Going from strength to strength over the past five years, Australian boxing continued its sharp rise in 2024. With the boom of world-level talent coupled with the investment of overseas promoters, fighters from the “land down under” were able to showcase their abilities on the sport’s biggest stages with mixed results.
From a traditional fighting hotbed of Las Vegas to the sport’s newest go-to destination in Riyadh and all points in between, Australian followers and barrackers were treated to one of their combatants in a high-stakes contest with a regularity not experienced for the longest time. As a new year dawns, another wave of fighters will be out to inject themselves into the global spotlight. Here are just some of those gunning for their place in the sun in 2025.
Justis Huni (11-0, 6 KOs) – Heavyweight
It seems that activity is the order of the day for top heavyweight prospect Justis Huni. Having dealt with injuries in the first few years of his professional career, the fights have come thick and heavy over the past 18 months. After turning back former cruiserweight title challenger Andrew Tabiti in late 2023, the 25-year-old Huni won a unanimous decision over the dangerous Kevin Lerena on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia. The bruising affair, one in which Huni was rocked by a heavy Lerena counter left in the final round, ultimately resulted in a pass mark but questions over his defense from the biggest test to date.
Moses Itauma vs Justis Huni is being discussed to potentially take place this year, Eddie Hearn has said. Hearn added that he believes the fight could be for the WBO ‘interim’ belt due to Itauma and Huni’s high positions in the WBO heavyweight rankings. [@CharIieParsons]
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) January 6, 2025
Scaling back to the domestic scene since back-to-back second-round stoppages over fellow Queenslander Troy Pilcher and Argentine Leandro Robutti have fans and pundits alike wanting to see Huni back at the world level. If the rumors are to be believed, there should not be much time to wait. If he is successful against South African heavyweight champion Shaun Potgieter on January 8, Huni may find himself in a potential clash with surging British prospect Moses Itauma for an interim title; a bout that will gain the attention of fans across the globe if it is to materialize.
Conor Wallace (15-1, 11 KOs) – Light Heavyweight
Things went from good to great in 2024 for Brisbane’s adopted Irishman Conor Wallace. The 28-year-old recent Matchroom signing won three grueling contests in the calendar year, culminating in top 10 rankings with the IBF (#2), WBC (#5) and WBO (#6) by December’s end. As it stands, there is no doubt that Wallace will be gunning for a world title shot in 2025.
The question is, however, whether the southpaw slugger can temper his aggression and self-admitted love of punching on. The performances against Jack Gipp, Jerome Pampellone, and Asemhale Wellem, while impressive, all reflected Wallace’s love to entertain loyal Australian fans who have come to love his style. One would be forgiven for thinking that he will need to keep this desire in check should he find himself in a title fight, given the elite, or in some cases all-time great, talent at 175lbs that he may find himself up against.
Nikita Tszyu (10-0, 8 KOs) – Super Welterweight
Similarly to older brother Tim Tszyu, Nikita has rapidly become a media darling and a big name in Australian boxing. Endearing himself to Australian fans for his exciting, at times reckless, fight style, unique personality and in some cases, just for being the youngest son of hall of famer Kostya, many are interested in seeing just how far “The Butcher” can go.
Tszyu moved into the world rankings for the first time in 2024 following a brutal bout with fellow Australian Koen Mazoudier. Now, at 9 with the WBC and 15 with the IBF, it appears the team surrounding him have a key decision to make about matchmaking for their charge. At present, Nikita’s name continues to be attached to a showdown against former world-ranked super featherweight Brock Jarvis, yet there seem to be many avenues that can be explored. In short, do they keep Nikita at the domestic level or have him fight a fellow fringe contender? Should he take on his first international opponent? Maybe fight overseas for the first time? These are the puzzles promoter No Limit and manager Glen Jennings will need to solve in 2025.
Honorable Mention: Alex Winwood (4-1, 2 KOs) – Minimumweight
Having had a dash with title-level boxing in a losing challenge for then-champion Knockout CP Freshmart’sWBA minimumweight title in September of 2024, Alex Winwood will jump straight back on the horse in March when he meets Filipino Jerry Francisco in Perth, Western Australia. Despite the great achievements of the division’s best in Oscar Collazo, Melvin Jerusalem and others, the lack of depth at 105 pounds means that Winwood could very well see himself back at title level quicker than is conventionally the case in other divisions.
Discover more from Fights Around The World
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
