I've always thought so but I will need to find a way to watch his fight from last night. A lot of our best up & comers are flawed in some particular respect (i.e. chin & will get kayoed at some point) but thus far I haven't detected that particular vulnerability in Sam. That potentially makes him more likely to progress further than some of the others.
Watching some of the highlights this morning it looks like there was no shortage of action. The Gal v Darcy Lussick main event looked like a hell of a good brawl while it lasted. Lussick had a go but Gal absorbed & ended it. Joey Leilua's wife got stuck into John Hopoate at ringside. That one wasn't even on the advertised bill. The strongman went full-blown MMA while there was a British stoppage in the Harry Garside fight. Looked like there was a decent crowd in the venue also. Almost sorry I didn't buy it after seeing all that.
You’ve seen it differently to me Sandy. I saw the highlights and gave myself a little pat on the back for having an extra $60 in the pocket for the pub.
Good luck to young Garside but this performance didn't impress, he got caught at least 3 times by this Indian bloke and you are right, the stoppage was terrible. He won lotto getting a medal at Olympics. They might match him well for the next half dozen fights but his not on my watchlist as a potential star
Did someone say 'watchlist as a potential star'? The Stiflers Mum thread Top 10 Australian fighters & fighters to watch (all divisions) appears below. One of the interesting things I reckon is the division that now contains the most fighters that are worth watching (i.e. have the most potential). Two or three years ago it was Junior Middle. Last year I would have said it's Junior Lightweight. This year I think it's a division that it's never been before in my time as a boxing fan. It will be exciting times ahead if a few of those blokes take off. Or even just one. Top 10 Australian fighters P4P (based on talent, achievement & potential) 1. George Kambosos Jr 20-0 (10) - Undisputed Lightweight Champion of the World. Did it the hard way & without the support of either the mainstream media, the local boxing media or local sports & boxing fans (with a handful of exceptions). As I've said previously, you have to admire a guy who didn't let any of that diminish his own self-belief or determination to succeed. 2. Tim Tszyu 20-0 (15) - WBO #1 Junior Middleweight contender & mandatory. The latest news is that he's likely to be fighting here again next up. Against the best opponent they can find for him who's willing to come out here. I think he's at the point where a couple of fights in America against live opposition is what's required to round him out but those fights will generate much money here than there. 3. Justis Huni 5-0 (4) - Former World Junior Amateur champ & medalist at the senior 2019 World Amateur Championships. Qualified for the 2020 Olympics but didn't go b/c of injury. Faced both of the guys who made the Olympic Super Heavyweight final during his amateur career. As a pro, I'd like to see him clean out the local ranks (including Kiwis) to lay a platform for a tilt at the H/W crown. 4. Jai Opetaia 21-0 (17) - Very talented but Covid & injuries have severely restricted his activity in recent times. Looks underdone going into a world title shot. 5. Andrew Moloney 22-2 (14) - 2014 Commonwealth games gold medalist & former WBA Regular Junior Bantam champ. 6. Jason Moloney 22-2 (18) - Two-time world title challenger at Bantamweight. 7. Liam Paro 22-0 (13) - The quiet achiever of Australian boxing has taken his show on the road to the US. Still unbeaten & the WBO #3 contender at Junior Welter. 8. Harry Garside 1-0 (1) - 2018 Commonwealth games gold medalist & 2021 Olympic bronze medalist. Bit early to be putting a line through Harry's name as a potential star. With guys like Liam Paro & Stevie Spark in his division in this country, he will get his chance to shine. 9. Brock Jarvis 20-0 (18) - Keeps winning & is fun to watch but that's partly b/c he's a prime candidate for getting pole-axed. 10. Sam Goodman 10-0 (6) - I didn't catch his last start which is partly why I regret missing that show. Has talent & also possibly a chin to make the most of it. Fighters to watch (all divisions & in no particular order) The biggest challenge for Australian boxing isn't a lack of talent. We have talent top to bottom in all divisions. No country with our population could boast a greater breadth of talent than what we have currently. The challenge is getting that talent through to world championship level & then winning world championships. Our geographical isolation works against us in that regard but is not insurmountable. Even if you don't intend fighting over there, regular trips to the US (or UK depending on the division) are a must to gain some international experience even if it's only through sparring. That of course costs money. I think it's money well spent though. The other thing our blokes should be doing is facing the best opposition they can from around here. Again, money is a limiting factor in that blokes don't want to take the risk of a loss unless they are going to be financially compensated for doing so. That's where we rely on television to put up the money to make the best fights happen. We've seen that occur at Junior Middleweight with Tim Tszyu & hopefully we will also get to see it now at Heavyweight with Justis Huni. And of course with some of the other guys being featured on those shows. H - Justis Huni, Demsey McKean, Joe Goodall, Willis Meehan, Teremoana Jr & Jackson Murray CR - Jai Opetaia & Jason Whateley LH - Conor Wallace SM - Cesar Mateo Tapia M - Michael Zerafa & Isaac Hardman JM - Tim Tszyu, Wade Ryan & Nikita Tszyu W - Andrew Hunt JW - Liam Paro, Harry Garside & Stevie Spark L - George Kambosos Jr JL - Brock Jarvis, Liam Wilson & Paul Fleming Fe - Bruno Tarimo JFe - Sam Goodman B - Jason Moloney JB - Andrew Moloney
