Olympic gold medal hope Justis Huni back with a bang

Australian heavyweight champion Justis Huni made a successful return to the ring to keep his hopes of Olympic gold – and potentially a bout with Lucas Browne or Paul Gallen – alive after a dominant outing on the Gold Coast on Saturday night.

The 22-year-old from Logan improved his professional record to 3-0 when he stopped the tall, lumbering and completely outmatched Jack Maris in the first round. Maris came to the ring armed with only a slow-motion overhand right. He left by being almost knocked through the ropes. The fight was stopped 2:50 minutes into the opening round.

Justis Huni punches Jack Maris during Saturday night’s short-lived bout.Credit:Getty

It was the definition of a fight simply for the sake of fighting but Huni has bigger fish to fry and was never going to want a real test with the Games looming, and after a significant health scare.

Huni had to miss a fight in January after he suffered a concussion skylarking with friends, then was dropped in sparring when he was clipped by a cruiserweight opponent. He sought treatment and had a well-earned break from training, which he says has refreshed and motivated him.

He insisted during the week his chin was solid and he had made a full recovery, although that was never really tested against the hopelessly outclassed Maris, who was picked primarily for his height, which is similar to one of Huni’s main Olympic opponents in world super heavyweight champion and gold medal favourite Bakhodir Jalolov.

Huni will likely have two more fights before he heads into camp for the Tokyo Games. Professional boxers with limited records can now take part in the Olympics, which is why Huni has been campaigning on promoter Dean Lonergan’s fight cards since he won the domestic heavyweight strap on debut late last year.

One of those could well be against the winner of this month’s bout between Browne, who once held a version of the WBA heavyweight belt, and Gallen, who has taken to the ring with gusto since retiring from rugby league.

Huni is mostly interested in keeping busy, not adding big names to his professional record, and wants to be an Olympic champion more than anything else. He won bronze at the World Championships in 2019 and believes his game has evolved significantly since then.

And he knows there is significant currency in winning an Olympic medal of any colour when it comes to rising through the professional ranks. A medal is an achievement in its own right, of course, but doubles as a handy marketing tool when promoters are trying to line up big money fights.

Sports, results and expert commentary delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up to the Herald‘s weekday newsletter here and The Age‘s weekly newsletter here.

Most Viewed in Sport

Source: Read Full Article