Mahoney and Tszyu fight to split draw in IBF eliminator

Ben Mahoney produced a career-best performance against Nikita Tszyu on Wednesday night, yet left the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre with only a split draw after 12 rounds in their IBF super welterweight eliminator. The result leaves the path to a title shot against champion Josh Kelly unclear and sparked immediate controversy, particularly after Tszyu initially admitted he believed Mahoney had won. The official scores were 115-113 for Mahoney, 114-114, and an unusually wide 117-111 for Tszyu. The final card was difficult to reconcile with a fight in which Mahoney won the early rounds, remained competitive through the middle portion, and ended strongly.