Boxing 2022: Liam Wilson wants to emulate Jeff Horn’s world title success
Rising star Liam Wilson wants to emulate Jeff Horn by being the next Queenslander to win a world title and he’s ready to prove his credentials against an Argentine hitman.
Boxing/MMA
Don't miss out on the headlines from Boxing/MMA. Followed categories will be added to My News.
First there was Jeff Horn. Now Liam Wilson wants to emulate ‘The Hornet’ by being the next Queenslander to win a world title.
Horn won the hearts of the Australian sporting public with his stunning upset of Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao to win a world title before 50,000 fans at a packed Suncorp Stadium in 2017.
Just 2km from the scene of Horn’s heroics, Wilson will move a step towards a world title shot when he debuts as the headline act of a Fox fight night at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Wednesday, June 29.
Like Horn, Wilson is a fair-haired, blue-eyed pugilist with Queensland blood and a searing determination to overcome the odds in a bid to conquer the world.
The 26-year-old from Caboolture delivered the ‘left hook from hell’ in March to drop Filipino rival Joe Noynay. The rematch avenged his loss to the ‘Jaw Breaker’ last July and officially propelled Wilson into world rankings of No.6 with the WBO and No.15 with the IBF.
Now Wilson (10-1, 7KO) faces the toughest test of his career against Argentina’s tough-as-nails Matias Carlos Adrian Rueda, who has won 37 of 38 fights with 32 knockouts.
Wilson’s 12th professional fight will be announced on Wednesday and the hard-punching super featherweight is hellbent on walking in the footsteps of Horn by scaling the world title summit.
“I am on the path to become world champion,” Wilson said. “I will never forget what Jeff Horn achieved and I would love to deliver a moment like that for Australian fight fans.
“It’s an honour to be headlining my first fight on Fox Sports in my hometown.
“This guy (Rueda) is in my way, threatening to take it all away.
“I can tell you now, it won’t happen, it’s as simple as that.
“I’ve been in the shadows for too long. It’s my time to step up and be the man.”
Victory over the Argentine would put Wilson in the frame to fight for a world title against division king, unbeaten American Shakur Stevenson (18-0, 9KO).
His promoter, No Limit CEO George Rose, believes Wilson is Australia’s most lethal pound-for-pound boxer.
“Liam is the most dangerous man in Australian boxing but on June 29 he’s going to prove he’s also one of the most dangerous fighters in the entire world,” Rose said.
“Rueda’s knockout record is astonishing, and quite scary as a promoter to be frank. There’s not many better in world boxing.
“But to be the best you have to beat the best and a win for Liam in front of his friends and family live on Fox Sports will put him inside the top three in the world and within reach of a showdown with current unified world champion superstar Shakur Stevenson.
“There’s always a lot at stake when Liam fights. He takes every fight personally but I know he has big, big plans to make a statement to the world in front of his hometown crowd.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Boxing 2022: Liam Wilson wants to emulate Jeff Horn’s world title success
Shock real life ‘fight club’ erupts in Sydney
The organiser of a brutal underground fight club has clapped back at Jeff Fenech after the boxing great rubbished the “sad” events.
Mundine: Bare-knuckle ‘phenomenon’ can rival UFC
Anthony Mundine was an NRL and boxing legend. Now ‘The Man’ is leading a bare-knuckle fighting revolution in Australia — and says it can be just as big as UFC.