Above: Tim Tszyu enjoys the rain after his victory over Tony Harrison in March 2023. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

RISING FROM DOWN UNDER

These are halcyon times for Australian male and female boxers on the world stage. For the men, there are two world champions and a bunch of others in the hunt to be a champ. For the women, an interim champ and a number of top contenders dot the landscape.

This is thought of as something of a golden age for boxing in Australia, with booming amateur programs that have produced world-class competitors, many of whom have made smooth transitions into the pro game. Boxing has thrived on television in Australia in recent years and provided opportunities for young boxers domestically to be seen and grow. And when those fighters graduate to the world stage, they have produced some big wins and near misses that gained respect from boxing folk around the globe.

On two nights, back to back, in March, the boxing world will be focused on three Australian fighters in major fights. On March 29, Liam Wilson battles Oscar Valdez in a junior lightweight match that could lead Wilson back to a second try at a world title. Then, on March 30, WBO junior middleweight titleholder Tim Tszyu meets late replacement Sebastian Fundora, who was promoted from the undercard after Tszyu’s original opponent, Keith Thurman, injured his biceps in training. On that same card, a Tszyu domestic rival, Michael Zerafa, goes after the WBA middleweight title against Erislandy Lara.

When Wilson fights Valdez in the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, he believes he’ll be returning to the scene of a crime – one committed against him. It was there, on February 3 of last year, that he battled Emanuel Navarrete for the WBO junior lightweight title and very nearly pulled off the upset in a Fight of the Year candidate. In fact, Wilson and many others think he did get the upset, but that prize was snatched away from him by referee Chris Flores. In round four, Wilson hurt Navarrete badly and sent him down. From the time Navarrte hit the canvas to the time they engaged in boxing again, 27 seconds had elapsed, and 12 of those seconds were spent by the referee giving Navarrete extra time after his dropped mouthpiece had already been put back in his mouth. It was painfully obvious that Flores slow-walked the actual count and entire process for reasons known only to him. Navarrete would get through the round and show great resilience coming back to win by TKO in the ninth, but Wilson feels he was robbed, and he has quite a case to make. 

Liam Wilson (left) believes he got shafted in his loss to Emanuel Navarrete. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)

Two wins later, he finds himself back in Arizona to battle two-division world titleholder Valdez, who also wants a reversal of form after losing two of his last three fights and suffering two different rib injuries. His two losses (the only ones in his career) were to superb fighters – Shakur Stevenson in 2022 and Navarrete in his last fight. If Valdez is not quite the same the fighter who won titles at featherweight and junior lightweight, he is still a gritty and courageous performer with the capability of unrelenting offense and some power in both hands. Wilson is certainly the fresher the two, but every indication is that it will be a firefight. Like Wilson-Navarrete, this one could be a Fight of the Year candidate. A win for Wilson could put him back in the ring fighting for the world title. To beat Valdez, he will need to do two things: 1. Throw his left hook with more regularity. 2. Go to the body more often. He needs to test Valdez’s ribs, which have already been broken twice. Wilson is a poised and confident fighter, and he will need both of those qualities against a world-class fighter who feels the urgency to win.

A night later in Las Vegas, Tszyu, Australia’s most popular fighter, has what might be called his true coming-out party to the global boxing community. He headlines the return of Premier Boxing Champions and that company’s debut show with new partner Amazon Prime video. Some thought Tszyu a curious choice by PBC for this coveted spot on a card that will draw much attention and scrutiny. In retrospect, in many ways he seems completely appropriate. With a new broadcast partner and something of a reset for PBC, why not pick a fighter who is relatively new to your stable, making his Las Vegas debut, and whose best days are very likely ahead of him? Add to that his fan-friendly style and his famous last name and, well, it doesn’t seem like such a puzzling choice after all. 

Tim Tszyu met some of his U.S. fan base at the National Rugby League season kickoff in Las Vegas on February 29. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Tszyu thought his major moment in the sun was going to be against then-undisputed champion Jermell Charlo, but that was sidetracked by a Charlo injury and then Charlo’s ill-fated decision to face Canelo Alvarez instead of Tszyu. So, while that was happening, Tszyu won the title that was stripped from Charlo with a dominating performance against Brian Mendoza. I’ve announced three of his last four fights and even in that time have seen Tszyu grow as a fighter. It has become almost a cliche for his opponents to keep saying, in a slightly derogatory tone, that his style is “basic.” In other words, they think he’s one-dimensional. However “basic” some might think him to be in the ring, Tszyu still gets home with his powerful right hands, good body shots and lethal uppercut. And with an improving defense, he is getting hit less and less. So far, none of the opponents who have labeled him that way have come close to beating him.

Kostya Tszyu was The Ring’s junior welterweight champion from 2002-2005. (Photo from The Ring archive)

Tszyu’s March 30 challenge comes against a man who chooses not to tear down his opponents outside the ring, but in almost all cases is able to do so inside it. Late replacement Sebastian Fundora, scheduled to fight Serhii Bohachuk on that same card, now battles Tszyu. This is a big roll of the dice for the 26-year-old Fundora in his fist fight back in a year after suffering his first loss via a brutal knockout at the hands of Brian Mendoza.  He was hoping to reinvigorate his career with a win, but now the task is suddenly much harder. Still, the rewards of a win are now higher for him. For all the risks to Fundora this also presents a unique challenge to Tszyu who faces a very different looking opponent –a 6-foot-6 left-hander. Many fighters would not be up for that kind of change in opponent. Tszyu, however, has a decidedly different career philosophy than most current boxers.

