Logan Lionheart Alex Leapai will return to the ring against Joseph Parker

Logan Lionheart Alex Leapai will return to the ring against Joseph Parker on June 29 and his trainer Noel Thornberry has promised the opposition camp that his man will be “checking Joseph’s chin, that is for sure’’.

Logan Lionheart Alex Leapai will return to the ring against Joseph Parker on June 29 and his trainer Noel Thornberry has promised the opposition camp that his man will be “checking Joseph’s chin, that is for sure’’.

Leapai has been pitchforked at short notice into a massive fight that could see him progress to a world title bout later in the year.

Leapai’s engine has been running on idle since his last fight in August, 2018, but the 39-year-old has been rewarded for his patience and commitment to training by landing the bout in Providence, Rhode Island.

Alex Leapai sparring.

Leapai’s trainer Thornberry acknowledged it was a “short notice’’ fight, but it was too good a chance to pass up.

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“It is a massive fight,’’ he said. “I am looking forward to seeing if he can pull off an upset which he has done before.’’

He said he had six fights almost across the line since Leapai’s last bout which had fallen through, but now Leapai was likely to get “a shot at the heavyweight title should he win’’.

“What would those odds have been,’’ Thornberry added.

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“We have had more than 40 fights and he just has to get out there and try and impose himself.

“It (his lay-off) is a disadvantage, but he has to deal with that.’’

Leapai will shed around 3-4kilo and enter the ring around 112kgs which was around the weight he was for his 2014 world title shot at Wladimir Klitschko.

Wladimir Klitschko and Alex Leapai. (Photo by Thorsten Wagner/Bongarts/Getty Images)

One advantage for Leapai is that he will be fresh.

By the weekend Leapai would have finished his sparring and be on a plane to the east coast of the USA via Auckland.

“He will stay nice and fresh,’’ Thornberry said.

“We will do some pad work (when we arrive in the USA), shadow boxing and cycling and keep it low impact and some cardio to finish off.

“It is exciting times. If he can pull this off, it is massive.’’