Lucas Browne has been smashing his sparring partners in preparation for his March 5 WBA heavyweight title challenge against Ruslan Chagaev.
The Aussie has shared the ring with a variety of boxers in order to be at his best and few have been able to mix it with him for too long.
Earlier this week, Browne took part in an opening sparring session in front of the media, and most scribes went away believing they had seen a man on fire.
“I’ve never sparred better than this,” Browne, 23-0 (20 KOs), said. “I’m so pumped for this fight that I’ve been able to blast my way through each session.
“Nothing will stop me from winning the WBA world title on March 6 (Australian time).
“I’m going to bring my own brand of violence into the ring vs Chagaev and won’t stop until he’s out. I’ve never liked going to the judges because when you knock someone out there can be no discussion as to who won the fight, it’s obvious.
“I think people are going to be surprised when I turn up in such tremendous shape and I’m going to do things in there that people haven’t really seen me do before.
“I don’t want to give too much away but all I can say is that all the hard work I’ve done with Rodney Williams is going to pay off.
“I’ve been getting some great advice from the likes of Larry Holmes, Joe Bugner, Riddick Bowe and Hasim Rahman. Having all their support really boosts me. I’m ready to be Australia’s first world heavyweight champion.”
Matt Clark, Browne’s long-time manager, has certainly been impressed by what he has seen from his charge in the gym.
He said: “In the past Lucas has had to go easy on sparring partners because it’s really hard to get decent sparring in Australia. This time specific sparring has been brought in and Lucas hasn’t had to hold back. At times, it’s been absolutely brutal.
“Lucas is at a career best weight, his preparation has been perfect, he’s focused on Chagaev and he’s being very destructive in the gym.
“We are delighted with how he’s travelling and all his hard work is going to pay off. This all spells great news for Browne in the biggest fight of his career.”
Chagaev v Browne is due to begin around 11.30pm (Moscow time) on March 5. For Aussie fight fans than means a start of around 7.30am on March 6 (Melbourne time). UK viewers should tune in before 8.30pm.
