Revealed: The rising boxers likely to represent Australia in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles
After the biggest Australian boxing team competed at the Paris Olympics, BRENDAN BRADFORD dives into a shortlist of rising Aussie stars who could make the LA team in 2028.
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Boxing will officially be at the Olympics in 2028 after a landmark ruling in March, saving the amateur version of the sport from disaster.
The biggest Australian boxing team in Olympics history went to Paris, and now this masthead can reveal the frontrunners to pull on a pair of gloves in LA.
And two of likely fighters will actually be in action this weekend on Tim Tszyu’s undercard in Newcastle.
These are 10 of the fighters to watch out for on their journey to the next Olympics.
Cooper O’Connell – welterweight
The son of Aussie boxing legend ‘Shotgun’ Shannon O’Connell, Cooper is arguably the best prospect of the younger bunch.
Fighting professionally on the Tim Tszyu undercard this weekend, O’Connell won the Youth World Championship gold medal last year. He’s only the third Aussie, after Clay Waterman and Justis Huni to do it.
“He is a really, really, really good prospect,” said Australian Olympic boxing coach Marcos Amado. “He fights on the Tim Tszyu undercard, and won the Youth World Championship at the end of last year.
“It was massive for him.”
April Napthine – flyweight
An incredible story.
She was an absolute gun, set for Commonwealth Games and Olympic greatness. She fell pregnant, and now has a son and a daughter, and didn’t know if she wanted to keep boxing.
“She’s blown everyone away,” Amado said. “And as far as role models and mentors to the younger fighters, she’s really good.”
She’s the national under-50kg amateur champion and last Saturday beat Jemma Peart in Sydney to become the national champion in the same division in the professional ranks.
She becomes the first fighter ever to simultaneously hold the amateur and professional versions of the same belt.
Callum Peters – light heavyweight
Charmed Australia in Paris, and was unlucky to drop a decision to eventual silver medallist Nurbek Oralbay.
He immediately turned professional after the Games, debuting with a first round knockout win in December.
A truly unique character, Peters boxes in indoor football shoes, like his idols Oleksandr Usyk and Vasily Lomachenko.
He’ll be back in action in his second pro bout on Tim Tszyu’s undercard on Sunday.
He undoubtedly has a bright future ahead of him in the pro ranks, but Amado is hopeful he’ll still be eligible and available for LA.
Marissa Williamson Pohlman – welterweight
A Paris Olympian, Williamson-Pohlman has podium potential, and there are hopes she will turn out in Los Angeles in three years’ time.
Williamson-Pohlman also has an incredible backstory, having overcome mental health struggles and homelessness on the way to the Olympics.
Tyla McDonald – lightweight
The youngest member of the team in Paris at just 20, McDonald has heaps of talent and will still be 24 when the LA Games rolls around.
The Victorian went down in a decision at the Olympics last year, but should be back in 2028.
Monique Suraci – flyweight
Suraci is rated “podium ready” by Boxing Australia and is the number one ranked flyweight in the country.
“She’ll be around, she’s a Paris Olympian,” Amado said. “She’ll be around for sure.”
Jacob Cassar – lightweight
The Victorian teenager is one of the country’s best rising prospects.
The 18-year-old has already travelled the world in pursuit of his boxing dreams, and won bronze at the Independence Cup in the Dominican Republic in February.
Jye Dixon – flyweight
A seven-time national and Queensland champion, Dixon is still just 20 years old, but has the world at his feet.
Dixon trains at the famed All Star Boxing Academy just north of Brisbane. It’s the same gym boxing star Liam Wilson trains at.
Last year, Dixon stepped in on late notice to fight Brazilian Olympian Michael Trindade. After receiving the call up a day before, Dixon ended up winning a razor thin split decision in one of the best and biggest victories of his career.
Lachlan Lawson – cruiserweight
A two-time national champion, Lawson is one to watch in the cruiserweight division.
He most recently won the Australian elite title in November last year in Canberra and was awarded the Arthur Tunstall Trophy as the best boxer of the tournament.
He trains on The Central Coast and is classed as an emerging talent ahead of the 2028 Games.
Beau Piggott – bantamweight
The Victorian isn’t on the Boxing Australia list of fighters, but has impressed at recent National Futures Camps at the AIS in Canberra.
Piggott is only just entering his first full year as an elite boxer and is looking to get to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2026, before focusing on LA.
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