- Faced with an emotionally charged opponent
- He was behind on points heading into the final round.
- Did enough to secure the points victory
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Heavyweight hope Justis Huni survived a last-round scare against an emotionally charged opponent before keeping his unbeaten record intact with a points victory in Saudi Arabia.
The 24-year-old Queenslander, who faced his biggest test yet on the undercard of the Anthony Joshua-headlined show in Riyadh on Friday (Saturday AEDT), was hit by a flurry of punches in the 10th round of their contest with a.
The 31-year-old South African had decided to go ahead with the fight despite announcing on the eve of the contest that his mother had recently passed away.
After putting in a solid display but clearly coming into the final round behind on points, Lerena had been urged by his corner to “do it for your mother” and he responded to the exhortation by launching a last-gasp attack on the undefeated Australian. .
But Huni managed to hold on, despite looking seriously wobbly from a left hook, weathering the storm to deservedly claim his ninth consecutive victory with a unanimous points decision, earning the verdict 96-94, 96-94, 98-92 in the judges cards.
Huni survived a scare to defeat Kevin Lerena in their WBO global heavyweight title fight on the Knockout Chaos boxing card at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia.
The Australian fighter was in big trouble in the final round, with the South African having him on the ropes.
The great Queenslander found another gear and secured the points victory.
Huni was relieved and later said in the ring: “I did all the hard work in the gym and I’m glad my legs were strong enough to hold on.”
The former amateur star felt he had the measure of the former IBO Cruiserweight World Champion, controlling most of the exchanges throughout the competition until Lerena’s final stand.
“I expected it to be tough when I got here, but it was just a matter of time until I adjusted to it,” Huni said.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has ambitious plans for the Brisbane prospect and wasn’t too worried about the latest scare.
“He’s progressing well beyond his years and wants to move fast,” Hearn said.
“I think sometimes a lot of the strengths and attributes he has are negated against a smaller guy like Lerena, so I’d like to see him at a big heavyweight where he can use his speed and movement a little more effectively.
‘But that was a big learning struggle for him. He was seriously injured in the tenth round but, fortunately, he was fit and strong enough to pull through.
“So he needs to improve against higher level opponents and particularly against the big ones, but I like the way he’s developing, and I’m sure that when the trials come, nights like that will leave him ready.”
Lerena also paid tribute to the Australian after his own traumatic week.
“He’s a good competitor,” Lerena said.
“There is no such thing as a good time when someone dies, emotionally it is difficult, but let’s go back to the drawing board.
“When I hurt him, I should have killed him, but kudos to him, he stayed up like a tough lion. He boxed better tonight, I probably hurt him more, but he’s a tough competitor.”