Nikita Tszyu and Ben Mahoney fought to a split draw on Wednesday in an IBF super welterweight world title eliminator [1, 3].
The result leaves the path to the world championship unclear, as the winner of the bout was slated to secure a direct shot at IBF champion Josh Kelly [1, 6].
The contest took place on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia [1, 5]. Both fighters entered the ring with undefeated records, though Mahoney had previously experienced one draw [1, 2, 4].
Tszyu entered the match with a record of 12-0 with 10 KOs [1]. Mahoney brought a record of 17-0-1 with nine KOs [1]. The fight was the main event of a card that began at 7 p.m. AEST [1].
Leading up to the event, Tszyu expressed a high level of aggression toward his opponent. "I will bend the rules to bludgeon Ben Mahoney," Tszyu said [7].
Despite the intensity of the buildup, the judges could not separate the two athletes. The split draw means neither fighter has earned the mandatory challenger status for the IBF title [1, 3].
“Nikita Tszyu and Ben Mahoney fought to a split draw”
A split draw in a title eliminator creates a regulatory deadlock for the IBF. Because the primary purpose of the bout was to determine a mandatory challenger for Josh Kelly, the governing body must now decide whether to order an immediate rematch or utilize a different ranking mechanism to select the next opponent.
