Latest news with #CallumPeters
The Australian
29-07-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
Callum Peters looking for breakout boxing performance after Vegas sparring stint
He has travelled the world boxing as an amateur, but rising star Callum Peters (3-0) turned a few heads in Las Vegas two weeks ago. That's when the 22-year-old Paris Olympian went toe-to-toe in sparring with highly regarded American super-middleweight Elijah Garcia. From South Australia, the charismatic Peters was in Sin City to watch Tim Tszyu and Manny Pacquiao, but more than held his own against the much more experienced Garcia. 'He put it on him,' said one witness. 'He towelled him up'. Callum Peters (L) lost a controversial decision to Nurbek Oralbay in Paris in a fight that was later ruled the best of the Olympics. Picture: Jiang Wenyao/Xinhua via Getty Images After one session, Garcia refused to do any more rounds with '50 Cal'. Which is a fair effort when you consider Peters only has three professional fights to his name, with a fourth, against rugged Kiwi Marcus Heywood (9-8-2), coming up on Wednesday night in Brisbane. While Peters was losing a controversial decision to eventual gold medallist Nurbek Oralbay in Paris last year, Garcia had just finished up a three fight run appearing on two Gervonta Davis undercards and one Canelo Alvarez blockbuster at venues including T-Mobile Arena and the MGM Grand. In his most recent bout, Garcia battled back from a knockdown to defeat one-time Tim Tszyu opponent Terrell Gausha by decision. Peters shrugged off the sparring showdown when asked about it in Vegas as he prepares for his second fight in five weeks. His main goal is to showcase his talents on another televised card on Wednesday. But the ironic thing is that those same talents – which include an abnormally high punch output, and some deft footwork courtesy of his now trademarked indoor football shoes – mean he hasn't actually had the opportunity to display his skills. None of his three opponents to date have made it out of the first round. 'Marcus looks like a hard boy, he's fought some hard opponents and he'll bring a good show,' he said. 'He should make it past the first round. 'Hopefully people get to see more of me. 'I like to throw a lot of volume, there's always punches going.' There were questions raised when Peters was spotted in Vegas just a week and a half before his fight with Heywood. But the amateur star is no stranger to disrupted fight prep. Peters stopped Luca Lanigan inside one round. Picture:for No Limit Boxing His first scheduled opponent in Cairns in June pulled out with Covid, and a Kiwi replacement was forced out just three days before the fight when he wasn't allowed in the country. Another replacement was found just two days before the bout, with local Muay Thai fighter Luca Lanigan copping three heavy knockdowns before the referee mercifully waved it off. 'I've just got back from Vegas, I'm prepped and I'm ready to go,' Peters said. 'Watching Tim and Manny Pacquiao got me thinking it could be me one day fighting in front of all those people and showing everyone all the hard work I've been doing in the gym.' Elijah Garcia (R) on the Gervonta Davis vs Ryan Garcia undercard. Picture:Peters has called out a who's who of domestic fighters from middleweight to light-heavyweight, but after this week's fight will turn his attention to the amateur world championships in September. Meanwhile, a win in Wednesday's main event will propel Aussie-based Kiwi Floyd Masson (15-2) into world title contention. Peters gets his hand raised in Cairns last month. Picture:for No Limit Boxing Masson takes on John Parker (11-1) – the younger brother of former heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker – and the 33-year-old year-old has his sights on the very elite of the cruiserweight division. And that could mean a potential domestic world title blockbuster. 'Jai (Opetaia) is the best cruiserweight in the world,' Masson said. 'At the end of the day, you're here to fight the best and prove yourself against the best. 'Those are the opportunities I'm chasing. 'As a fighter, you back yourself against anyone, and I believe I can beat anyone. 'We're ready to chase down another world title.' Brendan Bradford Content producer Brendan Bradford is a sports writer for CODE Sports. He primarily covers combat sports, league, union, cycling and athletics. Brendan has worked in sports media for a decade, covering world title fights, World Cups, Grand Slams and Spring Tours. @1bbradfo Brendan Bradford
