Wood and Soliman fight it out for shot at Geale's title

Two sides of Australia’s boxing world will come head to head on Sunday in Sydney as Sam Soliman and Garth Wood fight for a potential showdown with IBF middleweight champion Daniel Geale.

In one corner is Melbournian Sam Soliman, the 38-year old former kick-boxer and martial artist who has long been a mainstay in Australian boxing circles.

And in the other is Garth Wood, former South Sydney Rabbitoh and Balmain Tiger, the 33-year old from Alexandria with huge support from Sydney’s media elite.

These two middleweights represent completely different sides of the local boxing coin. Soliman is a long-time battler, perhaps one of the most talented Aussie boxers to have never won a world title.

The man with Coptic Egyptian descent is a fitness fanatic who is coming to the end of his long career with a record of 40 wins, 11 losses and one draw.

Soliman doesn’t drink or smoke, is a good role model who speaks at schools and is a fan favourite who has traveled the world taking on big names.

His biggest moments have come in his two battles with Anthony Mundine, his Contender America duel with Sakio Bika and his 2005 clash with Winky Wright. An unorthodox, slippery fighter, Soliman has a big heart and is still plugging away after many amateur and pro bouts.

Wood, on the other hand, is a completely different prospect. The son and brother of rugby league players, Wood’s NRL career was short and he moved into boxing in 2007.

In just his eighth pro fight he won The Contender Australia, some would say luckily, with a split points win over Kariz Kariuki. This won him him a chance at Anthony Mundine, who he stunningly knocked out in a shock win in 2010.

In the rematch with Mundine last year Wood lost in a points decision and since then he has been a somewhat of a crossroads. He hasn’t fought since April 2011 and he has also changed his trainer and manager.

Wood has what can be gently described as an ugly style, and is known as a brawler. That’s unsurprising considering he had no amateur background and has had just 13 pro fights – winning 10, losing two and drawing one.

He has apparently been trying to reinvent himself under new trainer Joel Keegan but it remains to be seen if this has been achieved.

What’s interesting about Wood is the massive support and publicity he has received despite his modest ability. The rugby league community has got behind him, especially his old club Souths, while family friend John Singleton is also pulling strings.

The Soliman-Wood bout won’t be shown on TV in a bid to increase ticket sales, and the promotion for the fight has been an attempted throwback to the glory days of the sweet science dubbed ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ with the promise of an eclectic mix of celebs, bikies, stars and shady elements.

The real action, of course, will be in the ring when I expect Wood will be in for a tough afternoon against a more experienced opponent. Soliman might be older, but he knows the fight game inside-and-out and as a defeat could spell the end of his career, should be hungrier and far more ring-ready than the younger Wood.

The brawler versus the boxer, and ‘King’ Soliman should have too much class and nous for the ambitious Wood. A possible shot against Geale awaits the winner, a big incentive for both fighters.

Though a Geale-Mundine rematch would probably excite the Australian boxing community more, a shot at the champion Tasmanian for the veteran Soliman would be a fitting end to a prolific career in the ring.