Latest news with #MickFrancis
News.com.au
7 hours ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘Do it in a heartbeat': Jai Opetaia's promoter wants seven-figure Suncorp Stadium super-card
Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium could host a seven-figure boxing supercard, with promoter Mick Francis saying he will push the Queensland government for funding to stage a world title unification blockbuster between Jai Opetaia and Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez. Opetaia is Australia's pound-for-pound best boxer and defended his IBF cruiserweight world title in devastating fashion against Italian challenger Claudio Squeo on Sunday night. While Squeo was being stretchered out of the arena, with a broken jaw, Opetaia doubled down on his call for a unification bout with Mexico's Ramirez. Francis says an Opetaia-Ramirez showdown could be held at Suncorp Stadium, but needs the Queensland state government to back it. 'If we had government support, we could make it happen,' Francis told CODE Sports. 'This fight has been building for a while, and it's a stadium fight, but the State government has to get behind it. 'We had some guys here tonight from Experience Gold Coast, and they brought a couple of State dignitaries along. 'If they want to make it happen, they'll make it happen. 'I would suggest to put a major event on at Suncorp, you'd need $9 million or $10 million from the State government. But they'd get it back ten-fold. 'If you put it on at the right time of year, it'll definitely sell out.' Jeff Horn staged two fights at Suncorp Stadium, including his heroic world title win over Manny Pacquiao in 2017. He then fought Anthony Mundine at the venue a year later. Francis said it would take some serious buy-in from the Queensland government and other promoters in Australia, but argued it could be done. 'We've done it before with Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn, so I don't see why we couldn't do it again,' he said. 'And boxing's bigger now than it was back then. 'Imagine No Limit, Matchroom Boxing, Spencer Brown, Tasman Fighters, Riyadh Season, Main Event, Foxtel, and DAZN. 'If we all work together, guess what? We can do massive shows, massive events and highlight Australian boxing. 'We just need to get off our asses and make it work. 'We'd love to do that. Jai would love to fight on the same card as Tim Tszyu. 'But we need to work with other promoters and join forces. 'If we went to the State government and said we want to put Jai Opetaia, Tim Tszyu, Justis Huni, Conor Wallace and George Kambosos on, we would get the funding. 'Every one of those fighters has a big name, and they're all good guys. Tim's a great guy, we can put Nikita on too. 'Make it a 10-fight supercard. We'd do that in a heartbeat.' Opetaia lives on the Gold Coast, and has headlined three cards on the Glitter Strip. And while he loves the idea of a stadium fight, he says his preference is still in his hometown. 'Central Coast Stadium – Gosford – that's what I'm chasing, bro,' Opetaia told CODE Sports in the dressing rooms after knocking out Squeo with a brutal right hook. 'I've been chasing Central Coast Stadium since I was a little kid. 'I've always wanted to take a world title back there, it's my home. 'I'm a Central Coast boy. I've got people at home, that's where I come from. 'People from there, they feel like they don't have purpose. They don't have much. We didn't have much. 'To go around the world, and then back home and do it there, that's the ultimate goal.' Opetaia laughed when he's asked if he had scraps in and around Gosford Stadium back in the day. 'I got bashed a couple of times, but that's about it,' he joked. Opetaia was relentless against overmatched Squeo on Sunday, forcing 'Il Toro Rosso' to one knee when he broke the Italian's jaw with a right hook. Opetaia later said he knew instantly that it was broken. 'I felt it, and I heard it click when it landed,' Opetaia said. 'I heard the punch when it hit his jaw and I thought, 'This poor bastard'. 'I've been there before. I saw his jaw, and when I looked at it, it had a little bump.' It was the same venue and the same ring Opetaia's own jaw was shattered when he first won the IBF world title against Mairis Breidis in 2022. 'I didn't go down though,' Opetaia told Code Sports.
