Boxing: World title shot in reach for Kiwi David Light with potential WBO cruiserweight title eliminator

Kiwi cruiserweight boxer David Light is 19-0 as a professional. Photo / Photosport

When David Light reflects on his recovery from an Achilles tendon injury, he credits the wisdom of Mike Tyson for guiding him through it.

The Kiwi cruiserweight boxer was sidelined in May last year after a competitive shuttle session with some teammates from Auckland’s Peach Boxing stable took a horrible turn. On the final stretch, he heard a “massive crack” when he pushed off and fell to the ground in pain.

“The coach was away helping another guy fighting in Aussie that night, so he was not too happy when we rang him after and told him what we were doing,” Light told the Weekend Herald.

“Shuttles are pretty much out of it now; we still do it as a team but we definitely don’t race.”

Rather than use the recovery period from the injury to take a break, Light was back in the gym after a week — with that week off only coming as he wasn’t allowed to drive.

He was severely limited in what he could do for training, sitting on a box or the side of the ring to hit pads or a bag and working on his mobility in a swimming pool.

Ahead of his WBO cruiserweight title eliminator against unbeaten American Brandon Glanton in Florida today, Light said it proved to be an important practice.

“I took some wisdom from Mike Tyson. He said when he started to go downhill was when he stopped turning up to the gym, so I just made sure, no matter what, I was turning up to the gym,” Light said.

Between the pandemic and his injury, Light was out of action for 18 months, before returning in May this year in emphatic fashion with a first-round knockout against highly touted American Anthony Martinez in Florida.

He followed that up with a second-round knockout win in October to improve his record to 19-0 and earn his place at No 6 in the WBO and No 9 in the IBF cruiserweight rankings.

Today’s bout against Glanton (17-0; 14 KO) shapes as the biggest of his career, with the winner expected to be named the mandatory challenger to Lawrence Okolie’s WBO title.

Glanton is ranked No 7 by the WBO and No 9 by the WBA, and has proven power.

Light, whose amateur career included a Commonwealth Games silver medal, believes he has some important advantages over his athletic opponent.

“I think because we have this fight when all the other (top) cruiserweights are avoiding each other, the WBO said we should be rewarded with a shot. Neither me nor my opponent are thinking about Okolie; we’re just thinking of getting past this. It’s a big test and we have to finish the job if we want to reap the rewards.

“He’s tough, he’s gritty, he packs a big punch and really wants it. But I’ve watched loads of his content on YouTube and I don’t see much of a boxer there.

“You’ve got to have more than all those attributes I just described; you’ve got to have boxing prowess and I just don’t see that in him.”