Michael Zerafa has laughed off Issac Hardman’s desire to exact revenge on the Victorian, following his two-round demolition of the Queensland fighter in 2022.
Hardman, who has a 2-1 record since his loss to Zerafa, going down to Ryan Murdock before claiming TKO wins over Kazuki Kyohara and Troy Coleman, says being labelled a racist in the lead up by Zerafa has stayed with him, and he won’t be satisfied until he gets back in the ring with Australia’s top middleweight.
Zerafa, now the WBA’s mandatory challenger for the belt, is set to fight for a world title next year after remaining inactive in 2023. He beat Hardman easily by TKO in April 2022, finishing the Caboolture brawler in less than two rounds.
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He scoffed at the prospect of ever facing Hardman in the ring again.
“He’s not going to get that fight again. He’s got nothing to offer me,” Zerafa told Wide World of Sports.
“He says I’m inactive but as soon as I get back I’m still No.1 in the WBA and ranked in the WBC, WBO. Let him talk his talk he’s giving me media. I’m living rent free in his head.”
Zerafa believes the mere fact that Hardman has brought up a rematch after being dominated in such brutal fashion, can only mean one thing.
“The kid’s delusional. If I fight him 10 times I beat him 11. I surely didn’t hit him that hard to leave him punch drunk talking like that. I find it amusing,” he said.
“The fact that he says I dusted him in two rounds. He gives himself too much credit. Two rounds is six minutes, I dusted him in four. Don’t get it twisted, don’t say it was two rounds. He didn’t even last that long.
“He’s not even the best middleweight in his gym, he’s calling out everybody. I think Joel Camilleri beats him. I think Wade Ryan beats him. I think a lot of fighters beat him.”
Zerafa added: “Fighting guys ranked 1000th in the world it ain’t even something to talk about.
“He says he was 25 at the time and it was a year and a half ago. I was 30 at the time. And in that year and a half, he’s lost again, to Murdock. And he thought he won the fight.
“Every time I watch him my boxing IQ drops. When he talks I don’t get him, when he boxes I don’t get him. I don’t understand anything he has to say.
“I think he’s an absolute joke. I tried to be nice with him and you know what I beat the respect out of ya. Skills pay the bills and he’s just not on my level. He’s not on a lot of fighter’s levels.”