Daily Mail
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Aussie boxer's furious manager is set to lodge formal complaint with the WBA following shock KO defeat by Fabio Wardley
Fabio Wardley produced a sensational right hand to send Australian boxer Justis Huni crashing to the canvas on Saturday night in front of 20,000 fans at Portman Road. The 26-year-old Queenslander had been in control for much of the fight, and was ahead on the judges' scorecards, but appeared to over-stretch his right arm during the 10th round, allowing Wardley to snipe a huge right-hand hook across the temple of his opponent. The blow sent him crashing to the ground and ended his unbeaten fight streak, with Wardley securing the win and a potential shot at the winner of Daniel Dubois ' fight with Oleksandr Usyk. However, Fox Sports Australia are reporting Huni's team are furious at the result. They claim English referee John Latham had not given the Aussie fighter a proper 10 count. Mr Lathan had appeared to stoop down to Huni who lay with his back to the floor and began to issue the count. However, he then called the fight before he reached 10 seconds. Huni's manager, Mick Francis, vented his frustrations after the bout and revealed he had even voiced his complaints to Eddie Hearnm, adding he'd be issuing a complaint to the WBA immediately. He told the Matchroom promoter: 'You haven't heard the last of this.' He added: 'He just waved it off. 'I'm lodging a protest with the WBA. 'I've already spoken to Eddie Hearn and Spencer (Brown) and they agreed. 'It's a f***ing world title, not some fight in the park. 'And they didn't give Justis Huni the correct opportunity.' He noted that while Huni had been hit by a good shot in the 10th round, he believed he hadn't been given a fair chance to continue. 'Justis wasn't wobbly when he got to his feet. 'Yes, he got hit with a good shot. 'And if he'd had enough, fair enough. 'But Justis was putting on a boxing clinic. 'They were looking for any opportunity to give this fight to Wardley.' Despite the loss, Huni had produced an excellent performance to keep Wardley quiet for most of the fight, which he had only accepted five weeks ago. Scorecards had shown that the Australian was up 89-82 on two of the judges' scorecards, while the third had given him the fight 88-83 after 10 rounds. However, Huni wasn't letting the brutal punch get to him after the fight. The Aussie star, whose record now drops to 12-1 following his first defeat, managed to give fans a smile and shrugged off the loss, saying: 'That's my curse. 'I even said before this fight that it only takes one split second to switch off,' Huni said. 'And it happened tonight. 'Credit to Fabio and his team, I'm grateful for the opportunity. 'He's a real champion. 'Get behind him because he's doing good things.' The humble Australian added: 'He's just an awesome fighter man. 'He never gave up and he got the win tonight. Credit to Fabio.' Wardley also admitted he had struggled across some of the early rounds. 'Look, Justis Huni is a great operator,' he said 'But no matter what, I'm going to be aggravated with myself because we'd been through everything over and over again – knew the game down to a 't' – and I should've gone better in some of those rounds. 'But that's how it goes.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Are Jai Opetaia and Justis Huni looking past this weekend's opponents in order to fight each other?
Australian fighters Jai Opetaia and Justis Huni have said they would like to fight each other in the future. The pair, both of whom fight this weekend on DAZN, have said that they are already in discussions for a $20m all-Australian blockbuster match. Both men share the same manager, Mick Francis, who told Fox Sports Australia, that a fight between the pair is already 'guaranteed'. Francis told Fox Sports Australia: 'Jai and Justis will be fighting inside somewhere like Suncorp Stadium within three, four years. I guarantee it.' Suncorp Stadium is in Brisbane, Queensland, and has a capacity of 52,500. It is where Manny Pacquiao travelled to fight Jeff Horn in 2017. He added: 'While both guys have tremendous respect for each other -- love each other and will help the other out as much as they can -- they also know that this event will be the biggest domestic fight Australia has ever seen. Two heavyweights from opposite sides of the border fighting for a world title, it will be huge. But before that happens, they both have to do their own things in their respective divisions.' This weekend, Opetaia will face Italian Claudio Squeo in a cruiserweight title fight in Broadbeach, Australia. Huni, meanwhile, has travelled to England to face Fabio Wardley at the Portman Road stadium in Ipswich. Despite the big-fight plans for Opetaia and Huni, the pair still have to win their respective matches. Huni, 12-0 (7), is the b-side in his fight against Wardley. However, as DAZN wrote the other day, the 6'4' Australian comes off a glittering amateur career and even fought ten rounds in his debut for the Australian heavyweight title. Since then, Huni has fought steadily, picking up a host of regional titles. He has travelled, too, visiting Mexico and Riyadh in recent fights. His last fight was in the Gold Coast Convention Centre in Broadbeach, Australia – the same venue that Opetaia fights at this weekend. Opetaia, on the other hand, will face Italian Claudio Squeo over twelve rounds in a defence of his IBF title. The IBF cruiserweight champion won his title in 2024 with a decision over Mairis Briedis in Riyadh. He then returned to Riyadh to defend it against Jack Massey, before stopping David Nyika in four rounds at the Gold Coast Convention Centre. Before any fight takes place between Huni and Opetaia, both need to win this weekend. Not only that, but Opetaia has made it clear that he hopes to unify the cruiserweight titles before any move northwards. To do that, he will need to fight – and defeat – Badou Jack and Gilberto Ramirez. Watch the very best boxing with a DAZN subscription DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
