Justis Huni receives a MAJOR injury boost as Australian boxing talent rushes back into the ring amid talks with veteran heavyweight Lucas Browne
- Justis Huni to avoid hand surgery in big boost for boxing talent
- The 23-year-old injured her knuckle in her bruising win over Kiki Leutele
- He was expected to have a quiet 2023 but received a significant boost
- Huni’s manager says the super talent wants to fight Lucas Browne
Justis Huni avoided the need for further hand surgery and plans to return to the ring, possibly against Lucas Browne in March.
The Brisbane heavyweight is 7-0 and has world title ambitions, but faces the prospect of a quiet 2023 after injuring his knuckles in a bruising loss to Kiki Leutele in November.
Huni was feared to have suffered the same injury that ruled him out of the Tokyo Olympics, with surgery and subsequent logistical disruptions keeping him out of the ring for 12 months.
Justis Huni received a big injury boost to set him up for another strong calendar year
But long-time manager Mick Francis confirmed to AAP that the 23-year-old’s hands have healed well and he will be back in full sparring sessions soon.
Francis said they would avoid using the less protective horsehair gloves Huni wore against Leutele that contributed to the injury.
‘He’s got a good hand and we’re going to look at different gloves, mix things around,’ said Francis.
‘They get sore after every match, but only for a week or two and are pretty much on the mend again. The doctors looked and didn’t quite understand it.’
The 23-year-old injured her knuckles in her bruising victory over Kiki Leutele
Huni’s manager said they are targeting a fight with Lucas Browne in March 2023
The Tasman Fighters CEO said he had discussed Browne, who is ranked No.10 in the WBO standings, as one of four fights this year. The match will take place at the Fortitude Valley Music Hall on March 17.
Francis also hopes that Huni will fight twice in the US this year.
Veteran Browne turned his career around again with an upset first-round stoppage of Junior Fa in June, and was supposed to headline a lucrative December fight in Dubai that was suddenly cancelled.
Huni moved to No.15 in the WBO rankings after his loss to Leutele, and Francis said a victory over Browne would likely see him break into the top 15 in three of the four major organisations.
‘Lucas is very dangerous; Justis needs to be on his game because Lucas can knock anyone out with one punch,’ Francis said.
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