Liam Wilson’s put in the hard yards, and paid his dues – and is about to go from the undercard to the spotlight.
“It’s been a long time coming – I’ve helped build cards, I’ve fought on a lot of shows to help promote some of the best athletes and fighters in Australia,” he told Wide World of Sports.
He’s previously fought on the undercards for Paul Gallen, Michael Zerafa, Tim and Nikita Tszyu, and Jeff Horn, but takes centre stage in Brisbane on Wednesday night.
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Wilson, who has already been anointed as Australia’s next world champion by promoter George Rose, will fight Argentina’s Matias Rueda for the vacant WBO International super featherweight title, on a card that will also include former Maroons stars Ben Hannant and Justin Hodges fighting each other, and top female featherweight Shannon O’Connell.
“I’ve taken a lot of risks early on in my career, and I feel like I’m being rewarded, and now it’s my turn to showcase my skills. I don’t really know how to put it into words,” Wilson said.
Wilson has never been afraid to take any fight – something that’s quickly endeared him to fans – and this is no exception. Rueda has been defeated just once in his glittering 38-fight career, and has 32 knockouts to his name.
“He’s a big puncher, and I’d like to think of myself as a big puncher, and it’s a matter of who goes down first,” he said.
“I’m not going to be going in there looking for a knockout, I’m going in there with a boxer’s mindset. And when I box, I deliver the power better.
“Moving forward in my career, I need to be taking these hard fights – and obviously that comes with a risk, and I understand that. But I also understand that winning these hard fights comes with rewards and a win here will push me up the rankings.”
The Queenslander is currently sixth in the WBO rankings, a win likely to push him into world title contention – with a title eliminator against undefeated Brit Archie Sharp, or even champion Shakur Stephenson himself, in the short-term future.
NRL great threatens to ‘flog’ opponent
But whether it’s Sharp, Stephenson, a mouth-watering fight against countryman Paul Fleming, or something else entirely, he’s ready for what comes next.
“I’m not too sure what the plan is, but a win here will put me right up the rankings, in arm’s reach of a world title – and if the opportunity were to come, and it made sense, I’d take it,” he said.
“But, I want to be prepared for a world title fight before I take it, and those guys could be Paul Fleming or Archie Sharp, and I don’t want to take a step backwards.”
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