Danny Green Scores Tszyu vs Mahoney Fight in Favor of The Butcher

Danny Green has seen enough. Nikita Tszyu, he says, won that fight.

A week after sitting ringside for Tszyu’s controversial split draw with Ben Mahoney on the Gold Coast, the former world champion has gone back to the tape, scored it round by round in the quiet of his West Australian home – and handed the IBF eliminator to “The Butcher” by two rounds.

His card? 116-114 to Tszyu.

And with that, Green is comfortable with what comes next: not a rematch, but America.

Green’s card: tight, but clear

The original scorecards sparked chaos in an already wild night.

• Phillip Holliday went big for Tszyu, 117-111.
• Sabrina Kerr saw it the other way, 115-113 Mahoney.
• Carl Zappia split the difference at 114-114.

Then came the twist. In the ring, in the raw seconds after the final bell, Tszyu told Ben Damon he thought he’d lost. By the time he hit the post-fight press conference, that line had softened. The disappointment, he suggested, came from not finishing Mahoney, not from believing he’d been outboxed.

Green, calling the action live, had already edged it to Tszyu. After a second viewing without commentary, he only strengthened that stance.

He gave Mahoney the first two rounds, then just two more – six and twelve. Tszyu took four, five, seven, eight, ten and eleven on Green’s card. Rounds three and nine? Too close to confidently split.

“So it was a tight fight,” Green said. “But after rewatching all 12 rounds without commentary, I’ve again scored it in Nikita Tszyu’s favour. And by two rounds.”

What swung it? The weight of Tszyu’s work.

Mahoney’s jab and volume, Green argued, kept him competitive. But it was Tszyu’s “thudding left hands” and committed body work that told the real story.

“Mahoney was throwing a lot of punches, and his jab certainly kept him in the game,” Green said. “But it was Nikita landing the harder, heavier shots.”

He pointed to moments of “shoe shining” from Mahoney – fast, flashy arm punches that look busy but don’t always bank points.

“I don’t give a lot of value there,” Green said. “But in saying that, he also landed some solid, cracking shots. And right throughout the fight. But I just saw Nikita landing the heavier, harder and more telling blows. And Tszyu definitely came on stronger through rounds seven, eight, nine, ten and eleven.”

The pressure finally told, in Green’s eyes, on the scorecards.

Not ready for the sharks – yet

Winning the argument over the Mahoney result doesn’t mean Tszyu is ready for the top of the division.

Green is adamant about that.

The IBF eliminator was supposed to set up a shot at super welterweight champion Josh Kelly, with names like Sebastian Fundora and Jaron “Boots” Ennis looming large in the broader title picture. Green doesn’t think Tszyu, in just his 14th professional outing, is there yet.

“Overall though, Nikita still needs more experience before he steps up to that world title level,” he said. “And I know Nikita will be humble enough to recognize that.”

He wanted to see more variety, especially from Tszyu’s right side.

“I would’ve liked to see Nikita throw his right hook more,” Green said. “He’s got a beautiful right hook but just didn’t let it go as much as he could have. And Mahoney had his hands high, so wasn’t really allowing it.”

That, for Green, is exactly why patience is a weapon.

“It’s absolutely measured and intelligent of a young fighter to say, ‘no, I need more time before taking on these top dogs … because I’m not quite there yet’,” he said. “And remember, this was only fight number 14 for Nikita. Which also includes the one [against Michael Zerafa] that wasn’t really a fight. So it’s still very early in his career to be taking on world champions. That would be premature.”

So, America?

If a world title is too soon, a US debut is not.

Green is all for Tszyu heading Stateside before Christmas, likely on the undercard of American star David Benavidez.

“I don’t see why not,” he said. “As long as Nikita keeps improving, keeps testing himself and growing, there is no downside to that.”

For a fighter still shaping his identity, the US stage offers danger, exposure, and exactly the kind of education Green believes he needs before he dives in with the Kellys, Fundoras and Ennis types of the world.

Tim Tszyu’s next move: Lara, not Charlo

While Nikita weighs up America, his older brother Tim stands at a very different crossroads.

Fresh off a gutsy win over American Errol Spence Jnr, Tim Tszyu has options. Green wants him to think big – and higher.

“I think Erislandy Lara could be the perfect opponent for Tim,” Green said.

Lara, the WBA middleweight champion, is 41 and firmly, as Green put it, “on the back nine”. That’s precisely why the former world champion sees an opening for Tim to become a two-division titleholder.

“I also think Tim [has the style] to beat him,” Green said. “So there’s a lot to like there. I mean, if Tim Tszyu had stepped on the gas against Spence, I really believe he could have put him away.”

The other name that always lurks is Jermell Charlo. For Green, the appeal isn’t the same.

“What does Jermell Charlo do for you? What does he bring?” he asked, suggesting Lara offers legacy and leverage in a way Charlo no longer does.

Whatever Tszyu chooses, Green insists the Spence win should fuel his ambition, not his caution.

“I think Tim should definitely be confident after that win over Spence,” he said. “Maybe he could’ve stepped on the gas and finished. But a win is a win, and it was a great victory.”

A controversial night that still did its job

Back on the Gold Coast, the night that sparked all this debate still lingers.

“It was a magic fight,” Green said on Main Event in the immediate aftermath. “It’s not pleasant when it ends controversially. I’ll have to watch it again to then score it properly.”

He did. He scored it. He stood by his first instinct.

“I just felt that Nikita landed that left hand so often … it’s difficult to score,” he said. “I had Nikita Tszyu winning the fight. Full respect to Ben Mahoney, who I said wouldn’t go past eight rounds. He proved me wrong.”

Mahoney proved his toughness. Tszyu proved he can grind through a rough night and still find a way.

Now comes the real test: does that narrow, bruising win in an Australian eliminator become the launchpad for a young contender’s American coming-out party, or the warning sign that he’s moving too fast?