Boxing: Junior Fa out to continue climb

Junior Fa. Photo / Photosport

After locking in three more fights with American promoter Lou di Bella, New Zealand heavyweight Junior Fa has a lot to be excited about.

Three victories will increase his world rankings significantly but Fa's first priority is to put on a better display in his next bout after admitting trying to pummel his last opponent into oblivion without engaging his boxing brain.

Most importantly, Fa maintained his undefeated professional record with a victory over Craig Lewis in Deadwood, South Dakota, in March, but it was via a majority decision and not his best performance despite him going into it in the best physical shape of his life.

That may have been the issue, the 28-year-old confirming in an interview with the Herald on Sunday that overconfidence and a neglect of the basics left him disappointed afterwards despite him dominating all eight rounds.

"The biggest thing for me was my mental approach to the fight," he said. "I went in there too excited. I wasted a lot of my energy on basically trying to land big, big shots without setting them up. I didn't let my punches flow.

"I bring that back to my mindset. I was so confident in my physical ability, I basically left my boxing brain at home. I didn't use my skills, I forgot about my speed, I was fully dependent on my physical talent rather than bringing in my boxing brain."

Fa's first opportunity to put that right will be in mid-June. His opponent will be either a Ghanaian or an American and the venue is also yet to be confirmed but is likely to be in Auckland or the United States.

After packing a lot of development into the first two years of his professional career — Fa has fought 14 times after turning pro in 2016 — he is entering a more challenging phase as he builds towards a potential world title challenge next year.

"In boxing terms, I'm getting out of that prospect stage into more of a contender stage," he said. "They're putting me up against tougher opponents and testing me a bit.

"I'm excited for my next fight because I will come in a bit lighter, a bit faster, a bit stronger. Also I get to work on the mental things, which basically stopped me in the last fight."

To assist his preparation, American Malik Scott will travel to Auckland to help with the sparring phase of Fa's camp.

Scott will arrive fresh off helping David Haye prepare for his fight against Tony Bellew to be staged in London this morning.

Immediately before that, the effervescent Scott trained with Joseph Parker for the Kiwi's world heavyweight unification fight against Anthony Joshua in Cardiff.

Fa said he was looking forward to linking with the 38-year-old who has been in the ring with men such as Deontay Wilder and Tony Thompson.

"I get the energy he brings into camp and I get to learn some of the knowledge he has," Fa said. "He's been in the game a long time and has faced some names."

WBC world champion Wilder is one of those names and the American, also promoted by di Bella, could be on Fa's radar as early as next year.

Wilder and Joshua are in negotiations to unify all four of the recognised world titles and Fa feels having di Bella also looking after his interests could assist with his goal of fighting either man in the near future.

"It's great to be under him because pretty soon I think Anthony Joshua v Deontay Wilder will be in the making," said Fa. "By the time I get up there, I think Lou di Bella will be the perfect promoter because he's dealt with Eddie Hearn and all the top promoters."