Aussies on the rise 2019: Part one

It’s that time of year when we look back over the past 12 months and forward to the new year. In my annual review of Aussie boxers, I list the ones to watch by division in 2019. To keep things interesting I have decided not to nominate the same boxer in my column twice. I have also included a review of the previous year’s nominee to see how close – or far – I was from the mark.

HEAVYWEIGHT: Willis ‘The Hitman’ Meehan 7-0 (6)

The son of former WBO heavyweight title challenger Kali Meehan, the six-foot-five, 280-pound southpaw brings power, pedigree and unusual athleticism for such a big man to the ring. After more than two-years out of the game Meehan returned with a vengeance in 2018, bowling over Jonasa Kavika 3-1 (2) of Fiji in two rounds in July and Hungarian Richard Nemeth 3-1 (3) in a single frame in November.

A skilled and talented rugby league forward, the 23-year-old will have to decide sooner or later which sport to dedicate his time and effort to. As of right now, he is doing a handy job of competing at both.

Meehan already has two assignments locked in for the new year starting with a fight in Sydney on February 8 against TBA followed by a six-round bout three weeks later in Melbourne against Julian Esteban Ruiz. Activity is the key to Meehan developing as a pro and if he sticks to his early schedule for 2019, there’s no reason he can’t be challenging for the national crown or regional honours before the end of the year.

LAST YEAR: Demsey ‘The Tower of Terror’ McKean 13-0 (7)

Southpaw McKean spent much of the year on the sidelines recovering from hand surgery to fix ligament damage to his right hand before returning to the ring in October. An easy sixth round stoppage of former super middleweight fringe contender Victor Oganov in an eight round contest was followed by a TKO4 win over the ageing Roger Izonritei in defence of his national crown in December. The ‘Tower of Terror’ recently called out former WBA ‘regular’ champion Lucas ‘Big Daddy’ Browne, a big step up in class but not an impossible one considering the Perth banger’s indifferent form of late.

CRUISERWEIGHT: Jayden ‘Plugger’ Nichols 7-1-1 (1)

The nuggetty Tasmanian has all the attributes you like to see in a prizefighter: a willingness to take on bigger men on the road despite his diminutive stature and a heart the size of Phar Lap. Nichols, who is almost always at a height and reach deficit, has to work harder than most to close the distance but he fights well out of the pocket and knows how to pick his shots well.

This year saw him claim the vacant national crown against Uria Afamasaga in April before losing the belt in his first defence on points to Ben Kelleher in Queensland in July by scores of 94-97, 93-97 and 91-99.

Next up he faces veteran Kane Watts in Melbourne, a fight where he will again be the underdog. But providing he can keep his workrate up in the mid-rounds, it’s a fight I believe he can win on points.

LAST YEAR: Jai Opetaia 16-0 (13)

It’s impossible to fault Opetaia’s 2018 campaign with three fights for three wins all within three rounds against solid opposition. Ben Kelleher was stopped in the third round of his Australian title challenge in January, while Germany’s Lukas Paszkowsky didn’t make it past the second round in April. Tough Queenslander Kurtis Pegoraro didn’t fare much better, getting knockout out in two frames in June. The only thing that slowed down his progress was his twice-postponed fight against IBF number seven Bilal Laggoune in Belgium, which will now take place on March 22. Opetaia is ranked number nine by the WBO.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT: Reagan ‘The President’ Dessaix 16-1 (11)

In a really tough call I have nominated youth over experience here as former world title challenger Blake Caparello could’ve easily filled this slot. The black mark against ‘Il Capo’ was his decision loss to world-rated Isaac Chilemba in a fight he looked to have in the bag going in to the final four rounds. Instead, I have chosen ‘The President’ Reagan Dessaix as my one to watch in the 175-pound weight class.

The 22-year-old Dessaix, who is ranked WBA number 13, had a breakthrough year highlighted by a stunning second round knockout over experienced campaigner Steve Lovett 17-3 (13) in November. Early in the year he posted wins over Shintaro Matsumoto of Japan by TKO4 in March, a KO2 over Peter Ato Ricketts of Ghana in May and six-round shutout over Michael Van Nimwegan in August.

The uber-confident Dessaix faces his toughest test to date when he travels to Melbourne to face WBC number 10 and WBO number 12 Caparello on February 22 in what will be a real litmus test for the rising star. One thing is for sure, Dessaix won’t die wondering.

LAST YEAR: Damien ‘Super’ Hooper 14-1 (9)

In his lone fight for 2018 Hooper engaged in one of the best fights of the year. His knockdown, drag-out brawl with Renold Quinlan in defence of his WBO International title had everything you want in a boxing contest. WBO number eight Hooper controlled the early rounds before being hurt and dropped twice in the fifth before rallying to finish off Quinlan in the ninth and penultimate round. At the time of the stoppage Hooper was leading by three points on two of the judges’ scorecard and trailing by a point on the third. Unfortunately persistent legal trouble has sidelined Hooper for the rest of the year but there are plans for the rangy boxer-puncher to return to the ring in Sydney on February 8.

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT: Jayde ‘El Matador’ Mitchell 18-1 (9)

In a lineball call I opted for the slick boxing Mitchell here over power-puncher Bilal Akkawy, both of whom had tremendous years. In the end I felt ‘J-Mitch’ was closer to the finished product while Akkawy still needs a little more polish to deliver on his enormous potential.

Coming off neck surgery in late 2017 Mitchell returned to the ring in March to knockout Ariel Zampedri in three before turning back the tough challenge of Kerry Foley over 10 rounds in September. Foley had Mitchell in trouble in the middle rounds but the smart-boxing Mitchell managed to survive those shaky moments to sweep the later rounds and win a competitive but clear-cut decision by scores of 97-93 across the board. A 10-round points win over survival-minded Kim Poulsen in December was something of a non-event but if nothing else it gave Mitchell some ring time to close out the year.

The 32-year-old Mornington Peninsula pugilist, who is ranked WBA number 10 and WBC number 12, is conscious that the clock is ticking on his career and is keen to chase the big fights in 2019.