Japanese fighter Takeshi Inoue disproves Michael Zerafa’s claims he ‘bashed him’ in sparring

After Tuesday’s weigh-in, Inoue showed journalists footage of the 2016 sparring session against Zerafa - in which the Melbourne fighter says he bashed Inoue.

“That’s absolutely not the case at all, if anything I feel I had the upper hand,” Inoue said.

“And we’ve got video from that sparring session right here, if you want to take a look, we’ve got the video to prove it.

“This is the actual sparring session with Michael Zerafa. We’re going to send this to No Limit and they will make it available to the media and to the people of Australia and the people of the world.

“I feel I had the edge. Maybe Michael Zerafa is just confused and mistaken about this.

“We’d like to send the video out and everybody who is watching, the fans, you decide for yourself.

WATCH INOUE-ZERAFA SPARRING SESSION IN THE PLAYER ABOVE

“And keep in mind, this was four years ago. At the time I believed Michael Zerafa was a world-ranked boxer, I had maybe one or two eight-rounders at the time.

“Please think about how I have improved over that time, and what I’m going to do in the ring.”

Inoue added: “There’s no comparison [to 2016], I’ve gotten a lot stronger, I plan to show that and demonstrate that against my opponent Tim Tszyu tomorrow.”

Zerafa was amused by Inoue’s decision to release the footage.

“Takeshi has put together clips in a 30-second highlight reel to show off his best moments of the sparring session, and it is still even,” Zerafa said.

“I’m not troubled at any point in that vision, I’m jabbing him, keeping me off. He’s trying to make himself look good with that edited clip, and that’s his best work, but they’re saying I stopped after the second round and he knocked me out, that’s garbage.

“He’s even changed his tune now, first saying he stopped me and now saying ‘I think I got the better of him’.

“Look, it’s 24 hours before the fight and they’re still talking about me to soak up media attention.”

Inoue weighed in at 69.68kg, while Tszyu came in at 69.52kg for the 12-round super-welterweight clash at Qudos Bank Arena.

Tszyu said: “I’m coming for his head, I’m coming for his body, I’m coming for everything.”

Zerafa-Inoue feud turns nasty

Michael Zerafa says Takeshi Inoue is angry that he’ll be bashed by two Australians after the Japanese fighter once again labelled him a liar over their controversial sparring session.

Both Zerafa and Inoue claim they dominated the other man during the spar in Japan in 2016, and Inoue addressed the issue on Sunday in front of a packed Bondi beach crowd during a media promotional event to promote Wednesday’s fight against Tim Tszyu.

“Just about everything Michael Zerafa is saying is a lie,” Inoue said to a chorus of cheers from the beach crowd.

“When we sparred a few years back, I controlled the session, I dominated every round, and it just strikes me that he is a liar, and he is childlike.”

But Zerafa hit back emphatically.

“He thinks, I know – he’s just salty he’s getting bashed by two Aussies, Tim will beat him on Wednesday night, just like I beat him in sparring,” Zerafa said.

“They’re three days out from the fight and they’re still talking about Zerafa – from a bloke who doesn’t speak English.”

Zerafa became public enemy No.1 when he pulled out of fighting Tszyu at the last minute in July – replaced by Steve Spark, who Tszyu stopped in three rounds.

“I want the fight against Tim because it is a fight the Australian public wants to see,’ Zerafa said.

“I’m at middleweight, Tim is a division below. We have got our own paths, what he does doesn’t affect me, what I do doesn’t affect him.

“But a fight between me and Tim would be giving back to the Australian boxing fans.”

Zerafa (28-4, 17KO) is embarking on a return to the world scene, starting with a fight on December 17 against relative unknown Siliveni Nawai (12-4-1, 8KO) from Fiji.

“My next fight is against a journeyman, it’s tough to get fights especially from overseas,” Zerafa said.

“I haven’t fought for two years because of the pandemic but we’ve got a tough guy on December 17, and then the rebuild starts against Issac Hardman next year.”

“I’m sitting at No.8 in the world 9 [with WBA] and I’m looking for big things.”

How Inoue-Zerafa trash talk started

Takeshi Inoue has declared he will bash Tim Tszyu in the same way he did his rival Michael Zerafa in a sparring session.

Inoue revealed that in a 2016 spar in Tokyo, he dominated Zerafa before the Australian boxer later “quit” against his training partner Kazuto Takesako.

The two Japanese boxers also claim Zerafa and his team later posted footage of the sparring session on social media, selecting only a moment that he seemed to get the better of, claiming he had in fact pummeled Inoue.

“Zerafa was telling everybody that he bashed me in Japan, well that wasn’t the case,” Inoue told News Corp.

“It was a one-way fight, I bashed him and I’ll do the same to Tim Tszyu.

“There’s a video on the internet, of Zerafa sparring Kazuto Takesako, who is now Japan’s middleweight champion, and during the sparring he quit.

“In the video, that’s not me.

“Somehow the story got mixed up, but if Zerafa is telling others that he bashed me he is a complete liar.

“When I sparred against Zerafa I was a six-round boxer, I was new, and yet Zerafa was overwhelmed by me. So if Zerafa ever fought Tszyu he would have a hard time.

“Contractually they had three rounds of sparring but towards of the end of the second round, the last 30 seconds, he rushed and then left the gym and never came back.”

But Zerafa rubbished Inoue’s claims about who won the sparring session.

“Takeshi thinks, I know – I think he’s losing his brain,” Zerafa said.

“There is footage being passed around, I have it, so after he gets shut up on Wednesday night I’ll shut him up too.

“He talks a big game for someone who couldn’t do much.”

Takesako backed up Inoue’s statement, saying: “After sparring, Zerafa came up to me and asked for my winning record. I was 3-0 at that time, now I am 13-0-1.

“We were supposed to fight three rounds, but after two rounds he quit, saying ‘I’ve had enough’.

“He predetermined that he would finish after two rounds, so towards the end of the second he threw a flurry of shots that made him look dominant, and he used the vision of that 30 seconds of that session to put out to make him look good.

“The vision was just the last 30 seconds of that sparring session, it doesn’t show what happened before.

“He wasn’t wearing any headgear, I found that an insult and that inspired me to fight harder.”

Inoue’s claim gives context to the challenge facing Tszyu, given Zerafa went on to defeat Australian legends Jeff Horn and Anthony Mundine, before signing to fight Tszyu earlier this year only to withdraw at the last minute.

Inoue and Tszyu have both promised knockout victories on Wednesday night in their 12-round super-welterweight fight at Qudos Bank Arena.

Tszyu (19-0, 15KO) is ranked No.1 by the WBO while Inoue (17-1, 10KO) is No.7. While Tszyu is already mandated to fight WBO champion Brian Castano next year, he would lose that position should Inoue defeat him.

“I will be bigger and stronger on the night, I will exhaust him and break his spirit and knock him out,” Inoue said.

Zerafa (28-4, 17KO) meanwhile, will make his return to the ring on December 17 against New Zealand’s Siliveni Nawai and is then lining up a fight against undefeated Isaac Hardman next year.

Tszyu (19-0, 15KO) is ranked No.1 by the WBO while Inoue (17-1, 10KO) is No.7. While Tszyu is already mandated to fight WBO champion Brian Castano next year, he would lose that position should Inoue defeat him.

“I will be bigger and stronger on the night, I will exhaust him and break his spirit and knock him out,” Inoue said.