The division in Australia with the most talent & potential (by my reckoning) is Heavyweight. I kid you not. I've never seen it like this in 35 years as a boxing fan. Top 10 Australian Heavies (based principally, but not entirely, on talent & potential): 1. Justis Huni 5-0 (4) - Former World Junior Amateur champ & 2019 World Senior Amateur champs medalist. Qualified for 2020 Olympics but didn't go b/c of injury. Faced both of the guys who made the Olympic Super Heavy final during his amateur career. 2. Teremoana Jr 3-0 (3) - You won't see this bloke rated so highly anywhere else but I think he's that good. Big, strong, fast, with decent skills & punching power. Only had a limited amateur career but that includes a win over #1 on this list. Only very young. Will go places if he gets the right fights. 3. Joe Goodall 7-0-1 (6) - Medalist at the 2017 World Amateur championships & Commonwealth games finalist. Currently based in the US where he spars with Jared Anderson & Efe Ajagba. I saw his draw & it should have been a win. Was hurt a couple of times in that fight though which raises a question mark over his chin. Fights Huni next up which will be interesting. 4. Demsey McKean 20-0 (13) - The top Boxrec rated Heavy out of Australia. Has signed with Eddie Hearn. Has done training camps with AJ & Dillian Whyte. 5. Willis Meehan 11-0 (9) - Has plenty of talent & can bang but remains to be seen how serious he is about applying it. 6. Galvatron aka Paul Gallen 12-1-1 (7) - Smoked another footballer on the barbie for fun this week. 7. Lucas Browne 30-3 (26) - Big Daddy's back with a pulverizing performance against Django Opelu. Wouldn't mind seeing a Paul Gallen rematch. Seriously. Gallen would start as a big favourite second time around which could make things very interesting. 8. Alex Leapai 32-8 (26) - Not sure we'll see Alex again after that brutal beat-down at the hands of Joseph Parker & perhaps that's a good thing. But we might. 9. Jackson Murray 3-0 (3) - Former Australian Amateur Super Heavyweight champ. Has decent skills & punching power but looks a bit chinny to me. I think one of those big Islander boys might put his cloak into the dry-cleaners for a press. 10. Lopeti Huni 0-0 (0) - 2022 will be the year a couple of boxing brothers launch their careers. Will be a welcome addition to the local H/W scene both as a fighter in his own right & to provide sparring for some of the other boys. If we're going to produce a Heavyweight champion of the World, we need an active H/W fight scene.
I would like to have seen the Sam Goodman & Harry Garside fights. I have both in my top 10 Australian fighters & the fights appear to have been competitively matched. I would need to have seen the fights to know though which I haven't.
* Demsey Mckean has said next fight Feb in US. * Fenech has said Brock Jarvis next fight March in US. * Jim Kambosos has indicated preference for Marvel Stadium as has stadium roof and will have to be held daytime to accomodate US TV. * GK on why so many people who have participated in Rugby League make it in Combat Sports. https://7news.com.au/sport/boxing/u...t-fight-will-be-on-australian-soil--c-5050006
Huni got the spicy flu and looks like he is stranded in the U.S for a little bit. At the very least I'd say they will postpone the Goodall fight.
* Skye Nicholson fight announcement next week . * Andre Mikhailovich next fight March . * Liam Paro signed with Matchroom . https://www.theinnersanctum.com.au/whos-next-australias-top-five-boxing-prospects/
Quite a few on the Matchroom bandwagon now. Enough to fill a George K undercard at least. Funnily enough, George himself isn't a Matchroom fighter. We've now got Demsey McKean, Brock Jarvis, Liam Paro, Skye Nicholson & Ebanie Bridges all with Fast Eddie. Mikhailovich is a logical next fight for the Headsplitter after Michael Zerafa if he's good enough to win. Beat the best in this country, then the best Kiwi (or plural if it's a division they have more than one decent fighter in such as H/W) then take on the world. The Justis Huni situation is a bit concerning. Nothing a couple of decent wins won't fix but they need to be a bit careful with him early on. At least until they get him back to the form he was in at the back end of 2020. Joe Goodall was a ridiculously tough fight for him first up after a layoff & hand surgery. Even that Kiwi they have lined up for him second fight back can really bang. One false move there & the great H/W hope from Down Under could be in rebuild mode before he's even begun. Bring him home, give him an easy one on the Jai Opetaia world title shot undercard (although that's another one that should probably be delayed until Jai has another couple of fights under his belt) & then resume normal programming. Everyone's in such a hurry but it would be prudent to see form on the board before plowing ahead.
Huni will make Goodall look second rate IMO. Whateley stopped Goodall the last time they faced each other in the singlets and I expect Huni to do the same. Word is, he’s recovering very well.
