Nikita Tszyu to go under the knife on Friday, delaying his grudge match against Michael Zerafa

Nikita Tszyu’s much-hyped grudge match with Michael Zerafa has been postponed indefinitely following shock surgery that is set to sideline the Australian star until well into next year.

Rising star Nikita Tszyu underwent hand surgery on Friday and has been ruled out for up to five months in a setback that will delay his proposed grudge match against Michael Zerafa until 2025.

This masthead can reveal Tszyu has gone under the knife — almost five weeks after ‘The Butcher’ sliced-and-diced Koen Mazoudier in a nine-round war that left his clubbing left hand in need of surgical repair.

Tszyu checked into hospital on the very day his No Limit promotional stablemate, Kiwi Andrei Mikhailovich, faced Kazakhstan king Janibek Alimkhanuly for the IBF middleweight world title at Sydney’s The Star.

Koen Mazoudier suffered a ninth-round TKO loss to Nikita Tszyu in August.

The youngest Tszyu was hoping to have surgery in the days after his win over Mazoudier, but major swelling, coupled with a longer wait to see Australia’s top hand surgeon, has extended his recovery.

Nikita (10-0, 8KO) was originally slated to fight Zerafa before the New Year, but Team Tszyu is taking no risks, with Australia’s super welterweight champion set to be sidelined until February or March.

The unbeaten 26-year-old had surgery two years after his older brother Tim required a cleanout on both hands and his manager Glen Jennings confirmed the operation is not career threatening.

“Nikita is finally having surgery,” Jennings said.

“We got him in with the No.1 hand surgeon in the country.

“It took a while to get him in because the surgeon is so in demand, but the bottom line is he has a couple of little tendon tears that have to be addressed and a knuckle problem.

“Nikita’s hand is not as bad as Tim’s injuries.

Nikita Tszyu has beaten Danilo Creati (left) and Koen Mazoudier in his last two fights. Picture: No Limit Boxing

“Tim’s tendons were ruptured, they had come off the bone.

“Nikita has slight tears (in the tendons) but he has a slight bone issue as well in the corner of his fist that they will address as well.

“It will be a total clean up of his left hand. He has had trouble clenching his fist because of the knuckle, so that will all be sorted.

“That will all be done in one operation.

“Nikita is out for the rest of the year, we will bring him back around February or March in 2025 and that will hopefully align with Tim’s progress as well.”

Tim Tszyu has made a successful comeback from hand surgery and Jennings is confident Nikita will do the same as he looks to clean out Australia’s backyard in the 154-pound division.

Tszyu 3.0 won his 10th consecutive fight with his gutsy disposal of Mazoudier and a slew of domestic rivals await before he looks to the international stage.

Ben Hussain, Ben Mahoney, Mounir Fathi, Sergei Vorobev and Wade Ryan, the first man to drop Tim Tszyu in 2017, are all local options, but the spicy promotional sell is a showdown with Zerafa.

Jennings says there’s no rush to take Tszyu overseas, but confirmed Zerafa could be the next cab off the rank after ‘Pretty Boy’ controversially beat Tommy Browne on the undercard of the Nikita-Mazoudier main event in late August.

“Michael Zerafa is definitely in the mix,” Jennings said of Nikita’s next opponent.

“We aren’t hiding from him at all.

Michael Zerafa is itching for a crack at Nikita Tszyu in 2025.

“We know Zerafa wants it and Nikita has said yes I’ll do it.

“No Limit will put it together and it would be a sensational domestic fight.

“Australia would love it. It’s a great narrative.

“Michael is right in there, but who knows what he will do, he might not want to wait for Nikita to get better and we understand that.

“If it comes along, it comes along, but there’s some good opportunities for Nikita no doubt.”

Team Tszyu’s doctor Bill Anseline is adamant Nikita will make a full recovery.

“It’s 100 per cent fixable, it’s not a fight-ending injury,” he said.

“Just like Tim, this is no different and when the operation is done, the scary part is that Nikita will come back bigger and better than ever.”

After his defeat of Mazoudier, Nikita claimed a world ranking at No.14 with the WBO, but Jennings says fighting international opponents can wait.

“I think we’ll stick with more Australian fighters for now,” he said.

“Nikita’s opportunity in 2025 is to perhaps clean up what’s left in Australia.

“That could coincide with Tim cleaning up the 154 division, maybe moving on himself (to middleweight), and then there’s an opportunity for Nikita to fight some international opponents.

“But he still has plenty of time ... he is only 26.”

Originally published as Nikita Tszyu to go under the knife on Friday, delaying his grudge match against Michael Zerafa