Justis Huni withdraws from All Star Boxing event with concussion

Australian heavyweight boxing sensation Justis Huni has been sidelined indefinitely after a freak training accident.

Australian Super-heavyweight champion Justis Huni. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Australian heavyweight boxing sensation Justis Huni has been sidelined indefinitely with concussion after landing head first on concrete during a freak training accident.

News Corp can reveal Huni has been scratched for the All Stars Boxing event on February 12 in Townsville after a wrestling session while skylarking with a friend left the 110kg giant with nasty head and facial injuries.

Huni kept the incident quiet for a fortnight but finally came clean to his trainer and father Rocky after being felled during a recent sparring session with a cruiserweight opponent in Brisbane.

Justis Huni has withdrawn from the All Stars Boxing event in Townsville on February 12. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Subsequent tests using the EyeBox, a state-of-the-art device invented by a New York neurosurgeon to assess the severity of brain trauma, confirmed Huni had suffered a concussion which could sideline him for more than a month.

Huni’s camp are hopeful the untimely injury will not derail his quest for a gold medal at the 2021 Olympics if the Tokyo Games goes ahead amid the COVID pandemic.

The 21-year-old’s promoter Dean Lonergan confirmed Huni will not fight on the Townsville card, which will also feature NRL stars Josh Papalii and Junior Paulo.

“Justis has unfortunately been forced to withdraw from the All Stars boxing event due to concussion,” he said.

“It would have been great to see him on this card because he is on a roll and the people of Townsville would have loved to see a 110kg machine in action. But, in this instance, we have to ensure Justis’ long-term health.

Justis Huni has been sidelined indefinitely after undergoing a concussion test.

“About a month ago, Justis got into a playful altercation with a mate. Their wrestling match got serious and Justis ended up coming off his feet and landing head first on concrete. He blacked out immediately and came to with a scrape on the side of his face, but decided not to tell anyone.

“Two weeks later, he was in a sparring session with a cruiserweight, got clipped slightly and fell over. It surprised us because Justis has a chin of granite and we thought ‘what’s going on here?’.

“It was at that point that Justis mentioned the incident and we sent him straight for neurological and cognitive testing.

“We’ve used some state-of-the-art technology made by a neurosurgeon in New York, called the EyeBox, and the results came back with a mild concussion.

“It’s nothing career threatening, but at this stage we don’t know how long Justis is sidelined for. It could be a month or six weeks or two months, but whatever the case we are taking no risks and won’t be rushing him back.”

Justis Huni defended his heavyweight crown against Arsene Fosso last month. Picture: Getty Images

Brisbane-based Huni is one of the rising stars of Australian boxing who has been tipped to be a world title contender.

He beat Django Opelu in his pro debut in October to win the Australian heavyweight crown, which he defended with a fourth-round stoppage of Arsene Fosso in December.

Huni is slated to defend his belt in July with a showdown against former WBA heavyweight champ Lucas ‘Big Daddy’ Browne, who was stripped of the belt following a doping violation.

Huni then planned to feature for Australia at the Tokyo Olympics before pressing on for world title claims.

“If the Olympics goes ahead, we’re confident Justis will be well and truly back on deck to be ready to fight at the Olympics,” Lonergan said. “But we won’t be letting him back until the neurosurgeon gives him the green light to spar again. I hope he will be ready around April.

Justis Huni won’t be rushed back into the ring. Picture: Alix Sweeney

“Justis was due to fight Jamie Porter on this card but unfortunately that won’t be happening and he will probably miss his next fight which was scheduled for March 25. His next two fights are on hold.

“Justis is a typical young fella, he is tough as nails and just wanted to soldier on, but you can’t mess with concussions. He doesn’t remember too much, his head smacked into the concrete and left him worse for wear.

“It’s a little concerning. Now that we know what’s going on and have a testing device that no one else in the country uses, we’ll know exactly how Justis’ concussion is going without any guesswork.”