Olympic gold beckons as tough Justis prepares in backyard gym

Justis Huni, already a world title winner and a real contender to win Australia’s first ever Olympic boxing gold medal in Tokyo, has been hard at work in virtual anonymity, ready to become the biggest name in Australian boxing.

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At a backyard gym in Bethania and in virtual secrecy, boxing coach Mark Wilson has been working for the last 10 years on developing a weapon of mass destruction.

While fighters such as Jeff Horn and Tim Tszyu are dominant figures in the nation’s media these days, 20-year-old Justis Huni, already a world title winner and a real contender to win Australia’s first ever Olympic boxing gold medal in Tokyo, has been hard at work in virtual anonymity, ready to become the biggest name in Australian boxing.

And we mean big.

The 193cm, 110kg powerhouse, hits like a truck but is as nimble as a sports car, and is already rated the No. 4 amateur super-heavyweight in the world.

World youth champion Justsis Huni with dad Rocki Huni (right) and trainer Mark Wilson. Picture: Jono Searle.

He is heading to India in two weeks for a 15-day training camp that will lead into the Asia/Oceania Olympic qualifying event at Wuhan, China that runs from February 3-14.

A top four finish will guarantee Huni an Olympic spot.

Huni, who is coached by Wilson and his father Rocki Huni, is coming off a bronze medal at the world championships in Ekaterinburg, Russia in September. A bout of gastric forced him out of the event after making the semi-finals but not before the softly spoken Logan giant showed why he will be a hard man to beat in Tokyo.

In his opening bout Huni dominated Colombian Cristian Salcedo 5-0 and he then battered Trinidad Olympian Nigel Paul for a stoppage in Round 2.

Huni guaranteed himself a bronze medal with another 5-0 points victory over Mahammad Abdullayev, from Azerbaijan.

Justis Huni is declared the winner against Darius Lasotta during a German team visit to Queensland in August. Picture: Brian Cassidy.

Wilson, who has coached Huni since the fighter was 10, says he then had to pull him out of the event because he was so sick.

“I believe Justis would have won the gold medal if he had been 100 per cent,’’ Wilson said. “He was actually very sick when he beat Abdullaev in the quarter-finals.

“He still won even though he had no energy. But he went downhill quickly after that and he had to go to hospital when he got back to Brisbane.’’

Three years ago and almost 20kg lighter, the former Sunnybank High Student overcame a bad bout of nerves and subzero temperatures in Russia to become Australia’s first world youth (under-19) amateur champion.

Bethania Boxing Club's Justis Huni is putting his best fist forward for the Olympics. Picture: Ric Frearson

Back then he had the draw from hell in St Petersburg, beating fighters from Olympic boxing powerhouses Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Armenia before nailing American Richard Torrez in the semi-final and outclassing Giorgi Tchigladze of Georgia to win gold.

Injuries have plagued him since but this year he has been in red hot form and Wilson says the giant youngster is peaking for the Tokyo Olympics at the right time.

Wilson started his own boxing career in Cunnamulla with legendary hardman Bill Johnstone, whose son Billy became a boxing champ and one of rugby league’s toughest hookers.