Rising boxer Paulo Aokuso’s surprise confession after victory

Olympian Paulo Aokuso’s preparation for his boxing grudge match with Clay Waterman was rocked by some huge news.

Rising Australian boxer Paulo Aokuso made a surprise admission following his narrow victory over Clay Waterman in their grudge match on Wednesday night.

In a clash for the WBC Australasian light heavyweight title, Aokuso started well over the opening rounds before Waterman took control in the back end of the 10-round fight, as you can see in the video player above.

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In the end the judges gave Aokuso the victory in a majority decision, scoring the fight 97-93, 95-95 and 96-94 for the 27-year-old.

Afterwards, Aokuso (8-0 record) said his preparation for the fight had been impacted by his partner giving birth to their daughter just weeks out.

“It was a tough fight, a really tough fight, Clay came to war,” Aokuso said on Stan Sport.

“It’s been a tough camp, I had to take two weeks off, five weeks out, my partner and I had a daughter, so we basically had a three-week camp for this fight.

“But no excuses. I trained my heart out and it showed.

“I surprised him. I showed experience and a different Paulo.”

Paulo Aokuso screams after earning the victory. Photo: Stan Sport

On the undercard, former NRL player Curtis Scott overcame ex-All Black Liam Messam by unanimous decision.

The performance of the night may have been another ex-league player, Alex Leapai Jr, who was far too strong for journeyman Damien Johnson.

The event had been rocked earlier on Wednesday after the co-main event between Kris Terzievski and Tyson Pedro was cancelled after a contract dispute between the former and the promoter.

That left Aokuso and Waterman as the sole main event, a match-up between fighters that both picked up wins when they fought each in the amateur ranks.

Aokuso picked up a crucial victory during that time that gave him qualification for the Tokyo Olympics back in 2021.

Curtis Scott picked up another win in his young boxing career. Pictures: No Limit Boxing/Gregg Porteous

There was then loads of trash talk in the lead-up to Wednesday night, with Aokuso refusing to shake hands during the pre-fight press conference.

Commentators Bruce Eva and Danny Green couldn’t declare a winner after the fight, seeming to lean towards Waterman after his efforts in the closing rounds.

Aokuso conceded he wasn’t at his best and he has a healthy dislike for his 28-year-old opponent, who slipped to 13-2 for his career.

“There’s respect, we have our personal issues, but I’m going to leave that aside,” the winner said.

“I had a bit of a lay-off but I came out with the victory.

“Doesn’t matter if I performed bad or good, I got the victory.”

Asked what he planned to do next, Aokuso said: “Today wasn’t my best performance but I’m ready for anyone. Everyone and anyone in Australia.

“After that we're moving onto the world stage.”

Waterman got on top in the later rounds. Photo: Stan Sport

But Aokuso walked away with the belt. Photo: Stan Sport

Aokuso was warned over a headbutt in the seventh round and started to struggle to land his shots, after making a strong start to the fight.

“Fast start from Aokuso, but the best moments from the last three rounds have been from the man in black,” Eva said of Waterman.

Green added: “I agree, Paulo has stepped off the gas a bit.

“I don’t think Clay has allowed him to have it his own way and Clay has thrown more shots, his workrate has really come on, giving him confidence.”

Before the result was announced, Eva was asking whether Aokuso was about to record his first loss as a professional.

“Aokuso’s record is unblemished,” he said. “Waterman just the one loss.

“Is Aokuso going to taste defeat for the first time here tonight?

“The tide has turned. Clay Waterman is confident he’s turned this fight and got the job done.”

In the end Aokuso got the nod from two judges, with the third scoring it a draw, to remain without a loss so far in his young career.

Originally published as Rising boxer Paulo Aokuso’s surprise confession after victory