Nikita Tszyu to fight Jack Brubaker at Hordern Pavilion on August 23

Nikita Tszyu is following in the footsteps of his famous brother with the opponent for his Hordern Pavilion blockbuster in August.

Ask and you shall receive.

Although for Jack Brubaker, it might be a case of be careful what you wish for after landing a high-profile pay-per-view bout with Nikita Tszyu on August 23.

Tszyu and Brubaker will headline the Hordern Pavilion blockbuster, with Queensland’s Liam Wilson returning to action in the co-main event.

It will be the first time Wilson has fought since his controversial super-featherweight world title defeat to Emanuel Navarrete in the US in February.

The fight will be Brubaker’s second PPV main event against a Tszyu after he was stopped by Nikita’s older brother Tim in December 2019.

‘The Cronulla Cowboy’ ended a 26-month boxing hiatus with a unanimous decision win over Troy O’Meley two weeks ago.

Nikita Tszyu (L) exchanges punches with Benjamin Bommber during their Super-welterweight bout at Margaret Court Arena. Picture: Getty Images

He was already calling for a shot at Nikita before the O’Meley bout, and wants to get square with the Tszyus following Tim’s impressive four-round win over him three-and-a-half years ago.

“I’d love to get my revenge on Timmy and knock out his little baby bro Nikita,” Brubaker told this masthead. “He’s had hype around him his whole life.

“He’s a bit of a strange dude, a bit hard to talk to – similar to Tim.

“They don’t have much personality, although Nikita has a bit more than Tim. I wouldn’t mind punching him in the face.”

Jack Brubaker (R) beat Troy O’Meley (R) last month and will fight Nikita Tszyu on August 23. Picture: No Limit Boxing

The younger Tszyu was training in Thailand when Brubaker beat O’Meley, but was told of Brubaker’s comments by Tim.

His response was perfectly in line with his quirky, dark sense of humour as he borrowed a phrase from legendary comedian Russell Peters, who coincidentally was ringside when Tim and Nikita fought in Sydney in March.

“Somebody’s gonna get hurt real bad,” he said.

Asked for his own thoughts on how Brubaker will fare against his younger brother, Tim was unequivocal.

“I watched that fight between Brubaker and O’Meley and I think Nikita could take both of them on in a tag team, two on one in one night in one round,” he said.

“That’s just my personal opinion.”

Queenslander Liam Wilson (L), is also on the card after a controversial loss to Emanuel Navarrete in February. Picture: Getty Images

The younger Tszyu is coming off a 51 second demolition of Ben Bommber in Melbourne in May, and a win over Brubaker will propel him towards an Australian super-welterweight title fight later this year.

Current super-welterweight champion Dylan Biggs is set to defend the belt on the same August 23 card, and Nikita hopes to relieve the Queenslander of the title by the end of 2023.

For Brubaker, the headline fight is a welcome return to the boxing spotlight after more than two years out of the game.

The 31-year-old hadn’t fought since a unanimous decision defeat to Stevie Spark in April 2021, during which time he had his first child – a boy named Bear – and questioned whether he still had the desire to box.

His comeback shapes as one last chance to make a run at something big in the sport.