Boxing news: Justis Huni moves into WBO heavyweight rankings
Justis Huni’s dream of a world title fight just took one giant stride forward with the WBO ranking the Brisbane-born heavyweight.
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Justis Huni has rocketed into the world rankings after just seven professional fights in a stunning rise for Australia’s heavyweight boxing star.
News Corp can reveal Huni is now on the global stage - and inching closer to a world-title shot - after being added to the world rankings for the first time in his career by the WBO.
Huni has been installed as the WBO No.15 in the wake of his unanimous points victory over Kiwi rival Kiki Leutele last Friday night.
It is a remarkable surge into world-title territory for Huni, who is unbeaten in seven fights and has been a professional for only two years.
Most of the WBO’s world-ranked fighters have had more than 20 fights.
The WBO’s second most inexperienced fighter is Croatian Filip Hrgovic with 15 bouts, underlining Huni’s meteoric ascension in world boxing’s heavyweight division headlined by Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder.
The Huni camp is plotting a maiden world-title shot within 18 months and while there are no guarantees, the 23-year-old’s maiden world ranking gives him genuine credibility in global fight negotiations.
“This is a remarkable achievement,” said Huni’s promoter Dean Lonergan.
“Very few Australian boxers would have achieved a world ranking after only a handful of professional fights, let alone in the heavyweight division.
“Generally speaking, you need to have at least 10 fights to secure a world ranking, so for Justis to do it in seven is a measure of his ability and my belief that he has the natural talent to one day win a world title.”
The next step is getting back to full fitness after Huni damaged both hands in his disposal of Leutele at Brisbane’s Nissan Arena.
While Huni was cleared of a broken hand, he must wait another four weeks to determine if he will require surgery to repair a possible torn ligament in his left hand, a scenario that would sideline him for up to nine months.
Lonergan said a nine-month layoff is unlikely to affect his world ranking as he positions Huni for one final domestic fight.
Australian heavyweight champion Kris Terzievski, who beat NRL legend Paul Gallen in May, and former world champion Lucas ‘Big Daddy’ Browne are potential options for the 109kg hulk.
Huni attracted some criticism over his tactical style against Leutele - he fought on the inside looking for a knockout statement - and his father and trainer Rocki believes it was the wrong approach.
“Justis has to go back to his own style,” Rocki said.
“In the first four rounds, he tried a new style and it’s just not him. Justis is a boxer, not a brawler.
“Justis made the fight harder than it should have been fighting in the pocket.
“When he went back to his natural style, he won the fight easily, so moving forward we’ll be utilising his natural talent.”
HUNI CLEARED OF SERIOUS INJURY AFTER SCARE
Australian boxing’s golden boy Justis Huni has been cleared of serious injury after being rushed to hospital in a worrying aftermath to his defeat of Kiki Leutele.
As revealed by News Corp, Huni was admitted to a Brisbane hospital on Tuesday morning and underwent tests after complaining of severe stomach pains in the wake of his 10-round slugfest with Kiwi brawler Leutele last Friday night.
There were fears Huni may have ruptured his appendix after copping some heavy blows from Leutele, but his father and trainer Rocki confirmed the Brisbane-born fighter has received the green light from medicos.
Huni, who suffered a suspected broken right hand in his win over Leutele, left hospital on Tuesday afternoon and has been ordered to rest by doctors.
“Justis is doing well now,” Huni senior said.
“It looks like it’s just a bad case of stomach cramps and a bug that’s going around at the moment.
“We’ve done all the tests and it’s come back perfect which is good news.”
Huni was due to see a Brisbane specialist at 5am Tuesday morning to receive results following scans on his right hand, which he injured in his unanimous points defeat of Leutele at Brisbane’s Nissan Arena.
But Hunt’s specialist appointment was delayed until later in the week after the 23-year-old was struck down by mystery pains in his stomach.
Rated Australia’s greatest ever heavyweight boxing talent, Huni has complained of severe pain in his stomach since Sunday, prompting his team to take the unbeaten 110kg hulk to hospital late on Monday night.
Huni returned home overnight, but then reported more stomach pain hours later, prompting Rocki to call for an ambulance.
Huni injured his right hand in the fourth round of his defeat of Leutele and there is a possibility ‘JPH’ will require a fresh round of surgery.
It would be his second operation in the space of 18 months after he went under the knife to repair hand ligaments he damaged in his dominant victory over NRL legend Paul Gallen in June 2021.
That injury saw him miss the Olympics in a devastating setback for Huni, who was targeting a gold medal at Tokyo.
Huni is planning to have another fight next month in his quest for a potential world-title shot over the next 18 months, but he could be sidelined for the next three to six months if he requires another operation.
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