The 15th of June was a big day for Australian boxers. The Lightweight Champion George Kambosos Jr. went up against Devin Haney at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.
It was a highly-anticipated match between two undefeated titans, and The Guardian called it the biggest fight ever on Australian shores. If Kambosos had won, the Australian boxer would have become a five-title champion!
Unfortunately, the night didn’t go in our favour as the match ended with Haney winning unanimously. However, while Kambosos didn’t come home with the W, he definitely showed the world what Australian boxers are made of.
Of course, Kambosos Jr isn’t the only noteworthy Australian boxer. In fact, we have a lot of them slowly but surely making their way into the world rankings.
Let’s get to know some of the most promising Australian boxers in 2022.
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1 Harry Garside
When talking about the most notable Australian boxers, this is a name you shouldn’t miss. Harrison “Harry” Garside made a mark in the 2020 Summer Olympics. He brought home the bronze medal in the lightweight division. This is the first time in over thirty years that an Australian has won an Olympic medal.
But that’s not the only achievement to his name. In 2015, he won his first of six Australian National Championships. And in 2018, he brought home a gold medal from the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Harry Garside currently holds a record of 3-0, with two knockouts and one judges’ decision. The decision came from his fight against Layton McFerran for the Australian lightweight title. Needless to say, he bagged that title. He’s looking to get back in the ring later in 2022.
Aside from being a boxing champion, Garside is also a champion of free gender expression. He’s in touch with his more feminine side and has spoken in favour of breaking stereotypes. He does ballet and enjoys painting his nails. In fact, he’s shown up to his post-quarterfinal Olympic interview wearing rainbow-coloured nails. Talk about iconic!
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2 Justis Huni
Justis Huni is a boxer in the heavyweight division. He started off as a rugby player but later found a stronger love for boxing. His amateur days were highlighted by a bronze win at the 2019 AIBA World Championships in Russia.
He was part of the lineup for the 2020 Summer Olympics alongside Harry Garside. Unfortunately, a pretty bad injury to his knuckles ruled him out.
Huni’s first foray into pro boxing was against the then-Australian heavyweight champion Faiga Opelu. The match ended in a knockout. In fact, four out of his six wins are via knockout. This remarkable punching power earned him a spot in history as the first Australian ever to win a title belt on debut!
Of course, Justis Huni’s story doesn’t end there. His recent win against Joseph Goodall got him the vacant IBF Pan Pacific, WBO Oriental, and OPBF heavyweight titles.
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3 Taylah Robertson
She’s beauty. She’s grace. She will punch you in the face.
(Well, probably not. Unless you give her good reason to.)
Taylah Robertson is a super flyweight boxer who is a star in the making. She started boxing at 12 and won her first Australian title at 15. Later, at age 20 in 2018, she brought home a bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Naturally, fans expected that her professional debut wouldn’t be one to scoff at, and they were right. Her debut fight against Ranee Klinratree ended in a knockout in just 56 seconds!
Her record stands at 5-1, with her loss coming against the Queen of Australian Boxing ‘Shotgun’ Shannon O’Connell by split decision in October 2021. But despite Robertson fighting against a more experienced opponent, she sure held up her own!
Taylah Robertson will soon be going for the IBF Youth World Title.
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4 Sam Goodman
Sam Goodman is the WBO Oriental and WBF Intercontinental Super Bantamweight Champion. He has a fantastic command of distance, fast reflexes, and hand speed. Naturally, these earned him six knockouts out of the 11 wins in his undefeated record.
(There’s been a close call in the match against Fumiya Fuse. Fortunately, he pushed through a knockdown and won via decision.)
Goodman attributes his successes to grit and hours upon hours of intensive training. Not to mention, of course, the invaluable guidance of his coach, Joel Keegan.
We expect his skills will get him out of his next match with another win. On the 20th of July, he’ll be going up against Filipino boxer Juan Elorde. Of course, the WBO International and IBF Intercontinental titles are on the line.
Regardless of how the fight turns out, we can be sure that his incredible supporters will be present. Goodman gets terrific support, to the point where it can become a bit too rowdy. Any fight of Goodman’s is bound to have an incredibly rambunctious atmosphere with his crowd around.
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5 Jacob Ng
He may be a thin-looking guy, but don’t let his size and shape fool you – he packs dynamite in his hands. Of course, it probably also helps that Jacob is a boxer with boxing in his blood. His father is Stephen Ng, a former middleweight who held the Queensland state title.
Jacob started boxing at age 15 but also started getting into trouble. That’s why his father sent him to Thailand, where Jacob competed in Muay Thai for a year.
When he started boxing, he went on a remarkable winning streak. He has acquired the QLD Lightweight Title, the Australian Lightweight Title, the IBF Youth Lightweight World Title, the IBF International Lightweight title, and the WBO Oriental Title.
