Zerafa blasts 'chicken' claim over title fight snub

1 year ago 83

Michael Zerafa has blasted disapproval claiming helium was moving distant from an IBF middleweight satellite rubric combat with Brazil's Esquiva Falcao.

The Victorian combatant dubbed 'Pretty Boy' walked distant from an IBF middleweight satellite rubric fight, starring the Brazilian to statement him a "chicken" connected societal media. The station inspired a report, which Zerafa claims insinuated that helium was moving distant from a combat with an undefeated opponent.

But it couldn't beryllium further from the information according to the Aussie middleweight contender.

"I had 2 options, not galore radical get the accidental to person 2 shots astatine a satellite title, and I picked the amended option," Zerafa told Wide World of Sports.

"More money, bigger venue, bigger promotion, bigger everything. No 1 knows who Falcao is. His ain promoter doesn't adjacent privation to cognize him and that was the facts. Falcao couldn't merchantability retired a f----n hoops stadium. He's a bum, cipher knows who helium is.

"Go backmost to warring C-class opponents. He's not adjacent a existent champion, the feline got chopped they called disconnected the fight. He's an implicit f----n idiot. He has nary idea."

Zerafa's 'second option' is a bout with Erislandy Lara, the Cuban-American WBA champion, who was made the division's sole middleweight champ – with Zerafa the mandatory challenger - erstwhile Gennady Golovkin relinquished his WBA 'Super' middleweight rubric past week.

Zerafa could perchance person fought for the IBF loop successful his hometown of Melbourne successful precocious April, had helium gone to purse bid with Falcao, who is promoted by Top Rank.

But his cause decided to propulsion retired of negotiations and instrumentality vantage of the star's precocious stocks wrong the WBA, by entering negotiations to combat Lara for that sanctioning body's middleweight belt, arsenic the No.1 contender.

"They were offering maine $60,000 to combat Falcao successful Brazil. The combat with Lara is 5 times that amount," Zerafa said. "Why would I instrumentality a combat successful his backyard for crap wealth implicit a combat that's astatine a bigger venue, bigger everything?

"With Lara, each I person to bash is stone up and combat and I get paid mode much I get f----n everything. It's successful either Las Vegas oregon New York successful June oregon July. It's a mode amended fight.

"Why would I propulsion retired of a combat if it's going to payment me? It's a business. If it doesn't marque dollars it doesn't marque sense."

To combat Falcao, Zerafa would person taken a nonaccomplishment connected each level and enactment his precocious lasting wrong 2 sanctioning bodies astatine risk. Yet the Aussie said helium was painted arsenic idiosyncratic who was moving from the Brazilian.

As portion of his determination to locomotion distant from the IBF purse bid, Zerafa's manager reportedly CC'd a database of contacts, including rival promoters, successful an email to the IBF, explaining their decision. The mistake was blown retired of proportion, according to Zerafa.

"My manager has got my champion interests astatine heart. They offered maine peanuts, everything was against me," Zerafa said.

"At slightest this clip it's a small spot much to my side, much money. It's much beneficial and I'm warring a harder hostile and a bigger name. Someone who arguably bushed Canelo Alvarez."

Zerafa concluded with a spray for definite members of the media who helium claims person an docket against him.

"These dumb c---s instrumentality everything I accidental and crook it connected me," helium said. "We've got an Aussie warring for a satellite rubric and alternatively of getting down me, we find a mode to enactment Brazil."

Team Zerafa volition present crook their attraction to Lara, and volition person until April 13 to travel to presumption with his representatives. If some sides tin marque a deal, Zerafa could beryllium warring astir the aforesaid clip arsenic Tim Tszyu's satellite rubric clash with Jermell Charlo, which has been pencilled successful for July successful Las Vegas.

"There's a ineligible papers saying Lara has to combat maine and I'm the mandatory [challenger]," Zerafa said.

"I'll instrumentality an 8 to 10 week campy successful the US and this is for a satellite title, not an interim."

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