Sunshine Coast’s best rising boxers revealed
The next generation of Sunshine Coast boxing talent has been identified with plenty of hard hitting fighters proving themselves as names to remember. See the full list:
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Sunshine Coast boxing coaches from Noosa, Cooroy, Beerwah and Caloundra have identified 14 of the region’s rising boxing talents that could one day be fighting on the world stage.
With some already treading the canvas at the professional level and others on the verge of carving out their careers, boxing has quickly become a thriving sport on the Sunshine Coast and there's no signs of it slowing down.
In no particular order here’s an in depth look at which boxers are on the rise with added comments from their coaches.
Impact Boxing and Fitness Centre
Head coach Mark Evans has been coaching for more than 20 years and originally began Impact Boxing out of his backyard gym in 2005.
The gym now operates out of Cooroy and Evans said he couldn't be prouder of the growth so far.
“I’m passionate about the sport and I’m passionate about helping others strive towards their goals,” he said.
“We’ve grown a lot but the journey isn’t about me, it’s about the athletes and seeing them achieve their individual goals which is very rewarding.
“I love trying to engage with anyone that we work with to help steer their lives on a better path and give them the skills to hopefully be better humans.”
He said his biggest takeaway was how well his boxers trained as a team.
“Impact Boxing is very much a fight team as we all train together and push each other at a very competitive level,” he said.
“It’s really good to watch how well they work together and grow both individually and as a unit.”
Angela Harries
“Ang is unique in the fact that she is a little bit older than the other boxers and she had two years off where she focused on helping the referees and judges in Boxing Queensland,” he said.
“Her return was a bit out of the blue but I said the world championships selection trials are coming up and asked her if she was keen to jump back in.”
She agreed and Evans told her she had three weeks until trails to train twice a day before flying to Melbourne for the event.
“We went down and she had two fights for two wins and won gold so she is now off to Turkey in May to compete over there,” he said.
Evans said her effort and background in boxing helped her excel in the ring.
“She works as a personal trainer so she’s always fit and very aggressive in the ring,” he said.
“She loves to come forward and doesn't mind engaging herself deep in the trenches which makes her exciting to watch.”
Keiran Whitehead
“Keiran has been with me for about six years and after a really good amateur career he made the decision last year that he wanted to have a crack at the professional ranks,” he said.
“He had his first professional fight in October last year which he won by knockout so he shot through the rankings quite quickly after that performance.
“We then put in an application through the National Boxing Federation and he is fighting on April 30 as the main event for the Queensland super middleweight title.”
Evans said his complete aggression is what makes him such a fierce opponent.
“Keiran is one guy that loves to fight and will quite happily sit in the box with you and trade punches,” he said.
“He’s got pretty evasive movements with good defensive skills but overall it’s his aggressive mentality of ‘getting in and doing a job’ that is on top.”
Bryce Hegarty
“Bryce has been boxing now for about six or seven years and he also had a bit of time off when he went travelling overseas but walked back into the gym and I wasn’t quite sure if he was going to continue with his amateur boxing as he has fought at the highest amateur level,” Evans said.
“All of a sudden he said he wanted to turn professional so we put the wheels in motion and after a few organisational calls he’s about to have his professional debut on April 30 down at Aussie World.”
Evans said his class and composure in the ring is what helps him stand out.
“Bryce is a classy boxer and he likes to box long with quite a good reach on him,” he said.
“He likes to box from the outside which makes him the classic hit and not be hit type of boxer and very good to watch.”
Ben Cameron-Hands
“Benny has been with me for 13 years this year and he first walked into the gym as a super keen eight-year-old fresh from England,” he said.
“He was about three foot tall but he came straight up to me, looked me in the eyes and said ‘I’m going to be a world champion one day’.”
After a stellar career with more than 90 amateur fights, Australian representative honours at the youth Commonwealth Games and fights all over the world, Cameron-Hands took a break from the sport in 2018.
“He spent some time running around and socialising as you should when you're a teenager but stepped back into the ring last year and had ambitions of turning professional,” he said.
“That’s the path we’ve been working on the last 12 months and he’s already had two wins at the professional level so he now fights on May 7 at the Nissan Arena in Brisbane.”
Evans said his overall skill in the ring makes him very effective.
“He’s still chasing that little eight-year-old dream and he is just a really skilful fighter,” he said.
“He’s very evasive and a really good counter puncher by drawing his opponents in and then getting them to throw something before making them pay.”
Noosa Box Office
Former Australian super middleweight champion and Noosa Box Office head coach Israel Kani has been involved in boxing for more than 25 years.
He said he only began coaching when he joined a kickboxing gym in Noosa but was the only one doing boxing and ended up giving pointers to people in the gym.
“They all wanted to train with me so the next thing I knew I was running classes and just kept it going from there,” he said.
He said it was good to see boxing continuing to grow.
“On the Coast but also Australia-wide boxing is growing and getting massive so I think Australian boxing is in the best place it’s been in for a long time,” Kani said.
Ben Slavin
Slavin has been coached by Kani for more than 10 years and after some time out of the ring Slavin will make his return on April 23 at the War of Worlds boxing event in Caloundra.
Kani said Slavin had ambitions of turning professional following his fight for the Australian Boxing Council title against Liam McKenzie.
“He is very strong and his nickname is ‘Banging’ because he is very heavy handed,” he said.
