Chaos Ensues As Michael Zerafa, Isaac Hardman Trade Shots At Weigh-In

Michael Zerafa and Isaac Hardman lunged at each other before being separated at the weigh-in.

Zerafa and Hardman are set to square off in a middleweight showdown on Wednesday night at the Melbourne Convention Centre. The stakes are high as the winner will be guaranteed a shot at the IBF belt against the new No.1-ranked contender Esquiva Falcao.

After unified world champion Gennady Golovkin opted to vacate his titles, the opportunity is up for grabs for the fighters.

During Tuesday’s media session, both the Aussie fighters exchanged words from the start of the proceeding, with Zerafa taking the matter a bit too far. Things got ugly when Zerafa labeled Hardman as a “racist.”

And when the pair stood up for the photograph, the Queenslander Hardman tried to grab Zerafa’s collar which resulted in the brawl – both the parties jumped in, trading blows. Soon after, the fighters were separated with the staged weigh-in later being canceled.

“He tried to grab me and he learnt pretty quick that’s not what you do and he copped a few right hands and then my team jumped on him,” a seething Zerafa told AAP (via ESPN).

“He got thrown out and he’s probably used to that, being in pubs all the time, that’s what he does. I can’t wait to go out there and actually put him to sleep… It just shows he’s intimidated, he’s too emotional. He’s an absolute animal with no respect and no class, it’s pretty disappointing.”

It’s not the first time the two have been involved in such an act. Zerafa and Hardman also came to blows at a pre-fight media conference last month, showing that beef is real.

Zerafa (29-4, 19 KOs) will head into this fight as a favorite. ‘The Pretty Boy’ is more experienced and has registered wins over notable fighters like Jeff Horn, and Anthony Mudine.

While Hardman is pretty much a newcomer in the boxing scene, holding a record of 12-0. A win against a fighter of Zerafa’s caliber will surely propel him to new heights.