LIVE: Australian heavyweight champion Justis Huni has his sights firmly set on winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
And on Saturday night the 22-year-old rising star takes the next step in his preparation with a blockbuster bout with 205cm beast Jack Maris.
Huni headlines a stacked card at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, with Ben Mahoney back in action for the first time since breaking a rival’s jaw with a brutal shot in October.
Follow the action live in our blog below!
Watch The Gold Coast Fight Night: Huni vs Maris + Mahoney vs George Live on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >
PREVIEW
The fast and Justis Huni has fought just twice professionally, his first victory an October win over Faiga Opelu – earning him the Australian belt on debut.
His charge continued with an impressive fourth-round stoppage of Arsene Fosso, before disaster struck. Huni was wrestling with friends in January when he struck his head on concrete. He ignored it, only to be dropped by a sparring partner. A concussion was soon diagnosed.
But the 2019 World Championship bronze-medallist has dismissed any fears over his chin, saying a month of rest has him fully recovered and ready to go.
His opponent Maris (also 2-0) has been hand-picked for his height: similar to Uzbekistan’s superstar Bakhodir Jalolov.
Jalolov, 201cm tall, is the reigning world champion and strong favourite to win gold at Tokyo. He also beat Huni early in 2020 during an Olympics qualifier, something Huni is desperate to avenge when the tournament proper arrives.
Before then, Huni hopes to fight twice more (amateurs are allowed just a handful of professional bouts while remaining eligible to compete at the Olympics).
A clash with the winner of Paul Gallen-Lucas Browne has been touted – though that could wait until after the Olympics, where Huni hopes to claim just Australia’s fifth-ever boxing medal, and the first gold.
HOW TO WATCH
Watch LIVE on Fox Sports 506 from 7.00pm AEST. Stream live and on-demand on Kayo.
Watch The Gold Coast Fight Night: Huni vs Maris + Mahoney vs George Live on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >
FULL CARD
Justis Huni (2-0) vs. Jack Maris (2-0) – Heavyweight (6 x 3 minute rounds)
Ben Mahoney (10-0) vs Kris George (14-2) – Australia Super Welterweight Title (10×3)
Andrew Hunt (8-0-1) def. Ben Kite (18-5-1) on points (96-94. 96-95. 97-94) for the Aus. Welterweight Title
Sam Goodman (8-0) def. Daniel Carr (3-7) – on points (60-52 60-54 60-54) at Lightweight
Leti Leti (16-1) def. Conor Wallace (7-1) on points (95-95. 96-94. 98-93) for the Aus. Light Heavyweight Title
LIVE BLOG
Follow all the action in our live blog below. If you can’t see the blog, click here.