Tevita Pangai jnr predicts he will earn more money in boxing than in the NRL and has stated a bold ambition to become heavyweight champion of the world.<\/p>\n
Pangai shocked the sporting world when he walked away from a $750,000-a-year contract at Canterbury. The 27-year-old followed in the footsteps of Anthony Mundine by walking away from a guaranteed pay cheque in a bid to make a name for himself on the world stage.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the eve of his third professional fight, against Frank Amato, \u201cTPJ\u201d is adamant he could eventually replace the likes of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk at the top of the heavyweight division.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be the best, I want to be world champ. That\u2019s what I want to do,\u201d Pangai said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be bigger than Choc [Mundine]. He\u2019s the man, but I\u2019m the \u2018Bad Man\u2019. That\u2019s my new nickname.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope Fury retires in the next two or three years, and then it hopefully opens up. He\u2019s a bit too tall for me, but anything is possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at what Jai [Australian world champion cruiserweight Jai Opetai] did on the weekend, he smashed a British guy who was six-foot-seven. It\u2019s about precision in boxing.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Tevita Pangai Jnr has big boxing plans.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Kate Geraghty, SMH<\/cite><\/p>\n Pangai believes the solitude of training alone will better suit his personality.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m my own boss, I don\u2019t have to take any orders off anyone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI was a bit of a loner in team sport anyway, I go out and do my own thing. I wasn\u2019t really a team guy. That doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m not a family guy, I just like being by myself, doing my own thing.<\/p>\n \u201cGetting told all the time what to do, I was just over it.\u201d<\/p>\n The former NSW Blues enforcer said he will train 9\u201310 hours a day to fulfil his ambition of conquering the sport. He added that he won\u2019t be sacrificing money to do so.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t leave for happiness, I left for money,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n I want to be bigger than Choc [Mundine]. He\u2019s the man, but I\u2019m the \u2018Bad Man\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cI know what I can do, I\u2019ll back myself. I will make more than $750k. I will make that this year alone.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m gonna be busy, I\u2019m going to dedicate my life. I\u2019ve already told my wife, she needs to buy into this lifestyle because I won\u2019t be at home, I will be in the gym.\u201d<\/p>\n Paulo Aokuso has cost himself a chance to contest for the IBO Intercontinental light-heavyweight title on Saturday night – and about $5000 – after failing to make the weight for his clash with Gabriel Omar Diaz.<\/p>\n Aukuso tipped the scales 1.5kg over the limit, with his Argentine opponent agreeing to allow the fight to go ahead after negotiating a financial settlement with Aukuso\u2019s team. The drama means the title will only be awarded if Diaz prevails, while Aukuso\u2019s negotiations to take on WBA super world light heavyweight champion Dmitrii Bivol and IBO world light heavyweight Lyndon Arthur have also taken a blow.<\/p>\n Aukuso\u2019s advisor, Fidel Tukel, said it was the worst preparation he had overseen in a 300-fight career.<\/p>\n Paulo Aukuso (right) wasn\u2019t able to make the weight in his fight against Gabriel Omar Diaz.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Stan Sport\/Dynamic Events<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cHis trainer suffered a massive heart attack just two-and-a-half weeks ago that required a quadruple heart bypass,\u201d Tukel said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not making excuses, it\u2019s totally unprofessional, but there are medical reasons why he hasn\u2019t made [weight]. I\u2019m his advisor and my advice to him two-and-a-half weeks ago was to pull the plug. He said no.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, the weight cut hasn\u2019t worked for him at all. We tried everything, but it wouldn\u2019t come off. The Argnetinian knows we have tried, and they have agreed to take some of his purse. We\u2019ve not only sacrificed the title, we sacrificed beating him and taking his ranking.\u201d<\/p>\n Paulo Aukuso has had a troubled build-up.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Stan Sport<\/cite><\/p>\n Aukuso is adamant he will still win via knockout.<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing about me, I was never going to pull out,\u201d Aukuso said.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of it is my fault, I didn\u2019t do things the right way. It\u2019s a lesson for me. I\u2019m still going to take this guy out on his back.\u201d<\/p>\n Eels props Campbell-Gillard and Junior Paulo have often been described as the best one-two punch in the NRL. Now they can prove that is literally the case.<\/p>\n The pair have been sparring each other regularly ahead of their respective fights.<\/p>\n Cowboys star Jason Taumalolo is ready for this boxing debut.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Dynamic Events<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cJunior was one of the main pushes to do it,\u201d Campbell-Gillard said.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing my trainer partner as well made it a bit easier. Junior is the better one, he\u2019s very good. Over the last two weeks, he\u2019s sharpened me up.\u201d<\/p>\n This will be the boxing debuts for both Campbell-Gillard and Jason Taumalolo.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nerve-wracking, I haven\u2019t stepped into the ring and neither has he,\u201d Taumalolo said. \u201cThere\u2019s a bit of uncertainty, but that will all go away when the bell rings.\u201d<\/p>\n Nelson Asofa-Solomona\u2019s two-metre frame weighed in at 131.6kg.<\/p>\n The Storm behemoth struggled to find an opponent prepared to stand in front of him until Jarrod Wallace obliged.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can go one of two ways,\u201d Asofa-Solomona predicted. \u201cHe can get punishment for three rounds straight or I finish it early, and we can get to the roulette table or play some blackjack together and just chill out.\u201d<\/p>\n Melbourne Storm forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona will make his boxing debut at the Battle on the Reef.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Dynamic Events<\/cite><\/p>\n There is not a more imposing figure in the NRL and fans will be intrigued to see whether \u201cBig Nasty\u201d can marry pugilism and power. Not that Wallace is concerned.<\/p>\n \u201cDefinitely not,\u201d Wallace said when asked if the plan was to trade blows while standing toe-to-toe.<\/p>\n \u201cSix foot seven and 135kg, that\u2019s not the plan. I\u2019m going to make sure if he wants the win, he\u2019s going to have to come and take it.\u201d<\/p>\n The departure of Paul Gallen from the boxing scene has left a void for a big-name NRL player to fill. Junior Paulo believes that could be him.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst and foremost, I\u2019m a rugby league player, every day,\u201d Paulo said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou wanna be able to respect the sport of boxing and you gotta be able to put in the hard work. I\u2019ll take it fight by fight but who knows, I could maybe transition into it full-time. It\u2019s something that I\u2019ll definitely be comfortable doing.\u201d<\/p>\nPaulo Aokuso v Gabriel Omar Diaz<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Reagan Campbell-Gillard v Jason Taumalolo (heavyweight)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Nelson Asofa-Solomona v Jarrod Wallace (heavyweight)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Junior Paulo v Ben Hannant (heavyweight)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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