NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Boxing

Boxing: Heavyweight on the mind

Paul Lewis
By Paul Lewis
Contributing Sports Writer·Herald on Sunday·
19 Oct, 2013 04:30 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Alex Leapai is due here next week. Photo / Getty Images

Alex Leapai is due here next week. Photo / Getty Images

World title-seeking heavyweights are beginning to congregate in Auckland, with Samoan-born, Brisbane-based boxer Alex Leapai due to arrive next week to spar with David Tua's next opponent, highly-ranked Russian giant Alexander Ustinov.

In the strange way of boxing, sparring partner Leapai has possibly the best opportunity to get a world title shot against Wladimir Klitschko who, with brother Vitali, has dominated the division for so long.

Leapai, now 34 and the owner of a big right hand punch and a 29 wins, 4 losses and 3 draws record, is due to fight undefeated German-based Russian heavyweight Denis Boytsov, 27, on November 24 in Germany.

It is an eliminator bout for a mandatory challenge against Wladimir Klitchsko.

Leapai's strong right hand will be of obvious value to Ustinov ahead of his bout with Tua on November 16. Tua is another big puncher with a comparatively short frame - though Tua's left has deservedly earned more fame - in another bout where both boxers are jockeying for a shot at Klitschko. That is a prospect made more likely by the fact that Ustinov hails from the K2 stable operated by the Klitschko brothers.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But Leapai has a sniff at a mandatory challenge and, even though most boxing analysts think Boytsov, the current WBO European champion, might be a step too far for him, the Russian has one of those carefully-compiled, risk-managed records of 33 fights, all wins, 26 by knockout.

As boxing aficionados often ask: has he fought anyone with a pulse?

Boytsov's best win, arguably, came over 38-year-old Dominick Guinn in April last year - a 10-round unanimous decision over a fighter who has, at one time or another, matched up against title contenders like Tomasz Adamek, Kubrat Pulev, James Toney, Tony Thompson, Audley Harrison, Eddie Chambers, Monte Barrett (conqueror of Tua) and Michael Grant. If he lost most of those bouts (he beat only Harrison and Grant), Guinn is nevertheless a handy customer.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But the point remains: Leapai has a puncher's chance and he will relish sparring against the huge Ustinov as preparation for Boytsov. Leapai's best scalp was Travis Walker, a powerful American who has also been up against contenders like Adamek, Pulev, Ruslan Chagaev and Chris Arreola (losing to all).

All except Pulev have fought and lost to Wladimir Klitschko; Pulev beat Ustinov in the latter's last fight but one, his first loss.

Leapai knocked 32-year-old Walker out two years ago and was then TKO'd himself in his biggest fight, against US heavyweight Kevin Johnson. The latter became an instant contender by holding the then highly ranked fighter Timur Ibragimov to a draw early in his career and because of his Klitschko-like heavy jab. However, he went the distance with, but was easily defeated by, Vitali Klitschko in a title bout in 2009.

There is no firm suggestion yet that the winner of Tua-Ustinov will get a title fight against Wladimir (Vitali has not fought for over a year, is now 42 and is popularly supposed to be inching into retirement). But either the enormous Ustinov (2.03m and 136kg) or the hard-punching Tua could be regarded as the kind of opponent Klitschko may seek.

Discover more

Boxing

Boxing: Cut delays stern test for Parker

12 Oct 04:30 PM
Boxing

Boxing: Parker confirms March fight

14 Oct 10:37 PM
Boxing

UFC: Hunt loses beef for Silva bout

18 Oct 04:30 PM
Boxing

Boxing: New man in Tua's corner

21 Oct 04:30 PM

The latter easily defended his title against another Russian and supposed threat, Alexander Povetkin, on October 10, but the fight was a tedious leaning-and-clinching affair of little entertainment. Klitschko is 10 title defences away from setting a world record for heavyweight title defences, is now 37, and will be looking for opponents to break Joe Louis' record of 25 consecutive title defences, set between 1937 and 1949.

But even in the likely event that Klitschko breaks that record, he will almost certainly never capture the aura of greatness that surrounds past heavyweight champions like Louis, Muhammad Ali and even Lennox Lewis - and at the moment he is still four fights away from equalling the record of 20 successful defences put together by the underrated Larry Holmes, whose crime was simply that he followed Ali as titleholder.\

The heavyweights

Wladimir Klitschko

Titles: IBF, WBO, WBA and IBO world champion

Fights: 64

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Wins: 61 (51 KO)

Losses: 3

Height & weight: 1.98cm, 112kg

Denis Boytsov

Ranked 3rd in world by WBA

Titles: WBO European champion, WBA inter-continental champion

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Fights: 33

Wins: 33 (26 KO)

Losses: 0

Height & weight: 1.85cm, 100kg

Alex Leapai

Ranked 9th by WBO

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Titles: WBO Asia-Pacific champion; WBO Oriental champion

Fights: 36

Wins: 29 (24 KO)

Losses: 4 (3 draws)

Height & weight: 1.83m, 106kg

Alexander Ustinov

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Ranked 11th by WBA, 8th by IBF

Titles: IBO inter-continental champion, EBA European champion

Fights: 29

Wins: 28 (21 KO)

Losses: 1

Height & weight: 2.02m, 136kg

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

David Tua

Not ranked internationally

Titles: Nil

Fights: 58

Wins: 52 (43 KO)

Losses: 4 (2 draws)

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Height & weight: 1.78cm, unknown

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Boxing

Boxing

'No truth in it': Gallen hits back at SBW claims

19 Jun 04:00 AM
Premium
Boxing

'Understand the magnitude': Inside the mind of Sonny Bill Williams

14 Jun 12:02 AM
New Zealand

Inside the mind of Sonny Bill Williams ahead of his biggest bout yet.

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Boxing

'No truth in it': Gallen hits back at SBW claims

'No truth in it': Gallen hits back at SBW claims

19 Jun 04:00 AM

Gallen and Williams will square off over eight two-minute rounds in Sydney in July.

Premium
'Understand the magnitude': Inside the mind of Sonny Bill Williams

'Understand the magnitude': Inside the mind of Sonny Bill Williams

14 Jun 12:02 AM
Inside the mind of Sonny Bill Williams ahead of his biggest bout yet.

Inside the mind of Sonny Bill Williams ahead of his biggest bout yet.

'Watch your mouth, bro': SBW's warning to Ryan Bridge

'Watch your mouth, bro': SBW's warning to Ryan Bridge

13 Jun 12:27 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP