dependent upon your definition of badly.
The fact was it was bleeding.
It was clearly going to affect his eyesight and the referee at the beginning of the third round called over the doctor to have a look.
The look that the doctor took was defined by his patient telling him not once, not twice, but four times that he could not see.
The doctor turned to the referee, clearly having had the decision taken out of his hands and quoted the fighter, not once but twice that he could not see.
On that basis, the referee decided that the whole thing was to be called off.
It had been, at best, a scrappy encounter, with heads very much prevalent. There was an inevitability that there was going to be some form of clashing of heads – they both seemed more heady than handy. The decision was a no contest due to an accidental clash of heads.
And so, with the fight off, it was time for the broadcaster to get into the ring and have a chat with the fighters and promoter. The boos round the stadium rang out as first Michael Zerafa was dragged back into the ring, having tried to escape it, and claimed that he had told the doctor that his eyesight was blurry, but that he was fit to carry on. The interviewer, had to press Zerafa as somebody in the interviewer near was telling him that’s not true! He tried, in vain, to get Zerafa to tell the truth over whether or not he told the doctor that he couldn’t see. Zerafa denied that he ever did, but he was up for a rematch.
The promoter looked sheepish. People who had paid good hard-earned money were unhappy, and the interviewer brought the reluctant promoter forward. When he was asked if they would run it back again as Zerafa had said he was quite happy to, the promoter was, without a shadow of a doubt, looked like he never wanted to have anything to do with Zerafa again.
Tszyu was then interviewed, asked if he would take the rematch and tackled him on Zerafa saying he could not see. The look that Tszyu gave was enough to answer both questions. It’s quite clear that Tszyu wants to move on. To be perfectly frank, that’s exactly what he should do.
Zerafa had said repeatedly in his interview that he didn’t understand why the crowd were booing. The promoter was clear he knew exactly why the crowd were booing and did nothing but apologise for what had happened. It was the last fight on Zerafa’s deal with the promoter. There is little likelihood of a new deal being offered.
That’s boxing, said Zerafa.
That’s nonsense, said the crowd.
Meanwhile, there were lots of smiles and cuddles and chats between the two fighters in the ring before they got out.
In footage of the doctor’s consultation, it was recorded live, as it happened, it was absolutely clear that Zerafa had told him four times that he could not see.
We, in the UK, have lots of opportunities to reflect upon the difficulties over referees and decisions taken and so on but for a moment it was nice to see, from way over here that way over there they too have their controversies. All we need now is Zerafa claiming the crowd blocked his exit in an ambulance to get to hospital… as if that would ever happen.
What is likely to happen came from the mouth of Pauli Malignaggi, as reported in the broadcast, “Zerafa quit. I want to try and find the silver lining for him but there is no silver lining. He may wind up blackballed because he is such a liability and then also having to carry this burden where people have lost respect for him. He seems difficult to deal with. He has this bad reputation… He has evaded a loss, but he did himself a disservice. The fans lose for sure, but Michael Zerafa loses the most. This was the worst kind of result for him.”
There are even suggestions he faces a life ban. Of course, it is possible that Zerafa can see further than the rest of us and is blessed with second sight… Mind you he might be blind to the possibilities of what he could have achieved without the latest incident, but one thing for sure he claimed to the doctor he was blind and could not see… not once, twice but three times m ’lady – case closed.
Transcript of the exchange with the doctor: –
Ref: “Come over here mate, let’s have a look at the cut.”
Zerafa: “I can’t see.”
Ref: “Yeah, I know mate, it’s good. It’s an accidental head clash.”
Zerafa: “I can’t see. It’s my eye.”
Doctor: “Which eye? Can you see me now?”
Zerafa: “It’s blurry. I can’t see. I can’t see.”
Ref: “OK, what’s going to happen is because it was before the fourth round it’s going to be a no contest. You understand?”
Zerafa: “Yep.”
Ref: “OK.”
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