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Two events combining to create the most significant night in Australian boxing in years will take place at the same time in the cities of Essen and Sheffield on Saturday night.
West Germany and northern England might be strange places for two of our top heavyweights to have the chance to make history, but such is international boxing.
On Saturday evening (Sunday morning, Australian time) Alex Leapai and Lucas Browne have their dates with destiny.
Leapai could be come the first Aussie to ever win a heavyweight world title, while Browne could be the first Aussie to claim the Commonwealth heavyweight title in 122 years.
The opportunity to make sporting history is rare, and even rarer for the two pugilists to do it at the same time. Leapai and Browne are ranked as the number two and one Australian heavyweights, respectively, by BoxRec with ‘The Lionheart’ as number 27 in the world and ‘Big Daddy’ as number 22.
The two have never faced each other in a ring before, which is a shame, but a fight between them could be on the cards in the very near future, if history is made in Europe or not.
Both Leapai and Browne have come from different sporting grounds – one rugby league the other kickboxing – and each have had to graft and struggle to make something of their boxing careers.
Samoan-born Leapai faces the fight of his life in Germany against Wladimir Klitschko. The Ukrainian champion is taller, bigger, more experienced and more skilful. Most are only giving the Brisbane-based brawler a puncher’s chance, but still Leapai will walk away with $1.5 million, even if Klitschko defeats him.
If Leapai can actually do the unthinkable, it would go down as one of the biggest upsets in sport, let alone boxing.
Browne, on the other hand, faces Eric Martel Bahoeli for the Commonwealth strap. Browne is the older, heavier, more experienced boxer in this one and is the clear favourite.
If he beats Bahoeli, as expected, bigger bouts against English pair Dereck Chisora and Tyson Fury await. A world title shot would not be too far away. Browne currently has that important commodity in boxing, the perfect record, and is a noted knockout artist.
In what seems to be a breath of fresh air for the sweet science, there is no animosity or ill-feeling between the two Aussies. Mutual respect is visible. When I spoke to Browne after his weigh-in, he genuinely wished Leapai the best. There was no jealously or boasting, simply offering his congratulations to his fellow countryman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU_PijhO5ds
It was a gesture that you don’t see much in boxing, and was definitely welcome.
Despite Australia proverbially punching above its weight in the past in divisions like middleweight, featherweight and bantamweight, we have never had an Aussie heavyweight world champion. An Australian to finally join the ranks of Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Jim Corbett, Joe Louis, Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali would be really something special.
Leapai and Browne have the chance to write their own names into boxing folklore on April 26. Hopefully Australia gets behind them both.
Follow John Davidson on Twitter @johnnyddavidson
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