Matt Rose has moved to shore up No Limit Boxing’s reputation after Nikita Tszyu’s wild, bloody and deeply contentious draw with Ben Mahoney ignited a storm that may yet reshape Australia’s super-welterweight landscape.
What should have been a coronation for Tszyu as IBF super welterweight world-title mandatory instead turned into a night of jeers, fury and threats of walkouts.
A Thriller That Solved Nothing
Inside the ropes, the fight delivered. Two unbeaten Australians, both prepared to stand and trade, produced a brutal back-and-forth that swung sharply in tone if not on the cards.
Tszyu, the heavily backed favourite and No Limit’s headline act, poured on the pressure through the middle rounds. Mahoney, roared on by a partisan local crowd, absorbed heavy punishment, then came storming back down the stretch. By the final bell, Tszyu’s face was a mess and Mahoney was the man finishing stronger.
Then came the numbers.
Veteran judge Phillip Holliday, a former world champion who once beat Jeff Fenech, turned in a 117-111 card for Tszyu — nine rounds to three. On the other side, Sabrina Kerr had it 115-113 for Mahoney. The third judge, Carl Zappia, split the difference with a 114-114 draw.
The announcement landed like a grenade. Boos rained down from the Mahoney-heavy crowd, convinced their man had done enough, or at the very least deserved more respect than a result that felt ripped in three directions.
‘I Wanna Slap the S*** Out of Someone’
The chaos didn’t end with the bell.
In raw, emotional scenes in the ring, Tszyu initially conceded that Mahoney had been the better boxer on the night — a remarkable admission from a fighter groomed for world-title glory. Nearby, No Limit boss George Rose reacted furiously to comments from Mahoney’s corner, spitting fire into the microphone.
“I wanna slap the s*** out of someone,” Rose snapped, before turning on the booing fans and inviting anyone unhappy to “meet him out front” to “sort it out”.
Tszyu later walked back his in-ring confession in the press conference, explaining that frustration at his own performance had spilled into his words. He hadn’t, he clarified, meant to hand the fight to Mahoney; he was lamenting that he hadn’t been more clinical.
By then, the damage was done. The narrative had shifted from a war between two rising fighters to a battle over credibility.
Mahoney’s Camp Draws a Line
For Ben Mahoney, the draw cut deeper than a single night’s work.
The Queenslander had already endured one controversial stalemate on a No Limit show. This felt like history repeating, and this time he wasn’t prepared to just swallow it.
“We're going to have to look at our [rematch] options; I'm open to it but it sure as hell isn't going to be on another No Limit card,” Mahoney said, his voice cracking between pride and anger.
He refused to directly torch the officials.
“I don't want to throw any officials or judges under the bus. But athletes put their lives on the line for this. I just had a baby and have been in the gym for eight weeks of 14 weeks of her life.”
His promoter, Mick Francis, was less restrained. A rival to No Limit and the man behind Jai Opetaia and Justis Huni, Francis promised the controversy would not be quietly buried.
“Phil Holliday, I don't know what he was watching … those scores were way wide and I'm going to make an official inquiry about it because that's not right,” he said. “We hadn't heard the end of it.”
The suggestion was clear: the system, or at least the judging, had failed Mahoney twice on the same promotional platform.
Rose Bites Back
George Rose skipped the press conference, leaving his brother and No Limit co-founder Matt Rose, along with Tszyu’s long-time manager Glen Jennings, to absorb the heat.
Matt Rose confirmed that “a couple of comments made in the ring” had set George off, but he didn’t shy away from the central issue — the judging.
He welcomed scrutiny of Holliday’s card, confident that any deeper look would still favour Tszyu.
“I'd be happy for them to challenge because I don't think the scorecard of 115-113 was right at all,” Rose said.
“And that would mean Nikita wins the fight.
“But we'll accept the draw. At the end of the day, I'm not going to complain about the 115-113. That's the decision they made and that's how they saw it.”
For a promoter with exclusive broadcast deals with Fox Sports and Main Event, the integrity of the product is everything. Accusations that fighters don’t get a fair shake on No Limit shows strike at the heart of the brand.
So when Mahoney declared any rematch would not be happening on a No Limit card, Rose fired back with venom.
“What, it's going to be on a Tasman card in front of 200 people?” he shot back.
“Who would stage it then?
“Please don't try to diminish what we do in the sport. The shows we put on are the best in the country.
“If people are going to be critical of judging, it has nothing to do with us whatsoever.”
A Rivalry Bigger Than a Result
And so the night ended with no winner, three clashing scorecards and two camps now locked in something more personal than a simple rematch debate.
Tszyu keeps his unbeaten record and his place in the world-title queue, but leaves with fresh doubts over his invincibility and a face that tells the story of Mahoney’s late surge. Mahoney walks away with a draw that feels like a theft to his team, a newborn at home and a growing conviction that he cannot trust the platform that keeps delivering him heartbreak.
The IBF will move on. The rankings will shuffle. The tapes will be replayed in gyms and living rooms across the country.
The real question now is not whether Tszyu and Mahoney fight again.
It’s where, and under whose banner, Australian boxing decides to settle this score.
