Aussie heavyweight star Justis Huni hasn’t even asked how much he will be paid as he prepares for fight of his life on Francis Ngannou vs Anthony Joshua undercard
Heavyweight Justis Huni is being considered for a key role in boxing – if the slick Australian faces his biggest test yet in Saudi Arabia.
The 24-year-old from Brisbane will fight hard-hitting South African Kevin Lerena on the Knockout Chaos card (AEDT) early Saturday in Riyadh on a card headlined by Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou.
It will be the former amateur great’s ninth professional fight, with Huni undefeated and with four stoppage time wins.
It can also be revealed that Huni has taken the fight despite having ‘no idea’ what he will be paid in Saturday’s latest boxing extravaganza in Saudi Arabia.
Justis Huni has revealed that he doesn’t know how much he will be paid for the fight and hasn’t asked for it because he knows a win will get him a lot more paydays.
It won’t be easy for Huni, who faces a tough match against South African fighter Kevin Lerena (photo at weigh-in) in Saudi Arabia
While the two main eventers will receive more than $106 million between them, Huni has revealed that he hasn’t even asked about the details of his own wallet, insisting: “I’m not worried about the money for this.”
“This fight is all about performing, putting eyeballs on me,” he continued
“That’s why I’m not worried about the bag.
‘Because I’m sure it will be good, but I also know that if I do it right, there will be much greater rewards. This opportunity is huge for me.”
He is already in the top 15 of the governing bodies IBF, WBO and WBA and is 25th in the heavyweight rankings.
A win over the experienced Lerena (30-2) would likely put him in the top 10 of those bodies – and the top 15 in ratings.
But more importantly, it would make him fall in love with the movers and shakers of the sport who will be ringside at Kingdom Arena.
Huni is being considered as an option for the new ‘5v5’ concept, which will see five of Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn’s men take on five promoted by his old rival Frank Warren, of Queensberry Promotions.
The highly anticipated Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol undisputed light-heavyweight championship fight will headline the event, scheduled for June 1 in Riyadh.
That – and a series of other high-profile, lucrative Saudi fight nights – have been made possible by Middle Eastern power broker Turki Alalshikh, who has brought together the bitter British promotional rivals.
Hearn said they would select their teams after this weekend’s event and then reveal the match-ups in London much closer to fight night.
Huni’s Australian manager Mick Francis told AAP from Riyadh that the Lerena fight would “set him up”, with world title challengers Daniel Dubois or Joe Joyce – rated fifth and eighth in the world – as targets.
“Tyson Fury has told me that Kevin is a great boxer and he will have a tough time, so I have to put on a show and perform on this stage,” Huni told AAP.
“It’ll give me a good show, and hopefully they’ll be impressed with what they see from me.
‘I’m a smart boxer; I just do myself, don’t stand in front of him, just take off his ears.’
The main fight of the evening will see former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (left) take on former UFC king Francis Ngannou (right, at the weigh-in)
A hand injury prevented Huni from challenging for gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and he has since suffered multiple delays due to illness and other injuries, slowing his progress.
But Huni is quick to remind doubters how relatively young he is compared to the division’s greats, with most contenders in their 30s and with more than 20 fights under his belt.
“I’ve got years in this game, at least 10 or 11,” he said.
‘I’m 24 and I won’t reach my peak until I’m 35, so I’m lucky to be in this position and I’ll continue to improve.
“It was surreal to be here with these greats, it was just an amazing experience.”