Tszyu’s journey to this moment has been a fascinating one. The son of a legendary champion, Kostya Tszyu, he has navigated the waters of a sometimes tenuous relationship with his father with a combination of respect for what his father achieved and a fierce need for autonomy. He has not run from his family connection, as evidenced by the fact that his trainer, Igor Goloubev, is his uncle, married to Kostya’s sister. In addition, he is managed by Glen Jennings, the man who guided his father’s legendary career. Despite all that, there is also almost a primal scream for independence. In fact, there was a literal scream for that when, after his win against Tony Harrison last March, he very loudly yelled twice over the mic to the crowd and TV audience, “What’s my motherf—-ing name?” He said he did it to make sure people know it wasn’t his last name that got him far in boxing, it was his first name. His sardonic laugh after the second time he said it suggests he was not in the throes of  an “I need therapy moment” but rather doing a “piece of performance art” to establish his own identity once and for all.

Identity as a boxing superstar is what another Australian is seeking, and he’s doing it from a division that exists sometimes in anonymity but also on occasion spawns legendary fighters like Evander Holyfield and Oleksandr Usyk. Jai Opetaia hopes to follow in their footsteps. This 28-year-old Ring Magazine cruiserweight champ from New South Wales is already considered by many to be the best cruiserweight in the world. On May 18, he hopes to demonstrate that by winning the IBF title against the excellent-though-aging former champ Mairis Breidis. On that card, the aforementioned Usyk will fight Tyson Fury for a chance to put a giant exclamation mark on one of the best careers anyone can have in the sport. If that kind of generational success is a reach for Opetaia, being a big star in today’s boxing world is certainly not. He is currently one of the most explosive fighters in the game. He wants to unify the cruiserweight titles, then move up to heavyweight where his 6-foot-4 frame should carry extra weight well. The only ingredient missing for stardom is exposure, and that is at hand.

Jai Opetaia is a next big thing waiting to happen. (Photo by Peter Wallis/Getty Images)

May is a little like March for the Aussies, because a week before Opetaia’s fight another Australian known to a worldwide audience gets another chance to make a statement in a major fight. George Kambosos continues to take on great opposition, facing Vasiliy Lomachenko. Kambosos said publicly he thinks his career path is on the line in this fight, even at the not-so-advanced age of 30. His two losses to Devin Haney in 2022 and a subpar performance in barely beating Maxi Hughes last year have taken away some of the momentum of his previously undefeated record, punctuated with an upset win over Teofimo Lopez to become undisputed lightweight champ. The debate continues as to whether Kambosos is an upper-echelon fighter or just a good one who overperformed against an underperforming Lopez. He desperately wants to show in the Lomachenko fight that the former is true. 

Jason Moloney (right) en route to a third-round stoppage of Aston Palicte in 2022. (Photo by William West/AFP via Getty Images)

The month of May kicks off with WBO bantamweight champ Jason Moloney traveling to Japan to defend his title against Yoshiki Takei in what many expect to be an exciting encounter. But then, why would it not be? Jason and his twin brother Andrew have given their home Australian fans – and indeed worldwide fans – a continual thrill ride inside a boxing ring. Fighting top competition, they have won big matches and lost a few but have always given people more than their money’s worth. Jason is defending his world  title for the second time and at age 33 feels he still has some time on this title reign. Andrew still seeks a world title. He’s had several tries and came agonizingly close on two occasions against Joshua Franco.  

As the television ads for gimmicky items often say, “and that’s not all.”  There are other Australians on the cusp of winning world titles. Hard-hitting lefty Liam Paro nearly got a title shot against IBF 140-pound champ Subriel Matias. It didn’t materialize and some feel that was best for Paro, who might not have been ready for that challenge but is certainly ready for other top fighters in one of the hottest divisions in boxing. The same can be said of 122-pounder Sam Goodman. I announced his fight with top contender Ra’eese Aleem in June 2023, when he scored an upset win to put himself squarely in the title picture. He is a very solid fighter with good technique and plenty of toughness. A chance at a title could be in his immediate future.

The burgeoning group of Australian women pro boxers has also been a major story. On April 6, Skye Nicholson hopes to take off the “interim” tag from her WBC featherweight title by beating Sarah Mahfoud for the full-fledged crown. Nicholson has had a quick rise up the pro ladder in only nine fights. At age 28, this 2020 Olympian is poised to make a run at stardom. While she looks ahead with confidence, another female boxing star from Down Under faces a more muddled future. Flamboyant Ebanie Bridges, a former IBF bantamweight champ, plots her next move after losing her title in an upset at the hands of replacement opponent Miyo Yoshida. The 37-year-old Bridges certainly has other interests and income opportunities, but at her core she is a competitive boxer and a good one who wants to change the narrative from her subpar performance against Yoshida. Her next fight is still pending, but we can expect her back with memorable weigh-ins and fights as well.

Ebanie Bridges will now look to rebuild after her loss to Miyo Yoshida. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

Perhaps the most impressive thing about women’s boxing in Australia is the sheer number of new pros up from the amateur ranks who appear to be  very good prospects. And right now there are five Australian women in the top 10 of the rankings of sanctioning bodies – all of those women hoping for title chances in their future. 

Like many Americans, I’m beguiled by most things Australian. I have binge-watched more Aussie TV series than I care to admit. I have traveled the world over but, much to my chagrin, I somehow missed a visit Down Under. A kind of substitute for that has been provided by the many Australian fighters I’ve covered and known. No group of Aussie fighters in my 43 years of covering the sport is as deep in talent as the current crop of boxers. It will be fun to see how their collective and individual stories unfold.