‘Hope the whinging stops’: Justis Huni opponent Kiki Leutele’s team called out
Justis Huni and Kiki Leutele are set for a huge heavyweight clash but there are key questions neither men want to answer.
Boxing/MMA
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Things are getting serious just days out from Justis Huni’s fight with Kiki Leutele on Friday night in Brisbane.
The barbs have been flying thick and fast in the lead up to the fight at Nissan Arena as Leutele’s team have promised the fireworks, including taking aim at judges in Australia after the one blemish on the Kiwi’s ledger came in a controversial points loss to world ranked Aussie Demsey McKean.
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When the fight was announced, Leutele’s trainer Isaac Peach labelled Huni and his team “disrespectful” for lining fights up in advance for the Aussie golden boy.
Leutele’s team have also downplayed the work Huni has done with Manny Pacquiao’s former trainer Justin Fortune as the hulking former amateur champion seeks to build up his punching power now he’s a professional.
But the talk is over for Leutele’s team despite Huni’s promoter Dean Lonergan firing a shot in the press conference ahead of Friday’s bout.
“I’ve got a lot of time for Kiki, he’s a good man and I’ve got a lot of time for Isaac (Peach) but the amount of whining that comes out,” Lonergan said.
“‘We beat Dempsey McKean and the Australian judges are corrupt; we can’t come over for a promotional event because it’s going disrupt our training; you keep putting us off and you’re treating us like s**t; Justis Huni gets all the attention.’
“Justis gets all the attention because Justis can fight, Justis gets all the attention because he was once upon a time a world amateur champion.
“I think Kiki Leutele is someone who will present an excellent fight on Friday night. He’s going to come, he’s going to throw punches, but for god sake I hope the whinging stops afterwards.”
Peach replied: “I thought you were better than that Dean. The truth is Dean has been begging me to whinge so someone cared about the fight.
“We’re not whingers. All the best to the Huni’s for the fight. We’re just here for the fight now.”
Peach said he believed it would be a “great fight” and that Leutele would unsettle Huni.
“We’re only here to win, man,” Peach said. “We’ve got a big task ahead of us. We know that. But we’re here to win. Kiki’s never trained this hard. We’re doing our best and we’re confident we can land that shot.”
Peach warned Leutele was in “perfect shape”, saying “a happy fighter is a dangerous fighter”.
Peach told news.com.au Lonergan’s comments “made him look like a desperate man”.
“What was that s**t? He’s going at me about something that he’s asked us to do,” Peach said.
“We’re not puppets in the game. We’re here to win a fight. We’re here as the opponents. They should get their own stuff to sell their own fights.”
But he added Huni was a “pretty complete fighter”.
“We’re not trying to believe something that’s not true, we think he’s brilliant. But we’ve got a chance and this is a big opportunity. Where do we look out for? We’re going to look out for everything. He brings something pretty special.”
Leutele was locked in as well, once again promising a knockout finish to the fight.
But when his controversial loss to McKean came up, he was keen to put it behind him.
“To be honest, I’m sick of hearing Demsey McKean, it’s about me and Justis now and what happened with Demsey, it is what it is — I can’t change anything. So stop asking me the question,” he said with a smile.
Both camps are focused on the clash as Huni batted away renewed criticism of his power after spending six weeks in Fortune’s gym.
Fox Sports reported last week Huni had damaged two opponents’ ribs during sparring and had been dubbed “The Body Snatcher”.
Fortune even told Sporting News Huni had just one sparring session with WBO and WBC world No. 3 Frank Sanchez.
“He was all over Frank Sanchez,” Fortune said.
“After the first sparring, Frank Sanchez didn’t really want anything to do with him
“Justis was all over him. Too many punches. He throws too many punches and he’s too fast. That’s it.”
Huni said in the press conference the criticism of his power was “all just noise” at this point.
“I don’t pay much attention to it because at the end of the day, I’m still getting the win,” Huni said.
“That’s what’s going to make me progress to getting my goal.”
Speaking to news.com.au after the press conference, Huni said the power he’s beginning to develop will not come at the expense of his speed.
“If my punch gets in before his power punch, the power means nothing,” Huni said. “I’ve still got all of my speed and everything but I can definitely feel even in myself the power is coming along very nicely.
“To be able to learn this new stuff, I just can’t wait to try it out in the ring. You can do and say all you want in sparring and pad work and stuff but until you get in the ring and do it where it counts, it means nothing.”
Originally published as ‘Hope the whinging stops’: Justis Huni opponent Kiki Leutele’s team called out
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