Lucas Browne believes he’ll have a whole nation supporting him when he steps into the ring to face WBA heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev in Grozny on Saturday night (March 5).
While there will be few Australians to cheer him on in the arena this weekend, Browne feels everyone in his homeland will be turning on their TV sets and hoping for him to make history.
Australia is yet to have a world champion in the heavyweight division so the hard-hitting Sydney-native has the opportunity to turn himself into a national hero.
“I’ve been training very well and I know I’ve got 24 million Australians back home supporting me,” he said.
“I don’t think about not winning. I’ve trained to win and that’s what I’m here to do. I don’t want to let my countrymen down.
“I’ve had three months away from my family. It’s been very hard but it’s going to be worth it.”
In a division filled with the likes of Deontay Wilder, David Haye and Tyson Fury, confrontations are commonplace amongst boxing’s biggest men, but Browne says he feels no animosity towards Chagaev.
“I have no reason to hate Chagaev whatsoever. We are two warriors who are coming to fight. He’s a family man with a wife and children and so am I. We are both here just to do a job.
“He is experienced. He’s fought big fights but I’m taller and I have a lot of power. I’ve trained for the 12 rounds. I’m fit and I’m prepared to go 12 rounds. If the moment is there, of course I’ll take it to knock him out.”
