Michael Zerafa defeated Danilo Creati by unanimous decision in his return to the ring at the International Convention Centre in Sydney — but the fight just about had people snoring.
Jeff Fenech was among the many left appalled at the dreariness of the fight, scored by the judges 98-93, 99-91, 98-92.
“He’s not doing much to show people there’s something terrific about him,” Fenech said of Creati on the Main Event broadcast.
AS IT HAPPENED: Michael Zerafa vs Danilo Creati
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“He can fight, too! I’ve seen him on occasion and go, ‘Wow, this kid’s going to be special’, and he goes from that high level to this again … which for me is unacceptable.
“People have paid to watch this fight … you’ve two guys who aren’t doing much at all. Sorry for being honest.”
Zerafa had made it clear during the build-up to the fight that he wasn’t doing any study on Creati — comments which stood in stark contrast to those of his rival, who said he was poring over Zerafa footage intensely.
Zerafa admitted he “overlooked” Creati and attributed his approach to a mere four-week tune-up.
“It was a pretty shitty performance on my end,” Zerafa told Main Event.
“He’s very awkward and tough. I definitely overlooked him. He’s tougher than he looks.
“I took this fight on four weeks’ notice. I needed the rounds.
“He’s one tough dude. I just thought my ability … I’ve been all around the world, but he’s just awkward.
“He’s tricky. He’s awkward and long, but we got the ‘W’. That’s what we came here to do.
“No excuses … he was just a lot tougher than I thought.”
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