Ferocious and flamboyant fighters are among our top boxing hopes
“Flamingo’’ Jacob Ng and “Ferocious’’ George Kambosos headline the hottest prospects in Australian boxing. Grantlee Kieza looks at who could be making headlines in 2020.
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A boxing war is brewing between two of the country’s hottest prospects – the Gold Coast’s flamboyant Jacob Ng and Sydney’s George Kambosos as breathtaking fights loom in Australia for 2020.
“Flamingo’’ Ng and “Ferocious’’ Kambosos head a stellar list of Australian prospects set to take on the world in a year which is likely to see Tim Tszyu and Jeff Horn slug it out in their much anticipated match-up.
Kambosos, 26, was Manny Pacquiao’s main sparring partner for the Horn fight in Brisbane in 2017 and is now the No. 3 contender for the world lightweight title.
Ng, 25, is unbeaten in 13 fights and the winner of a world youth title.
He became serious about boxing after being beaten up by a girl aged 10 and has also competed internationally in jiu-jitsu and kickboxing.
Kambosos is in negotiations to fight an IBF world title eliminator against England’s Lee Selby. Don’t write-off a Kambosos-Ng bout as a world title fight in the next 12 months.
Australian boxing has established stars such as Horn, Dennis Hogan, Blake Caparello, Luke Jackson, Shannon O’Connell and Michael Zerafa.
Kingscliff’s Andrew Moloney holds the interim world super-flyweight title and Perth’s New York-based Louisa Hawton is the interim world women’s atomweight champion.
Jason Moloney fought a desperately close battle for the world bantamweight title in 2018 and looks like getting another shot in 2020.
But this is my list of the emerging talent in Australia:
HEAVYWEIGHT
Demsey McKean, Ipswich’s Tower of Terror, was due to fight former world champ Lucas Browne in March, but the Perth powerhouse pulled out of negotiations. The 198cm McKean is a heavy-hitting southpaw and unbeaten in 17 starts. Samoan-born Faiga “Django’’ Opelu is a heavyweight to watch as well.
CRUISERWEIGHT
World No. 10 Jai Opetaia was named in the London Olympic team when just 16. A southpaw sharpshooter from the NSW Central Coast, he is unbeaten in 19 pro fights and just stopped two-time world title challenger Mark Flanagan from Townsville.
Melbourne’s Jason Whateley is a Rio Olympian and Gold Coast Commonwealth Games silver medallist who won the Australian pro title with a first-round stoppage of Brisbane’s Daniel Russell.
LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT
Brisbane’s former Irish amateur champ Conor Wallace was a sparring partner for UFC great Conor McGregor and won the Australian title in October, beating rugged Mitchell Whitelaw. A bout with Brisbane’s world-rated Reagan Dessaix looms.
SUPER-MIDDLEWEIGHT
Jayde Mitchell from Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula is coming off an impressive decision over former world champ Stanislav Kashtanov and has 20 wins in 21 fights. The Gold Coast’s Rohan Murdock is the No.1 contender for the WBO title. Melbourne rival Zac Dunn is working his way back after losing his Commonwealth title in 2017 while Sydney’s Bilal Akkawy, a sparring partner for Mexican great Canelo Alvarez, still has plenty of power despite his loss to Englishman John Ryder in a Las Vegas world title fight last year. Young Mexican-born Sydney fighter Cesar Mateo Tapia has 11 straight wins.
SUPER-WELTERWEIGHT
Tim Tszyu is now rated No.7 on the world stage and has 15 straight wins. Tszyu missed out on a place at the Rio Olympics thanks to fellow Sydneysider Daniel Lewis, who is looking for a lucrative rematch.
WELTERWEIGHT
Jeff Horn’s southpaw sparring partner Andrew Hunt outboxed world title challenger Czar Amonsot in just his seventh fight. Keep your eye, also, on Sydney’s exciting Ty Telford, a rugged, all action scrapper and Brisbane’s Ben Kite who has won 11 straight.
JUNIOR-WELTERWEIGHT
Southpaw Liam Paro is unbeaten in 18 fights and ranked No. 2 in the world. He faces unbeaten German-based Romanian James Chereji at the Star Casino on the Gold Coast on March 7.
LIGHTWEIGHT
George Kambosos and Jacob Ng as above.
JUNIOR-LIGHTWEIGHT
Billel Dib is the world No. 8 while stablemate Bruno Tarimo, from Angelo Hyder’s Kingscliff gym, just outpointed West Australian hotshot Nathaniel May.
FEATHERWEIGHT
The Jeff Fenech-trained Brock Jarvis is undefeated in 17 fights and was impressive outlasting tough Filipino Ernesto Saulong on the Horn-Zerafa card in Bendigo last August.
The women’s pro ranks in Australia are also being bolstered in 2020 by the addition of Commonwealth Games medallist Taylah Robertson. Women’s boxing already has rising stars Deedee Hobbs and Ebanie Bridges.
Brisbane’s Jack Bowen and Clay Waterman, long time Aussie amateur stars, are also turning pro this year.