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Lucas ‘Big Daddy’ Browne is the new heavyweight champion of the world after knocking out Ruslan Chagaev in the tenth round on Sunday morning.
REPORT: BROWNE WINS HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE
A big right hand in the tenth dropped Chagaev. He got up on unsteady feet and Browne went on the attack. The referee then stepped in to stop Chagaev taking further punishment.
Chagaev was ahead on points in a fairly close fight, but Browne’s knockout power was on display there in the tenth. That’s what heavyweight boxing is all about.
Browne’s record now improves to 24-0, while Chagaev drops to 34-3-1.
Browne’s win potentially opens up some lucrative opportunities for him. The heavyweight division is now wide open after Fury upset Klitschko late last year. Klitschko had previously dominated the division for a decade.
The WBA has Puerto Rican Fres Oquendo (37-8) as the mandatory title defence for Browne, but where he goes next depends on his management, boxing politics and money.
Lucas ‘Big Daddy’ Browne will attempt to create Australian sporting history when he faces Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Chagaev in Russia this morning, hoping to become our first boxer to win a world heavyweight title. Join The Roar on Sunday morning at 7:30am (AEDT) for live fight coverage and debate in our live blog.
It’s a massive challenge for the undefeated Browne. Southpaw Chagaev is more experienced and has fought higher quality opponents during his career. Known as ‘The White Tyson’, his only two losses have been against legendary Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko and the highly rated Russian Alexander Povetkin.
At 6’5″ (196cm), ‘Big Daddy’ does have a significant height and reach advantage over the 5’11” (180cm) Chagaev. He also has knockout power, having dispatched 20 of his 23 career opponents inside the distance.
For the uninitiated, the politics and money in professional boxing mean a variety of world titles are on offer at any one time. In the alphabet soup of titles, England’s Tyson Fury (25-0) is the current WBA (Super) and WBO champion after defeating Klitschko late last year in a major upset. American Deontay Wilder (36-0) is the WBC champion. His fellow countryman Charles Martin (23-0-1) is the IBF champion.
However you rank the title Browne is fighting for today, a win will mean he has achieved more than any other heavyweight in Australian boxing history.
Australian boxers haven’t had much success on the world stage in recent years. Most of the experts are tipping that Chagaev will have too much skill and experience for the former Sydney nightclub bouncer.
But ‘Big Daddy’ knows this is his chance of a lifetime and after an intensive training camp he is in the best physical shape of his career. He firmly believes he can win and is primed to deliver the performance of his life on the big stage.
Are you in ‘Big Daddy’s corner and how do you think he will go?
Join The Roar on Sunday morning at 7:30am (AEDT) for live fight coverage and debate in our live blog.
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