‘All power to him’: SBW hands down verdict of Australia’s next big thing

5 hours ago 3

Sonny Bill Williams says Logan fighter Alex Leapai Junior has the raw power and the boxing pedigree to be a star on the global stage, as the boxer prepares to step back into the ring Wednesday night.

Leapai Junior, whose father Alex Leapai Senior was once a world title contender, will don the gloves as a professional for a sixth time this week in the undercard for the Williams bout with fellow former rugby league player-turned-fighter Paul Gallen.

But Williams’ connection with the Leapai clan began many years earlier. Ahead of his high-profile clash, the dual-rugby code star recalled to this masthead a sparring session with Leapai Senior about 16 years ago.

Sonny Bill Williams will take on Paul Gallen on Wednesday night, with Alex Leapai Junior on the undercard.

And he believed Leapai Junior had the tools to go where his dad fell agonisingly short.

The 19-year-old took the bold step of walking away from his NRL pursuits with the Gold Coast Titans in favour of the sport his father made his name.

While Leapai Senior never became world champion, losing his heavyweight unification clash with Wladimir Klitschko in 2014, Junior’s fight with Herve Silu Mata on Wednesday night will mark another chapter in his journey.

Leapai Junior has an undefeated record to his name – four wins, three by knockout, and a draw with Tim Tusa.

While he has shown same strength which made him one of the Titans’ most promising front-row prospects, Williams saw a maturity which defied his tender years that had him on course for success in the ring.

“I think that’s what boxing breeds. With my kids, I would love them to box but not to fight, to handle themselves and give themselves confidence,” Williams told this masthead.

“You see a lot of fighters who know how to throw a punch, but you’ve got to be disciplined and see how they carry themselves, how they speak, and he’s one of those guys. All power to him.

“He’s got some power, he’s young and he’s a big boy. He knows his way around the ring, so I think he’s in the best place.

“He comes from boxing pedigree, he’s been doing it since he was young and those are the things you can’t really teach when you get older. I know because I’ve tried to learn them.”

It has been three years since Williams last put the gloves on for a fight, having taken time away from competing to focus on his family.

The now 39-year-old spent 15 years reaching the pinnacle of rugby league, rugby union and boxing, and he admits that focus stole his attention from his wife and children.

He said it made his decision to return to boxing’s unforgiving environment a tough one.

“I remember when I first retired, after about a year I had a mad conversation with my wife, I turned to her and said ‘forgive me’. I said just forgive me for being an arsehole for the last 20 years or 15 years,” Williams said.

“To be the best sportsman you can be I’ve got to sleep at the right time, I’ve got to eat this type of food, I’ve got to do this recovery. I love my wife and kids, but I’m a sportsman.

“She was like ‘thanks for understanding and actually seeing how tough it was being a wife sometimes’. All sportsmen will go through that because we’re so dedicated, and it’s so ingrained in you to be the best version of yourself but be selfish to an extent.

“Now it’s about trying to be the best family man and man of faith that I can be and person in the community.”

Williams’ bout with Gallen on Wednesday – to be broadcast on Stan Sport – has been one which, for fans, has been a decade in the making.

But for the dual-code great, that has not been the case. Despite calls for the former NRL victors to clash, it did not sit right with him.

Until now.

“He’s been calling out for 10 years, and for five years I was playing for the All Blacks or travelling the world, so I wasn’t keen to get back in the ring,” Williams said.

“I knew he was always talking smack, but it didn’t really faze me. I knew he was probably just doing it to sell his fights, so when I dedicated myself to boxing, and we were about to make this fight happen that’s when I was keen.

“There’s been no shortage of want for this fight – it’s the first time I’ve actually jumped in the ring and been like ‘bro, this is a fight I’m keen for’ because of what this guy represents.”