Michael Zerafa was not in the mood to call upon long-time local rival Tim Tszyu after being crowned the WBO middleweight champion, leaning into his new persona.
Zerafa defeated little-known German Besir Ay via TKO in the seventh round in front of a home crowd at the Hordern Pavilion on Wednesday evening.
The 32-year-old took control in the bout early before demolishing his opponent with a fierce uppercut, followed by a right hand hook that left Ay stumbling on the canvas.
Ay managed to survive through two heavy knockdowns with clearance from the referee before the bout was called.
Michael Zerafa lands a counter right-hand against Besir Ay. Â Main Event
The statement victory was one Zerafa was hunting for in Sydney but his time in the ring was not as smooth as it appeared to many.
The Australian admitted post-match that he fears he broke his hand in the second round but pushed through the pain to ensure he claimed victory.
"I think I broke my hand on his head in round two but we go on," he said.
"I felt it go in round two and then I started head hunting a little bit… but it is what it is.
"It was a little bit flat. I got the win, it doesn't matter how you get it."
Michael Zerafa knocks out Besir Ay. Main Event
Zerafa (33-5) has held a villain persona in the sport throughout his career but seemingly dropped the act when asked who he would next meet in the ring.
"Look the main question, I always get is Tim Tszyu," he said.
"I know he is here in the building but look, I've got nothing against him."
Tszyu is eyeing a potential clash against Keith Thurman in the near future but he must defeat America's Joey Spencer on April 6 in Newcastle to do so.
While it was expected that Zerafa would look to be on course to meet Tszyu in the ring, he conceded that he is ready to support his fellow Australian fighter.
Tim Tszyu / Michael Zerafa Getty/No Limit Boxing
"He's got a big fight coming up and as an Aussie I will be getting behind him," Zerafa began.
"He's done nothing to me. Obviously, when we fight each other we want to punch each other's heads in. But he is a great athlete. I'm not even going to talk smack about Tim.
"I'm always the good guy but we need villains sometimes – and I'm happy to play that role. This sport is hard, man. We put our bodies on the line."