News.com.au
29-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘Towelled him up': Rising Aussie star Callum Peters looking for breakout performance after Vegas sparring stint
He has travelled the world boxing as an amateur, but rising star Callum Peters (3-0) turned a few heads in Las Vegas two weeks ago. That's when the 22-year-old Paris Olympian went toe-to-toe in sparring with highly regarded American super-middleweight Elijah Garcia. From South Australia, the charismatic Peters was in Sin City to watch Tim Tszyu and Manny Pacquiao, but more than held his own against the much more experienced Garcia. 'He put it on him,' said one witness. 'He towelled him up'. After one session, Garcia refused to do any more rounds with '50 Cal'. Which is a fair effort when you consider Peters only has three professional fights to his name, with a fourth, against rugged Kiwi Marcus Heywood (9-8-2), coming up on Wednesday night in Brisbane. While Peters was losing a controversial decision to eventual gold medallist Nurbek Oralbay in Paris last year, Garcia had just finished up a three fight run appearing on two Gervonta Davis undercards and one Canelo Alvarez blockbuster at venues including T-Mobile Arena and the MGM Grand. In his most recent bout, Garcia battled back from a knockdown to defeat one-time Tim Tszyu opponent Terrell Gausha by decision. Peters shrugged off the sparring showdown when asked about it in Vegas as he prepares for his second fight in five weeks. His main goal is to showcase his talents on another televised card on Wednesday. But the ironic thing is that those same talents – which include an abnormally high punch output, and some deft footwork courtesy of his now trademarked indoor football shoes – mean he hasn't actually had the opportunity to display his skills. None of his three opponents to date have made it out of the first round. Callum Peters and his indoor football shoes up now. #ParoNavarro — Brendan Bradford (@1bbradfo) June 25, 2025 'Marcus looks like a hard boy, he's fought some hard opponents and he'll bring a good show,' he said. 'He should make it past the first round. 'Hopefully people get to see more of me. 'I like to throw a lot of volume, there's always punches going.' There were questions raised when Peters was spotted in Vegas just a week and a half before his fight with Heywood. But the amateur star is no stranger to disrupted fight prep. His first scheduled opponent in Cairns in June pulled out with Covid, and a Kiwi replacement was forced out just three days before the fight when he wasn't allowed in the country. Another replacement was found just two days before the bout, with local Muay Thai fighter Luca Lanigan copping three heavy knockdowns before the referee mercifully waved it off. 'I've just got back from Vegas, I'm prepped and I'm ready to go,' Peters said. 'Watching Tim and Manny Pacquiao got me thinking it could be me one day fighting in front of all those people and showing everyone all the hard work I've been doing in the gym.' Peters has called out a who's who of domestic fighters from middleweight to light-heavyweight, but after this week's fight will turn his attention to the amateur world championships in September. Meanwhile, a win in Wednesday's main event will propel Aussie-based Kiwi Floyd Masson (15-2) into world title contention. Masson takes on John Parker (11-1) – the younger brother of former heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker – and the 33-year-old year-old has his sights on the very elite of the cruiserweight division. And that could mean a potential domestic world title blockbuster. 'Jai (Opetaia) is the best cruiserweight in the world,' Masson said. 'At the end of the day, you're here to fight the best and prove yourself against the best. 'Those are the opportunities I'm chasing. 'As a fighter, you back yourself against anyone, and I believe I can beat anyone. 'We're ready to chase down another world title.'
