A tower of patience
McKEAN TO END 14-MONTH DROUGHT
CHAMPION Gold Coast heavyweight boxer Demsey McKean is not a superstitious person but he is pulling every trick to ensure Kiwi Kiki Toa Leutele is in the other corner when the bell goes for their fight on Saturday.
The 30-year-old McKean, Australia’s highest worldranked heavyweight, has not fought since March last year.
While COVID turned most of 2020 into a write-off, it’s the four false starts since December that have stretched his patience. He hopes Leutele changes his luck and shows up.
Standing 198cm with a reach of 212cm and weighing about 113kg, McKean is known as the Tower of Terror and should have made his return to the ring in December but his scheduled opponent Bowie Tupou withdrew weeks before the event.
Since then three more bouts were cancelled as lockdowns and travel restrictions left his manager and promoter Angelo Di Carlo, from Ace Boxing Group, pulling out what hair he had left on his head.
The December cancellation was the most frustrating.
Tupou’s late decision left no time to find an opponent for the fight that would have brought massive exposure on the undercard for a program featuring Tim Tszyu, former NRL star Paul Gallen and former mixed martial artist (MMA) and UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt.
McKean feels like he has been on the longest training camp possible since December so will be stepping into the ring at Brisbane’s Mansfield Tavern on Saturday with excitement finally replacing the frustration of the past six months.
Even his last fight against American Jonathan Rice 14 months ago at The Star Gold Coast almost didn’t happen after original opponent Lucas Browne signed a contract only to then withdraw after having second thoughts about fighting McKean.
“To be so close to the fights and preparing hard, it is disheartening and was getting frustrating at times but you just keep training,” McKean said.
“You try to peak with your preparation so we’d be getting to a point and then coming down, then another fight is scheduled so we get back up towards fight ready and have to back off again.
“It’s not just physically preparing but you’re looking forward to a fight so you’re mentally preparing as well and then all of a sudden you have
I DON’T THINK THERE IS ANY MONEY IN A FIGHT WITH ME FOR PAUL GALLEN, I’M NOT THE HOUSEHOLD NAME, NOT A FOOTY PLAYER OR CELEBRITY, SO IT WOULD BE VERY HARD TO MAKE THAT FIGHT.
to back off. It does feel like the world’s longest fight camp as the only break was a couple of weeks in December.”
Considering he has been out of the ring for 14 months, McKean’s rise up the rankings has been swift.
After a 10-year MMA career mainly in Ipswich, McKean only started boxing less than seven years ago after taking a fight on a day’s notice.
The $1200 seemed a fairly handsome prize at that stage. Then as the grappling and wrestling in MMA were causing injury issues for someone his size, he took the opportunity to lock in his second professional boxing fight nine months later.
Six years on and McKean boasts an undefeated professional record of 18 wins with 12 by knockout and he is ranked the No.12 heavyweight in the world by the International Boxing Federation and the World Boxing Organisation.
He started boxing with Kyle Brumby at Corporate Box in Ipswich and in 2018 joined trainer Stephen Ng at Matrix Boxing Gym in Ashmore.
McKean is a former Australian heavyweight champion, former World Boxing Organisation Africa heavyweight champion and the current International Boxing Federation InterContinental champion and World Boxing Organisation Asia Pacific champion.
His past nine wins have come via stoppage.
But don’t expect him to become part of the Paul
Gallen circus. McKean is last thing Gallen wants and it has nothing to do with boxing.
Despite being the highest world-ranked heavyweight in Australia, outside the sport of boxing McKean is largely unknown.
For the prize-fighting Gallen, a mystery name in the public eye like McKean simply won’t generate the cash. Hardly worth it as he is also likely to get beaten against someone of McKean’s skill level.
The former Cronulla, NSW and Australian rugby league front-rower takes on his biggest challenge when he meets Olympic medal contender and Australian heavyweight champion Justis Huni in June.
Gallen has nothing to lose. While easily possessing the best skills of the rugby leaguecum-boxing crossovers, he will be vastly outclassed by Huni but will walk away with most of the fight purse. Job done.
“I don’t think there is any money in a fight with me for
Paul Gallen,” McKean said. “I’m not the household name, not a footy player or celebrity, so it would be very hard to make that fight.
“He says he is not interested in rankings, just making money and good on him. To his credit, Paul Gallen is doing what anyone would do in his situation. He has an opportunity to make some
money and have a bit of fun in the process.”
Pro fighting can be just as much negotiation as it is skill inside the ring. It’s a numbers game and more so in the heavyweight division than any other.
Fights simply don’t happen because someone calls someone else out on Instagram.
In McKean’s case, as Australia’s top-ranked heavyweight he gets called out regularly, particularly as he has ranking points from his regional titles.
“It doesn’t look good on us to just be fighting anyone,” he said.
“It is a numbers game at the top. We’ve done the hard yards over the years to get the ranking. It’s essential for these other guys who are on the way up to work hard so they deserve their shot.”
McKean is a refreshing change in that while wanting to have a shot at several major names on the world stage, he sees no point in calling out anyone and remains realistic on any potential opponents.
One that did make sense while COVID restrictions limited travel was a South Pacific showdown between McKean and former Kiwi world champion Joseph Parker.
The 29-year-old Parker, who held the WBO heavyweight title between 2016 and 2018, defeated UK fighter Derek Chisora by split decision in Manchester two weeks ago and could be poised to again be positioned as the mandatory challenger for another world title.
But McKean doesn’t believe a fight with Parker will happen.
“I would love that fight but I doubt we’d be on his radar now. I honestly think he is on a different path.
“I would take it in a heartbeat but I can’t see it as he’ll be moving up in the rankings plus he and Chisora may be having a rematch.”
McKean’s future is overseas and as he looks for opponents there are several training centres in both the US and the UK that would offer valuable experience and regular, high-quality sparring. Finding quality heavyweight sparring is difficult in Australia.
McKean brings soughtafter skills to the ring for any potential sparring partners. He is taller than most in his division, has a long reach with a powerful jab and as a southpaw provides an awkward proposition.
It was for these attributes that had McKean mentioned as a potential opponent for UK world champion Tyson Fury late last year.
But McKean’s eyes are firmly set on Saturday against Leutele. The Kiwi is unbeaten with seven wins, six by knockout, and two draws.
McKean has been sparring with two vastly different fighters for preparation – big-punching Toowoomba heavyweight Herman Ene-Purcell and tall and rangy Brisbane fighter Teremoana Junior.
“It was good to get consistent rounds because there just aren’t too many bigger boys around.
“Herman is a short, stocky guy who comes forward and throws bombs, while Teremoana moves really well for a big man and is quite crafty so it was good to get the different styles.
“Kiki mostly has KO wins and stopped a lot of those before the second and third round. I’m pretty sure he’ll come in pretty heavy in the first four rounds and will probably feel that is where he has his best chance of taking me out.
“I’ve no doubt he will have plenty of power. But it’s the heavyweights … who doesn’t?”