Island pride on the world title line

Heavyweight title showdown heading packed afternoon and night of boxing.

Toowoomba heavyweight Herman Ene-Purcell (left) and Fijian James Singh at today's weigh-in ahead of their WBF World Youth title bout tomorrow night at Rumours International. Picture: Tanner Smith

UPDATE: Pacific Island pride adds an extra edge to tomorrow night’s headline fight when Toowoomba’s Herman Ene-Purcell and James Singh meet at Rumours International.

The pair will wind up a packed afternoon and night of boxing when they fight for the WBF World Youth title.

Ene-Purcell has made Toowoomba his home but maintains a strong following among his Samoan heritage fans while Singh is looking to take a world belt back to his homeland of Fiji.

Both are coming off recent championship wins.

EARLIER: Keen fight judges are already declaring it will be the 2020 fight of the year.

Forty-eight hours before they clash for the Australasian Super Lightweight title opinions were flowing freely today about the likely explosive outcome when former Stanthorpe junior Chris Brackin and Kyle Freiberg meet on Saturday night at Rumours International.

The championship showdown is one of the highlights on the TGW & Smithy Bring The Big Fights card which feature a double program of fights.

The action runs from 3pm when City and Country meet in 30 bouts for the annual Brayd Smith Cup fought each March in memory of former champion Toowoomba boxer Brayd Smith.

Keil Freiberg (left) and Chris Brackin. Picture: Nev Madsen.

The Brackin-Freiberg stoush provides the curtain raiser to the WBF World Youth Heavyweight title fight featuring Toowoomba’s Herman Ene-Purcell and Fijian James Singh.

Brackin will defend an unbeaten pro record of eight wins when he steps in against former French Foreign Legionaire Freiberg.

Brisbane-based Freiberg boasts a professional record of five wins — with two by knockout — and one loss.

Freiberg lit the championship fuse during today’s media conference at Burke And Wills Hotel when he declared he wasn’t looking for an early finish to the bout but was instead looking forward to the bout developing into an eight-round slugfest.

“I don’t like to make predictions,” Freiberg said.

“You look like a fool if they’re wrong.

“And I don’t like to be made look like a fool.

“I’ve put in the work and I’ll be happy if he gives me a good hard fight.

“That’s what I come here for.

“I don’t like fights to end early. That’s boring.

“No-one want to see that.

“I want to see that six, seven or eight rounds.

“I want to be punching each other in round number eight.

“If it happens that way — it happens that way.

“We’ll just have to see what happens, but that’s what I would like.

“I don’t want it to end in round two, or round three (after) all the hard work.”

Brackin was more circumspect with his fight prediction as he looks to fulfil a boyhood dream of a major title victory.

“I’ll let the hands do the talking and see who is the better man on Saturday night,” Brackin said.

Both TGW & Smithy’s Gym trainer-promoter Brendon Smith and ring announcer James O’Shea, who hosted yesterday’s media session, predict the clash to be a fight-of-the-year winner.

“Chris Brackin and Kyle Freiberge the fight of the year — no doubt,” Smith said.

“And with Herman and James you’ve got two champions both coming off title fights.

“We know it’s going to be a hell of a fight.”

# CROWD members tomorrow night are encouraged to join in the show’s “orange theme” by wearing orange in memory of Brayd Smith.

# TICKETS for the card are available at Smithy’s Gym or at the Rumours door.