03-06-2019, 11:00 AM
Deontay Wilder's boss believes Kiwi Junior Fa ready to be force in heavyweight division
09:31, Mar 06 2019
New Zealand heavyweight boxer Junior Fa is making the right moves in the United States.
Deontay Wilder's boss believes rising New Zealand heavyweight Junior Fa is ready to fight the best and be a force in the division.
Fa took his record to 17-0 with a first round demolition of France's Newfel Ouatah as he headlined a card in Columbus, Ohia last weekend.
It was his second first round KO in a row after a series of sluggish performances as he battled medical issues.
Lou DiBella, who promotes WBC champion Deontay Wilder and has had Fa sparring with the big-swinging American, senses a shift in the 29-year-old South Aucklander.
"I believe he can fight against any of the top heavyweights in the world," DiBella told BoxingScene.
Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury have continued their war of words as a hope-for rematch to their drawn title fight gets put on hold.
"He was dealing with anaemia, which he wasn't sharp in two-three of his previous fights. Now that it is behind him, he can move forward being a force in the division."
This was Fa's fourth win in the United States. He's delighted to be part of the American scene and feels his alliance with Wilder is paying dividends.
"I love fighting in the US, it's a bit different than New Zealand. There's more people watching and I like the opportunity to impress boxing fans over here," Fa said, adding he won't be shy to tangle with the best when the time is right.
WBC champion Deontay Wilder doesn't know how Tyson Fury got up from the 12th round knockdown.
"I follow the rest of the heavyweight division carefully and it seems as if there's three big names; Wilder, Joshua and Fury, and then the rest. I'm not sure how much they will be fighting each other, but I like the idea of facing any of the three at the appropriate time.
"Before he fought Tyson Fury, I spent three weeks sparring with Deontay Wilder in Birmingham and it was a tremendous learning experience for me. In our sessions, I gained quite a bit of confidence working with him over that period. Also, being in camp with him helped me see how a heavyweight champion works, prepares and sacrifices to ensure he keeps his title."
Wilder's team have signalled they will involve Fa in their next training camp.
Fa is currently ranked No 9 with the WBO where fellow Kiwi Joseph Parker is a former champion.
Parker is at No 6 with the WBC and No 13 with the IBF as he plots a course back from successive defeats to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte in Great Britain last year.
The two Kiwis appear on course for an inevitable fight at some stage.
Meanwhile, Fury has voiced his frustration at the difficulties of winning offshore as he spoke of his controversial draw with Wilder in their world title fight in Los Angeles last December.
"I won the fight quite clearly, 10 rounds to two. If you're not going to win on 10 rounds to two, then it's highly impossible that you're going to win overseas," Fury told GQ Magazine in a wide-ranging interview published on Wednesday.
"Maybe if I win 12 out of 12, I might get another draw. Who knows? Wilder needs to improve - drastically. I had fun in there. If that's hell, it's not a very scary place. Yeah, he's the hardest puncher in the world, but you don't really feel the punches when you're in a boxing fight. I think your adrenaline's pumping that much and you're in the moment, you don't feel them until the next day really."
Hopes of an instant Fury v Wilder rematch have been scuttled by Fury's unexpected alliance to US promoter Bob Arum at Top Rank and broadcaster ESPN. Arum wants to raise Fury's US profile before a sequel with Wilder.
Wilder seized on that to throw a few barbs at Fury.
"The thing about it is, I'm the key," Wilder, who has won 39 of his 41 fights by KO, told Boxing Scene.
"I'm the puzzle piece to it all, especially when it's dealing with America. You know, Fury is nothing here in America if my name ain't attached to his.
"He's a boring fighter. The only thing good about him is his mouth. He just talks. That's it. And the only reason we like it is because it makes us laugh, because of the accent. That's about it. Other than that, every time they come and see this guy fight, he's got one of the most boring styles in the heavyweight division. Once they see that style being displayed, that's gonna be it. That's it.
"With my style, I'm an exciting fighter. I'm one of the most exciting fighters in the division because of my knockout power. People know when they come and see Deontay Wilder, it's more likely that you're gonna see someone get knocked out. And that's what people come to see, knockouts, at the end of the day. They don't wanna see people get hurt, but they do wanna see how a human body lay once it gets punched in the face."