News.com.au
25-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Live coverage of Liam Paro v Jonathan Navarro and Liam Wilson v Ayrton Gimenez fights
Queensland boxers Liam Paro and Liam Wilson can both move one step closer to world title fights tonight, but face tough overseas challengers in Cairns. Meanwhile, rising sensation Callum Peters – who has been tipped as a future world champion – steps into the ring for the third time as a professional. The Paris Olympian has seen two opponents pull out of the fight, with local Muay Thai fighter, Luka Lanigan stepping in on just two days' notice for the bout. At the top of the card, Paro faces the dangerous Jonathan Navarro, with a win moving the Mackay knockout artist back into the world title mix at super-lightweight. There are rumours WBO champion Teofimo Lopez could move up to welterweight, leaving Paro a run at a vacant belt. Former two-time world title contender Wilson takes on fleet-footed Argentinian Ayrton Giminez in the co-main event. A win will position Wilson perfectly for another run at super-featherweight glory. HOW TO WATCH LIAM PARO AND LIAM WILSON The fights are being broadcast on Fox Sports Channel 507 and streamed on Kayo Sports. It is not a Main Event pay per view card. WHAT TIME ARE THE FIGHTS? The Kayo broadcast starts at 7pm, while the main event between Liam Paro and Jonathan Navarro will be simulcast on Fox League from 9pm. LIAM PARO FIGHT UNDERCARD Main card from 7pm Liam Paro vs Jonathan Navarro – 65.2kg catchweight, 10 rounds Liam Wilson vs Ayrton Gimenez – super-featherweight, 10 rounds Callum Peters vs Luca Lanigan – light-heavyweight, 6 rounds Kirra Ruston vs Kartik Kumar – 82kg catchweight, 6 rounds Vegas Larfield vs Bryan Cabrillos – featherweight, 6 rounds Thomas Warria vs Ricky Sandral – heavyweight, 4 rounds Laphya Reuben vs Quinton Smith – middleweight, 4 rounds
News.com.au
22-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Callum Peters impressed Gennady Golovkin in Paris – now he's taking his first steps as a pro
Aussie boxer Callum Peters was hanging out at the Olympic village in Paris last year, just hours after his brutally close split decision defeat to eventual silver medallist Nurbek Oralbay. The then 21-year-old was proud but disappointed in the loss to the highly-touted Kazakh fighter. His fight was named the best of the entire boxing tournament at the Olympics, but he thought he did enough to jag an upset victory. His day was about to become even more surreal as he was walking around the village with some teammates. 'This guy came up to me, gave me a handshake, and said something like, 'Killer performance, can't wait to see you in the pros' and gave me a good handshake and walked past me,' Peters says. 'I didn't know who it was. 'I thought it was some guy working for the Kazakh team. It was late at night, around 8 o'clock.' Thinking it was just a nice gesture from an official from the team of the fighter who'd just beaten him, Peters didn't think much of it. 'I just kept walking along,' he says. 'But then all the boys were like, 'Do you know who that was??' 'I had no idea who it was and they said, 'That's Triple G!' 'I was just like, 'What?! That's Triple G? He looks different'. 'It wasn't fight ready Triple G. You wouldn't know it was the most dangerous bloke in the world.' That's the same Triple G, aka Gennady Golovkin, who ruled over boxing's middleweight division for the better part of a decade, including a knockout win over Aussie Daniel Geale at Madison Square Garden in 2014. After retiring from fighting, Golovkin headed up the Kazakh Olympic boxing committee, and is now the chair of the World Boxing Olympic Commission. He has been credited as one of the major figures behind saving boxing from the axe at the Olympics after years of scandal. Any disappointment that his Olympics campaign had come to a premature end washed away pretty quickly. 'The whole experience was crazy,' he says. 'That night, I couldn't really sleep properly. It was beautiful. 'To get a bit of motivation from Triple G, that freaked me out a bit. It's like he was undercover.' Peters turned pro in Sydney in December and had his second paid fight on Tim Tszyu's undercard in Newcastle in April. The slick South Australian is back in action this Wednesday on the undercard to Liam Paro and Liam Wilson's double header in Cairns. The charismatic boxer still has one foot in the non-paid ranks too though, and is aiming to win an amateur world title in England later this year. Australian men have won five bronze world championship medals, but no Aussie bloke has won World Championship gold. It's something Peters wants to put right, and he's using this Wednesday's fight against Anthony Hoarao (2-0) as the start of his prep. 'This Cairns card is massive,' he says. 'To be part of it, to share the week with guys like Liam Paro and Liam Wilson – I can't wait. 'I want to test myself under pressure and keep building momentum before the Worlds. I love the challenge of juggling amateurs and pros. 'No Australian man has ever won gold at the Worlds – that's the first box I want to tick. 'Then I want to prove I can back it up in the pros. I want to hold the Aussie belt knowing I've taken on the best in the world and then come back home and come out on top too. 'This is about pushing the limits for Australian boxing. 'If I can show it's possible, to win at the top level as an amateur and then succeed in the pros, then maybe more kids will believe they can too.'
