Middleweight contender Michael Zerafa is a little shocked by the negative outcry in the aftermath of his recent fight with former world champion Anthony Mundine.

Coming in to their fight at Bendingo Stadium last Saturday night, Mundine had lost two fights in a row - including a first round knockout defeat at the hands of Jeff Horn.

History was repeated, with Zerafa knocking Mundine out in the first round to capture the WBA Oceania middleweight title.

Zerafa explains that nobody, including Australian superstar Tim Tszyu, was willing to fight him.

And then Mundine, 45-years-old, called for the fight. 

"There's a lot of negativity around it but it is what it is," Zerafa told Wide World of Sports.

"People think I can call up Canelo Alvarez for a fight tomorrow, it doesn't work like that. I've been 14 months out of the ring, [Tim] Tszyu didn't want to fight me. Nobody else stepped up, Mundine was the only one that did. He called me out, we didn't call him out."

Zerafa, 28-years-old, does not understand why the contest received a wave of negative press.

"Not really, because people pay Main Event to watch Mark Hunt and Paul Gallen, who are older and not even boxers," Zerafa said.

Zerafa is now pursuing a hometown collision with Tszyu. 

The two boxers have traded words in the last few months. In the aftermath of Tszyu's most recent outing in December, Zerafa confronted him after the fight as they exchanged words.

Tszyu is highly ranked by the World Boxing Organization and is close to a wordl title shot. He's back in the ring on March 31, when he faces world title challenger Dennis Hogan.