Tower of Terror strikes out as McKean hits world ratings
Demsey McKean is – literally – the biggest thing in Australian boxing, and the 2m tall beast is on the path to world heavyweight title bid.
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He’s literally the biggest hit in Australian boxing – just on 2m tall and 115kg – and now the Tower of Terror has become an official contender to fight for the heavyweight championship of the world.
Demsey McKean, a big, fast, heavy-hitting southpaw who learned to fight in Ipswich and is now making big waves in boxing from his Gold Coast base, is unbeaten in 17 pro fights and is the No.13 contender for the world heavyweight title held by England’s Olympic gold medallist Anthony Joshua.
On March 7, McKean faces tough American Jonathan Rice at The Star on the Gold Coast and victory is likely to push him into the world top 10.
McKean, 29, played rugby league and rugby union from the age of six but was a late starter in combat sports. He first gave mixed martial arts a crack after watching the UFC on television when he was 19.
“I signed up at my first MMA gym in Ipswich soon after and with eight months of training I had my first amateur MMA fight which I won,’’ he said.
“I quickly fell in love with the sport and the competition that came with it.
“I continued to train in MMA while crossing over to Muay Thai (kickboxing) and competing in both sports for a couple of years.’’
Out of the blue McKean was offered a professional boxing bout on the undercard of the Alex Leapai vs Malik Scott bout at the Logan Metro Sports Centre in Crestmead in 2014.
With no previous boxing experience, he took the bout on one day’s notice, scored a decisive points win and found his calling.
“Because of my height I was having problems with injuries to my back and joints at training in MMA,’’ he said.
“Now my height is an advantage in boxing and the money is better.’’
Three years ago McKean stopped Willie Nasio in six rounds to win the vacant Australian heavyweight crown in Melbourne.
His recent efforts to lure Perth’s former world heavyweight champ Lucas Browne into the ring ended in disappointment despite McKean battering his hulking rival with a Facebook fusillade.
McKean trains under Stephen Ng at the Matrix Gym in Ashmore and while he admits he is still “quite green’’ in international competition, he can picture himself fighting the likes of Joshua, Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder within a couple of years.
“Each fight is another step towards the top of the world,’’ McKean said.
“Jonathan Rice is a big strong American who promises to give me a solid test and push me further along the road to a world title.’’
Originally published as Tower of Terror strikes out as McKean hits world ratings