“There’s a lot to like about him so he’ll definitely be an exciting talent to watch in the professional ranks that's for sure.”
Jackson Thomas
“Jackson is looking at fighting for a few Queensland and Australian amateur titles before we aim to step up into the professional ranks,” he said.
“I train and treat him and all of my boxers as pros as it’s really just an apprenticeship before turning pro.”
Kani said his ability to stay in control of the fight is a huge asset.
“He’s a switch hitter so he can fight either way because he had a back issue so we switched him around to box southpaw for a couple of years,” he said.
“Not many people have top defence and attack from either side but it’s a big advantage for him.”
Sacha Ryan-Dryden
“Sacha was the national amateur champion and she travelled through Europe with the Australian team where she won three out of three fights and beat two Olympians,” he said.
“She is about to fight her first professional bout on April 30 at Aussie World.”
Kani said her mental toughness was one of her biggest traits.
“She’s really heavy handed which is great and she always comes to fight,” he said.
“A lot of people come to box but she comes to fight and takes advantage of that mental ability.”
Coen Watson
“Coen has only been in my gym for about one and a half years now and it was a bit of a rebuilding and reshaping task with him,” he said.
“He was with another club before coming to us and I think he’s really gone to a new level so far so he’s definitely one to watch.”
Kani said his overall athletic talent is a key factor for his early success.
“He’s a very athletic individual no matter what's put in front of him,” Kani said.
“He outruns my seniors with sprints and stuff like that and his hand eye co-ordination is crazy so excited to see what more he can do.”
Nathan Campbell
Kani said Campbell's work ethic in and out of the gym is what separates him from his opposition.
“Nathan’s only 14 but he’s a very strong kid with extremely fast hands,” he said.
“He’s a really big puncher too so one that is on the rise for sure.”
Caloundra City Boxing Fitness Club Inc
Head coach Craig Hill has been coaching rising stars out of Caloundra for more than 23 years.
“My grandfather trained professionals so I grew up in it all and it’s just something I enjoy and something I do,” Hill said.
He said he was proud to stick by his boxing morals.
“We don’t poach fighters from other gyms as we like to train them up from scratch and bring them through our system,” he said.
“Our gym is big on giving everyone a go and that’s something I’m proud of.”
Bryce Schafer
“Bryce is one that has been with me since he was eight or nine and he’s still fighting at the amateur level at the moment but wants to turn professional,” he said.
“He’s just had his appendix out and has had a bit of a rough trot with injuries but is back training now and hoping he can get a few fights in before getting on our home show in September.
“It’s only a matter of time now until everything comes together but he’s got the makings of a good pro.”
Hill said his leading traits of power and aggression were what made him so dangerous.
“He’s very aggressive and very strong with plenty of power in either hand,” he said.
“People like to see that type of excitement in the ring which is what Bryce brings.”
Hinterland Boxing Club (Stephen Pitt)
Hinterland Boxing Club head coach Stephen Pitt has been involved in boxing for more than 25 years and is now in his 12th year of coaching.
He said he was proud of the family aspect that comes with his gym.
“I think the closeness of our gym is really cool as everyone is like family by supporting and doing everything together,” he said.
“I really enjoy seeing a young kid walk into the gym wanting to box and seeing them achieve their goals and their dreams no matter how big or small they are.”
Pitt said he was excited to watch and be apart of the rapid growth surrounding Australian boxing.
“It’s getting bigger and bigger and I think the world is starting to realise that Australia is becoming a breeding ground for world champions,” he said.
“Anthony Mundine laid the foundation, Jeff Horn carried the torch and now Tim Tszyu and George Kambosos are forging the way for our junior talents.”
Dana Coolwell
Dana ‘Deadly’ Coolwell burst onto the professional scene in 2019 before being crowned the Australian super featherweight champion with an upset defeat over Miles Zalewski in 2021.
The 22-year-old former Beerwah Bulldogs rugby league junior began boxing at the Hinterland Boxing Club when he was 13 and Pitt said there was plenty more to come from the rising star.
“He’s just a classy boxer and a classy kid,” Pitt said.
“He’s humble and respectful but he can definitely fight as well so is someone that everyone wants to be around as the people’s champ.”
Liam Pope
Pope has been boxing since he was 13 and his coach Stephan Pitt said he had high expectations for the now 26-year-old.
“In our gym his biggest achievement to date is his professional state title,” he said.
Pitt said his mental toughness and ability was a lethal combination.
“His biggest attribute is his heart and his attitude given he is the hardest worker in the gym,” he said.
“He’s got the heart of a lion and won’t back down as he is determined and dedicated to giving 100 per cent.”
Brooklyn Hammill
“Brooklyn had a few losses on the trot and any other kid probably would've given up but he had a huge breakthrough and has since kicked on from there,” Pitt said.
Pitt said he was proud to see how much growth and talent has come from Hammill in recent years.
“His biggest attribute is his resilience as he keeps turning up week after week and will take on whoever is placed in front of him,” he said.
Jett Clifford
“Jett is 12 years of age and last year won the 28kg Queensland amateur title,” Pitt said.
“His persistence is a huge talent and that’s because he is so light he has had to give away age and experience in his fights.
“His recent victory came against another boxer who had beaten him twice so he overcame that huge psychological barrier to take out that title.”
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