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Who are the best Australian fighters?
There is an argument in Hollywood that when you want to cast the real tough guys in a film, then you have to go to Australia.
But the Land Down Under has rarely featured heavily on the international boxing scene, despite great fighters such as Jeff Fenech, 29-3-1 (21); Danny Green, 36-5-0 (28); and Anthony Mundine, 48-11-0 (28).
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However, 2025 and 2026 looks to see some kind of resurgence in Antipodean boxing, with a host of good and potentially great fighters coming from Australia.
Jai Opetaia, 28-0 (22)
Current IBF cruiserweight champion Opetaia last fought in June when he dominated, then stopped, the Italian Claudio Squeo, 17-1 (9), in five rounds. Since then, the boxer has been pursuing a unification fight with WBA and WBO champion Gilberto Ramirez, 48-1 (30).
Undefeated, Opetaia has shown no compunction about travelling to face opponents, with only two of his six most-recent fights taking place on home soil. In that time, he has travelled three times to Saudi Arabia, where he holds victories over Jack Massey, Mairis Briedis (a rematch), and Ellis Zorro; and once to the UK, where he beat Jordan Thompson in four rounds in 2023.
While Chris Billam-Smith, 21-2 (13), and Roman Fress, 22-1 (13), are hanging around the top level at cruiserweight, a fight between Opetaia and Ramirez remains the division’s biggest match-up – if Jake Paul does not decide to take on either man.
Skye Nicholson, 13-1 (2)
Last seen in the UK in July when stopping Carla Camila Campos Gonzales, 9-3-0 (8), in two rounds, Nicholson has spent her career bouncing between states, only fighting twice at home in a thirteen-fight career. So far, she has graced rings within the US, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and the UK.
After winning the vacant WBC featherweight title with a decision over Sarah Mahfoud, 14-1-0 (3), in Las Vegas in April 2024, Nicholson defended her belt successfully against Dyana Vargas, 19-1-0 (2), and Raven Chapman, 9-0-0 (2), before dropping a split decision against Tiara Brown, 18-0-0 (11), in Sydney in March. She has fought once since then, the stoppage over Gonzales, and is set to face Urvashi Singh, 12-3 (7) at the end of the month – back in Australia.
Liam Paro, 26-1 (16)
A former 140lb champion, Paro took a fifth-round stoppage over Jonathan Navarro, 18-1 (9), in June after losing his IBF title to Richardson Hitchins, 18-0 (7), in December. That fight against Navarro marked the first time in nearly three years and just as many fights since Paro had last fought in Australia.
Paro originally won his IBF title with a unanimous decision over Subriel Matias, 20-1 (20), in June last year. That followed wins for the WBO ‘global’ 140lb title over Brock Jarvis, 20-0-0 (18), and Montana Love, 18-1-1 (9).
Looking ahead, Paro recently announced on Instagram that he was hoping to move up a division to 147lbs, with two fights at the new weight before the end of the year.
Sam Goodman, 20-0 (8)
The featherweight from New South Wales is set to face Nick Ball, 22-0-1 (13), in Riyadh next week on the undercard of the match between Moses Itauma and Dillian Whyte.
That match, which will take place live on DAZN, will see Goodman travel for the first time out of Australia. He goes into the fight with one victory in 2025, a decision in Sydney over ten rounds against Cesar Vaca Espinoza, 19-1-1 (12).
While Goodman has yet to win a world title, he will be looking to take the WBA featherweight crown after cancelled bouts against Naoya Inoue in 2024.
Tim Tszyu, 25-3 (18)
His star has dimmed in recent years, with losses in three of his last four bouts, but Tszyu remains one of the biggest Australian names in the sport.
Son of Hall-of-Fame fighter Kostya Tszyu, Tim Tszyu took the WHO super-welterweight title in 2023 with a decision over Tony Harrison, 29-3-1 (21), in Sydney. After two defences, Tszyu lost to Sebastian Fundora, 20-1-1 (13) by split decision in 2024.
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He then challenged the iron-handed and underrated Bakhram Murtazaliev, 22-0 (16), at the end of last year in Orlando, Florida, but was stopped abruptly in three. A win over the nondescript Joseph Spencer, 19-1 (11), followed in Aril this year, before Fundora beat him a second time last month – this time by stoppage in seven rounds.
Nikita Tszyu, 10-0 (8)
As one Tszyu’s career goes into decline, it may be the turn of younger brother Nikita to step up. Also the son of Kostya Tszyu, Nikita Tszyu is set to fight Lulzim Ismaili over ten rounds in Sydney just under two weeks from today.
So far, so undefeated, although against largely undistinguished competition (but that is to be expected at this stage of his career), this Tszyu is yet to fight out of Australia. Despite that, the nation’s TV companies are starting to pay attention, and it is noticeable that the venues are becoming more prominent – Nikita Tszyu’s last and next fights both taking place at the 3,500-seat ICC Exhibition Centre in Sydney.
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