Justis Huni wants to win more fights by knockout and his opponent in his WBO global heavyweight title defence, Troy Pilcher, has made a habit of doing exactly that.
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That's what makes the showdown in Brisbane on Thursday night a powder keg waiting to explode.
Unbeaten Brisbane-based Huni (9-0) will fight compatriot Pilcher (9-0-1) in what will be Huni's first bout on home soil in almost two years.
Huni, known for his ability to go the distance, has stopped his opponent early in four fights while Pilcher has done it seven times.
Part of Huni's preparation for Thursday night's bout has been watching videos of a former heavyweight champion in action, as he targets an early finish.
"I am always watching Mike Tyson. I just want to be more aggressive in this fight and have more bad intentions behind what I am doing when I get in that ring," Huni told AAP.
"In all of Tyson's fights, and his sparring as well, he had bad intentions behind what he was doing. He wanted to hurt whoever was in the ring with him and that is what I want to do.
"You don't get paid for overtime as they say and that's why I want to finish fights before the 10th round. It is for my own health as well. The longer you are in the ring and hurting your hands you start to get more injuries."
Pilcher is aware of the publicity around Huni but is not daunted by his biggest challenge yet after a five-week training camp that has him in the best shape of his career.
"It excites me more than anything. This is a massive opportunity for myself and my team," Pilcher told AAP.
"I am one of those fighters that can rise to the occasion. When the lights turn on I am a different animal.
"I seem to drown my opponents before I finish them off. I like a high-tempo, high-paced fight. Then I see in their eyes they are starting to quit and I put them away.
"I am always expecting my opponent to try and pull out a knockout. We are expecting the best Justis on the night."
Huni beat Andrew Tabiti in Cancun in 2023 on points and South Africa's Kevin Lerena in Riyadh in March this year, also on points, to win the WBO global heavyweight title.
Huni's last Australian appearance was against Kiki Leutele, but was hurt badly despite escaping with a points victory.
Now ranked No.7 by the WBO, Huni wants to up the ante and challenge for a world title by 2026.
"That's the plan. I am ranked in the top 15 in a couple of the sanctioned bodies now," Huni said.
"I want to stay as busy as I can in the next two years. Only having two fights since November 2022 is not progressing fast enough. I should be up around 20 fights by now.
"I intend to get two more fights in this year after this one and then in 2025 I want to have three or four fights and progress faster."
Australian Associated Press
