Justin Hodges puts boxer in hospital after brutal punch in sparring session
Watch the moment Justin Hodges lifts a sparring partner off the mat with a thunderous hook. But the former Bronco’s awesome punching power still hasn’t impressed upcoming opponent Darcy Lussick.
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Justin Hodges hospitalised a sparring opponent with a sickening punch that lifted the fighter off his feet.
Video of the shocking incident has been obtained by The Daily Telegraph, and demonstrates Hodges’ immense punching power as he prepares to fight Darcy Lussick in a grudge boxing match in Sydney next Friday night.
The footage had been kept secret because the sparring partner’s camp did not want it made public, and his identity has been withheld.
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During the sparring session in Brisbane last week, the fighter – who The Daily Telegraph understands has had a 10-year career as an amateur – routinely clocked Hodges with lefts and rights.
The taller man, who refused to wear headgear during the spar, used his longer reach to get through Hodges’ defence.
The former rugby league star evidently grew angrier with each punch he absorbed, and at the end of a round unloaded with a right hook that stunned his opponent.
Hodges followed up with a quick left-right combination that lifted his rival off his feet and sent him crashing into the canvas.
A witness said the concussed fighter was carried out of the ring and into his car before being driven to hospital for precautionary scans, and was given the all-clear.
Hodges has guaranteed he Lussick will suffer a similar fate in their heavyweight bout on the undercard of the Tim Tszyu vs Jack Brubaker fight at the ICC Sydney.
“Someone’s getting knocked out, and it’s not me,” Hodges said.
But Lussick wasn’t flustered after being shown the footage of the knockout.
“It was a nice knockout of another bogan from the local pub,” Lussick said.
A former NRL enforcer now playing for Toronto Wolfpack in the Super League, Lussick dismissed Hodges’ claims of victory and declared he would be the man with his hand raised.
“Good luck to him if he thinks that, I see myself winning quite convincingly,” Lussick said.
“I’m not going to let it go to the judges because I don’t think I’ll get a fair result, so it will be a knockout.”
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Lussick also panned Hodges for talking up a future bout against NSW league rival Paul Gallen next year.
“I read that and had a laugh,” Lussick said.
“He’s got a pretty big test in front of himself, Gal isn’t going to want to fight him if he loses.”
The camps of both fighters are in awe of their punching power and confident of a stoppage win.
Hodges has fought two previous professional bouts and won them convincingly against overmatched opponents, which has been the source of insults by Lussick in the build-up to this clash.
Lussick will be making his professional boxing debut.