Boxing Australia head coach Kevin Smith is down a fighter after Justis Huni was forced to withdraw from the Tokyo Games in a “great disappointment” for the nation’s medal hopes.
In Tokyo, Huni was seen as a real medal threat for an Australian team that has never won gold at the Games. Instead, he’ll miss out after exacerbating a hand injury — which he sustained in sparring — in his 10-round beatdown of Paul Gallen less than two weeks ago.
The 22-year-old turned professional only after qualifying for Tokyo. He won the Australian heavyweight title on debut, before rattling off a flurry of wins that culminated in the Gallen show that put some money in his pocket, and some clout on his name.
It was a risk with his ultimate goal — the Olympics — around the corner.
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Huni, the super heavyweight, who moves like a middleweight, had dreamt of the Games ever since he was seven years old. But while Smith and most of the Australian boxing team was training in Colorado Springs in the US, Huni was selling his first major pay-per-view event.
Huni’s case was the first of its kind for Boxing Australia. They’d never had a fighter turn professional while still competing as an amateur; a reality made possible by a change in Olympic regulations.
“He had different obligations,” Smith told foxsports.com.au. “It became his livelihood. It became what he does for a living.”
With Boxing Australia being a camp-based program, Smith and co. could only extend invites to fighters to join the team in preparation.
“If the athletes choose not to accept the invitation, then we can’t really force them,” Smith explained of the current system.
Smith confirmed to foxsports.com.au that he wasn’t told about the Huni sparring injury at the time. As for the decision to move forward with fights against Christian Tsoye and Gallen, he added: “It’s not for me to judge.”
“Yeah, obviously it was a risk that hasn’t paid off,” Smith said of Huni’s preparation, while admitting sparring injuries can happen at any point, “whether it’s inside the national program or outside the national program.”
When it does happen outside of camp, though, there are obvious obstacles.
“When the athletes are preparing outside of the program, we’ve got no idea, we’ve got no control of what goes on,” Smith said.
“So, whatever the consequences are, the risk is taken by the athlete and coach. They’re responsible for their actions, themselves.”
More than anything, Smith is concerned for Huni, who has to now deal with the disappointment of missing out on his dream.
“Our main focus now would be Justis’ wellbeing, how he’s going to react to losing out on going to the Olympic Games, and the chance to represent Australia there,” Smith said.
“We’re very aware that it’s a really unfortunate circumstance, and we’re really concerned that Justis comes through it in the best way possible.”
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