{"id":381418,"date":"2024-04-03T01:30:18","date_gmt":"2024-04-03T01:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=381418"},"modified":"2024-04-03T02:03:11","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T02:03:11","slug":"lionheart-jr-to-inflict-scary-power-on-boxing-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=381418","title":{"rendered":"'Lionheart Jr' to inflict scary power on boxing world"},"content":{"rendered":"

A\ufeffDELAIDE:<\/strong> It is almost 10 years to the day since Australia's Alex Leapai fought Ukraine legend Wladimir Klitschko<\/a> for the world heavyweight title in Germany.<\/p>\n

Leapai was outclassed but his 'Lionheart' \ufeffnickname and reputation remained intact.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday night, Leapai's son – also named Alex – will begin his own professional boxing journey<\/a> as he bids to go one step further than his old man.<\/p>\n

The Gathering is live and exclusive on Stan pay per view.<\/strong><\/em> CLICK HERE<\/strong><\/em><\/a> for more information<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Leapai<\/p>\n

At just 18-years-old, Leapai Jr stands 193cm tall and weighs 125kg.<\/p>\n

He stunned NRL clubs in January by walking away \ufefffrom his Gold Coast Titans contract<\/a> to chase what he views as his family destiny.<\/p>\n

Wide World of Sports sat down with father and son ahead of Leapai Jr's pro debut against New Zealand's Joe \ufeffAgeli (2-1) in Adelaide.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Danny Green's expert boxing guide to AFL 'mad dogs'<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Aussie boxing's next big thing destroys a watermelon<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> 'Everyone wants to see me get my head punched in'<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Alex<\/p>\n

WWOS:<\/strong> You must be a very proud father, seeing this day come. What are the emotions for you?<\/p>\n

Leapai Sr:<\/strong>\ufeff Oh, just so very, very proud. You know, it's not an easy sport. We've talked about it a lot and it takes a lot of commitment to do the sport. Not just the physical training but you've got to be very honest with yourself. Injuries, losses, media commitments, it's a lot.<\/p>\n

But he's a good kid, Alex, and I know he will probably grow into a great fighter too.<\/p>\n

\"Joe<\/p>\n

WWOS:\ufeff<\/strong> How did the NRL vs boxing decision all play out? I imagine you let your son make the final call himself?<\/p>\n

Leapai Sr:<\/strong> Well I've had my time in the game and to be honest I always wanted him to play NRL. So did my wife but at the end of the day he's got to follow his heart.<\/p>\n

When he made the decision I was a little bit happy on the inside. But my wife was like 'oh, no.' She really didn't want him to do that. She pretty much doesn't want anything to do with boxing.<\/p>\n

But he's got to follow his heart. If he does that I think he'll go further than he would just playing football.\ufeff<\/p>\n

\"Alex<\/p>\n

WWOS:<\/strong> Your son is working with your old trainer, Noel Thornberry. That's a nice connection and must be comforting for you?<\/p>\n

Leapai Sr:<\/strong> Yes, \ufeffyou know he's in good hands with Noel. I have coached him a little bit growing up but it's Noel's turn now.<\/p>\n

He's known him \ufeffsince he was a little kid, he calls him his uncle. So yes, that's good.<\/p>\n

\"Alex<\/p>\n

WWOS:<\/strong>\ufeff He is obviously a bit taller than you and has more reach. But how do you view his ability in the ring?<\/p>\n

Leapai Sr:<\/strong> I am jealous of his height (laughs). I am six foot and he's got four inches on me. That's a big help.<\/p>\n

I struggled against some of those big brothers, you know. But I still managed to hold up and get inside against most of them.<\/p>\n

Because \ufeffhe's tall and he's big and strong, he shouldn't have a problem with these other big guys, you know. He doesn't quite have my big overhand yet but in time he'll get it.<\/p>\n

\"Alex<\/p>\n

WWOS:<\/strong> \ufeffAlex Jr, as well as your dad, you mentioned David Tua was one of your boxing idols. You really want to keep flying that flag for Pasifika people, don't you?<\/p>\n

Leapai Jr:<\/strong> Yeah, that would be awesome. There's a lot of Polynesians out there that have great strength and ability but don't get the opportunity to display it on the world stage.<\/p>\n

We come from small nations and it's a privilege to have people who influence us younger Polynesian boys, like myself, in this boxing game. And of course to have my dad as one of them.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/StanSportAU\/status\/1775321792175067179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw<\/a><\/p>\n

WWOS:<\/strong> And you still live at home with the family? Mum's not quite so keen on the boxing?<\/p>\n

Leapai\ufeff Jr:<\/strong> Yeah, still at home and under Dad's rules. Mum wasn't really keen on it because of what she's been through with Dad and all of the injuries. But at the end of the day, me and Dad have convinced her and we have her support. So that's all that matters.<\/p>\n

WWOS:<\/strong> \ufeffWill Dad have any final advice before he makes his debut? How will he handle the nerves and the occasion?<\/p>\n

Leapai Sr:<\/strong> Just go out there and have fun, you know. You've trained hard for it. You know what you can do. Just show the world the talent that you've got and go and get him.<\/p>\n

\"Joe<\/p>\n

WWOS:<\/strong> \ufeffHas he always been blessed with your raw power? When did you first realise he could follow you into boxing?<\/p>\n

Leapai Sr:<\/strong> Well, I'll be honest and I'm not saying it because he's my son. But I fought a lot of champions and wait until you see this kid.<\/p>\n

It is different. I remember helping him out at training as a kid and he caught me with a good right hand. You know, at 14, you're not supposed to throw punches like that.<\/p>\n

Now he's 18 and that's why I don't hold pads for him. I just can't hold pads for him throwing his overhands and all these punches. I'll let his coach \ufeffNoel get arthritis instead (laughs).<\/p>\n

\"Wladimir<\/p>\n

WWOS:<\/strong>\ufeff Can you believe it's been 10 years since your world title fight? Have you had a chance to reflect on that incredible achievement?<\/p>\n

Leapai Sr:<\/strong> \ufeffIt was a hard road to get there. Not many people knew that I was part time really. I didn't do boxing fulltime.<\/p>\n

I had a 6-4 job, you know, five days a week (as a truck driver). I would finish work and train in the afternoon. No one really knew that I did that but I had to work to put food on the table.<\/p>\n

But for my son it's different. He's been given the opportunity to train fulltime and go out there and give his best.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A\ufeffDELAIDE: It is almost 10 years to the day since Australia's Alex Leapai fought Ukraine legend Wladimir Klitschko for the world heavyweight title in Germany. […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":381267,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381418"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=381418"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":381429,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381418\/revisions\/381429"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/381267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=381418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=381418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=381418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}