TOMMY BROWNE has been one of the busiest fighters in Australia in recent times battling his way through 130 amateur and professional fights since taking up the sport 11 years ago.
The 21-year-old holds the WBC Youth world featherweight title, a world championship for boxers under the age of 24, and is well on his way to eventually facing Manny Pacquiao, the richest and some say greatest Asian fighter of all time.
The Campbelltown Kid defends his world title against Mexican Rudy Lopez at the State Sports Centre at Homebush tomorrow night but he hopes to be fighting for the major world crown within a couple of years.
Pacquiao has beaten world-rated Australians Nedal Hussein, Arnel Barotillo and Todd Makelin, who has been Browne’s trainer through his 19 professional bouts.
Makelin was undersized and understrength in 1999 when he was stopped in three rounds by the much bigger Pacquiao in the Filipino region of Mindanao.
“Our ultimate aim is to keep Tommy rising in the WBC ratings so he can win a title shot against their champion, Injin Chi from Korea, Makelin said.
“Tommy’s still young but at the age of 23 or 24 we’d jump at the chance to fight Pacquiao.
“Tommy’s a brilliant boxer with a great left jab and he’s got a real solid chin.
“Pacquiao fights like a human washing machine. He just throws so many punches non-stop and he’s the hardest puncher I ever faced. He just keeps coming and hits with so much power. But he leaves himself open to be counter-punched and Tommy has the perfect style to handle him.”
Browne has been sparring Australian lightweight champ Mick Mlacic and 2002 Commonwealth Games representative Greg Eadie in preparation for Friday’s bout and Eadie makes his professional debut on the card against Thailand’s Kongdej Sithtradtrakarn.
George Foreman look-alike John “King Kava Tupou, who has been sparring world-rated Kali Meehan, tackles another New Zealand giant Richard Tutaki for the IBF Pan Pacific heavyweight title.
World-class cruiserweight Lawrence Tauasa battles veteran John Wyborn.