Stuff
09:31, Mar 06 2019
New Zealand heavyweight boxer Junior Fa is making the right moves in the United States.
Deontay Wilder's boss believes rising New Zealand heavyweight Junior Fa is ready to fight the best and be a force in the division.
Fa took his record to 17-0 with a first round demolition of France's Newfel Ouatah as he headlined a card in Columbus, Ohia last weekend.
It was his second first round KO in a row after a series of sluggish performances as he battled medical issues.
Lou DiBella, who promotes WBC champion Deontay Wilder and has had Fa sparring with the big-swinging American, senses a shift in the 29-year-old South Aucklander.
"I believe he can fight against any of the top heavyweights in the world," DiBella told BoxingScene.
Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury have continued their war of words as a hope-for rematch to their drawn title fight gets put on hold.
"He was dealing with anaemia, which he wasn't sharp in two-three of his previous fights. Now that it is behind him, he can move forward being a force in the division."
This was Fa's fourth win in the United States. He's delighted to be part of the American scene and feels his alliance with Wilder is paying dividends.
"I love fighting in the US, it's a bit different than New Zealand. There's more people watching and I like the opportunity to impress boxing fans over here," Fa said, adding he won't be shy to tangle with the best when the time is right.
WBC champion Deontay Wilder doesn't know how Tyson Fury got up from the 12th round knockdown.
"I follow the rest of the heavyweight division carefully and it seems as if there's three big names; Wilder, Joshua and Fury, and then the rest. I'm not sure how much they will be fighting each other, but I like the idea of facing any of the three at the appropriate time.
"Before he fought Tyson Fury, I spent three weeks sparring with Deontay Wilder in Birmingham and it was a tremendous learning experience for me. In our sessions, I gained quite a bit of confidence working with him over that period. Also, being in camp with him helped me see how a heavyweight champion works, prepares and sacrifices to ensure he keeps his title."
Wilder's team have signalled they will involve Fa in their next training camp.
Fa is currently ranked No 9 with the WBO where fellow Kiwi Joseph Parker is a former champion.
Parker is at No 6 with the WBC and No 13 with the IBF as he plots a course back from successive defeats to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte in Great Britain last year.
The two Kiwis appear on course for an inevitable fight at some stage.
Meanwhile, Fury has voiced his frustration at the difficulties of winning offshore as he spoke of his controversial draw with Wilder in their world title fight in Los Angeles last December.
"I won the fight quite clearly, 10 rounds to two. If you're not going to win on 10 rounds to two, then it's highly impossible that you're going to win overseas," Fury told GQ Magazine in a wide-ranging interview published on Wednesday.
"Maybe if I win 12 out of 12, I might get another draw. Who knows? Wilder needs to improve - drastically. I had fun in there. If that's hell, it's not a very scary place. Yeah, he's the hardest puncher in the world, but you don't really feel the punches when you're in a boxing fight. I think your adrenaline's pumping that much and you're in the moment, you don't feel them until the next day really."
Hopes of an instant Fury v Wilder rematch have been scuttled by Fury's unexpected alliance to US promoter Bob Arum at Top Rank and broadcaster ESPN. Arum wants to raise Fury's US profile before a sequel with Wilder.
Wilder seized on that to throw a few barbs at Fury.
"The thing about it is, I'm the key," Wilder, who has won 39 of his 41 fights by KO, told Boxing Scene.
"I'm the puzzle piece to it all, especially when it's dealing with America. You know, Fury is nothing here in America if my name ain't attached to his.
"He's a boring fighter. The only thing good about him is his mouth. He just talks. That's it. And the only reason we like it is because it makes us laugh, because of the accent. That's about it. Other than that, every time they come and see this guy fight, he's got one of the most boring styles in the heavyweight division. Once they see that style being displayed, that's gonna be it. That's it.
"With my style, I'm an exciting fighter. I'm one of the most exciting fighters in the division because of my knockout power. People know when they come and see Deontay Wilder, it's more likely that you're gonna see someone get knocked out. And that's what people come to see, knockouts, at the end of the day. They don't wanna see people get hurt, but they do wanna see how a human body lay once it gets punched in the face."
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