‘I could have died’: Nikita Tszyu reveals full toll of scary car crash

Tszyu was lucky to emerge unscathed despite being T-boned at around 60km/hr, with the other car ploughing directly into the driver’s door of his Jeep.

Tszyu, who fights Michael Zerafa on January 16, says it could have been much worse if he wasn’t driving such a big car.

“My car’s been written off completely. She smashed right into the door and I didn’t get the chance to react,” he told Code Sports.

“She turned into the intersection and didn’t even look and just T-boned straight into me on King George’s Road.

“I was very lucky I was in that big four wheel drive and not some other little car.”

Tszyu is blunt when asked how bad it could have been.

“I could have died. It could have been bad,” he said. “She hit me pretty hard, right in the driver’s door.

“The Jeep is raised up pretty high and is quite thick. The distance between me and the door is a bit wider than most cars.

“I was going about 60 and she entered my lane. There was a whole bunch of cars stuck in traffic and there was a little gap with her trying to come from the side street.

“She just entered without looking and smashed right into me.

“It could have been bad. I could have broken something too – a shoulder or arm or something.”

The accident put a halt to Tszyu’s training for a week, with concerns he may have reinjured his troublesome hand, which needed surgery last year and kept him out of the ring for nearly 12 months.

The 27-year-old is also relieved that he was the only one in the car, with his four month old daughter, Curiosity, safely at home with mum.

“It was actually kind of a blessing. That’s the way you’ve gotta think about it in life,” he said. “We were wanting to get a bigger car anyway.

“Our family’s obviously expanding and I can’t be forcing my wife to get into a two-door Jeep and climb all over the seats.

“Then we’ve got the dogs to get in the car as well, and a baby. It’s all a bit much.

“I was by myself, which was a blessing as well. That’s why I wanted to upgrade to the biggest car I could find.

“I’ve upgraded to a big Hilux now.”

Meanwhile, Zerafa was forced to delay his wedding with partner Selin after the bout was pushed back from December to January.

The couple were due to tie the knot in Turkey, and Zerafa jokes he spent a few nights on the couch as punishment, but is willing to make the sacrifice for the opportunity on offer.

At 33-years-old, Zerafa also admits he’s nearer the end of his career than the start of it.

“There’s a lot of money in it, and the chance to say, ‘I told you so’,” Zerafa told Code Sports of the heated build-up to the fight. “But I’ve had 40 fights now, so I’ve probably got one last crack at it.

“If I beat him, I’ll raise his hand, and if he beats me, I’ll clap him on.

“But it’s not a sport where there’s a next week. If Collingwood or Carlton lose, they can play again next week. People don’t stop supporting them if they lose.

“You don’t stop following Collingwood, they’ll be there next week regardless. It’s not really like that in boxing.”

Selin confirmed they’ll push the wedding back until next year.

“Our priority has always been his career,” she told Code Sports. “I’ve been making sacrifices for the past six years, so another few months won’t change a thing.

“We wanted something quite small, so thankfully it wasn’t something where we’d sent out all these invitations or anything.

“We’ll just have to figure it out once the fight’s over.

“We might have to do a European summer instead and flick the bill to No Limit.”