He calls himself “The Flamingo.” It fits him since he has very colourful entrances, tattoos, and outfits. The nickname and all the dancing he does is a tribute to a friend who passed away. That friend was the same person who gave him the nickname.
Jacob’s current fight record is 15-1, with 11 knockouts. Sadly, his last fight ended in controversy, with him losing via disqualification as he body-slammed opponent Billy Dib while they were in a clinch. Supposedly, Dib dislocated his ribs when he got thrown to the floor.
Jacob has since called for a rematch.
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6 Tim Tszyu
Here’s another on the list that has boxing in his blood. Tim Tszyu is the son of former professional boxer Kostya Tszyu. He was already an athlete at a young age, dabbling in gymnastics, soccer, and football, but decided to pursue boxing when he was 15.
His first professional fight resulted in a decision win against Zorran Cassady. He has since knocked out boxers like Jeff Horn, the Australian boxer who beat Manny Pacquiao and Dennis Hogan.
Tszyu’s current record is 21 wins with zero losses. Impressively, 15 out of those 21 wins are knockouts. Talk about a decisive punching power! He is currently ranked 1st in the WBO, 2nd by the WBC, and 3rd by The Ring and the IBF.
Tim Tszyu currently holds seven light-middleweight belts:
- WBC-ABCO Continental,
- WBA Oceania interim,
- ANBF Australian,
- IBF Australasian,
- WBO Global,
- Commonwealth, and
- WBO Asia-Pacific
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7 Jai Opetaia
When talking about some of the best Australian boxers today, Jai Opetaia will always be on the list.
Southpaw boxer Opetaia has been the WBA Oceania Cruiserweight title since 2019. A bronze medal at the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships launched his career. He has since also represented Australia at the 2012 Olympics (becoming the youngest in Australian boxing history to do so) and the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Quite understandably, he’s won some and lost some in his amateur boxing career. He is, however, more than making up for it in his professional career. Opetaia has an undefeated record of 21 wins, 17 of which are knockouts. Those knockouts were against some of the best in boxing, like Mark Flanagan, Benjamin Kelleher, and Daniel Amman.
Jai Opetaia currently holds the following cruiserweight belts:
- WBC-OPBF
- ANBF Australian
- IBF Youth
- WBO Asia-Pacific
- IBF Pan-Pacific
- WBO Global
- IBF Asia-Oceania, and
- ANBF New South Wales* (this one is heavyweight)
Soon, Opetaia might add the IBF and The Ring cruiserweight titles to this list. We’ll find out on his fight against Mairis Briedis on the 2nd of July.
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8 Dana Coolwell
And last (but definitely not the least) on our list of Australian boxers to watch out for is Dana Coolwell. The Australian Super-Featherweight Champion earned his title with a 10th-round knockout of Miles Zalewski in December of 2020. He gave quite a show that he’s been called Deadly, and rightfully so.
Coolwell currently has a record of two losses and seven wins, five of which are knockouts. He nearly grabbed himself a new title earlier this year but ultimately fell short. He almost upset the undefeated Venezuelan Ender Luces for the IBF Super Featherweight World Youth Title. Coolwell may have failed this time around, but there are more opportunities to come.
While Coolwell’s skill alone is worthy of admiration, his backstory makes him even more inspiring. After he lost his father at 13 years old, he found himself astray. Drugs, alcohol, and other less-than-ideal activities… you get the gist.
He admitted in an interview that if it weren’t for boxing, he wouldn’t know where he would be today. And doesn’t that resonate with many of us? People think we exaggerate when we talk about martial arts being life-changing. But those who have experienced it know just how true it is.
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Final thoughts
Do you want learn to fight like professional Australian boxers?
There are plenty more Australian boxers out there, but we hope the names we listed above piques your interest in the sport. You never know. This new wave of boxers could be at the top of their respective divisions in the future!
And hey, as you follow these names, you may find inspiration to learn boxing. Whether you want to learn to be a professional fighter or simply train for fitness, The Fight Centre has you covered. We have boxing classes that cater to all fitness levels.
Our classes cover a range of different aspects to ensure you both improve your boxing technique and your overall health. You’ll learn proper techniques and get fitness training. And don’t worry, we will make sure to start slow and build up the intensity in our classes so you’ll go injury-free on your journey!
Check out our timetable for our boxing class schedules. With our wide variety of times, we guarantee you’ll be able to fit a class in despite your busy schedule.
Our brand of boxing is well known for sculpting amazing bodies and getting students fit, all done in a positive environment. That’s why our members love boxing with us!
Don’t just take our word for it. Experience it for yourself! Book a free trial and you’ll see what we’re talking about.
