Tim Tszyu, Jai Opetaia, George Kambosos have Australia is in the midst of a

AS RECENTLY AS five years ago, Australian boxing was on life support.

The lustre of Jeff Horn’s famous win over future Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao had completely dissipated, a one-minute-active, one-minute-retired Anthony Mundine was still clinging to whatever sliver of relevance he still believed he had, and promoters seemed to believe the only way out of the rut was to ignore the next wave of talent and instead opt for washed-up, ex-footy player brawls.

But the landscape has drastically shifted over the last 24 months. That plethora of Australian-grown fighters has emerged and it’s proving impossible to ignore. It’s all culminated in the nation enjoying something of a boxing renaissance, with stars appearing in just about every division and title fights popping up with extreme regularity.

In 2023, Australians featured in 12 world title fights across boxing’s four major governing bodies, and this year that number will likely grow. In fact, 2024 is shaping as the year that — at long last — puts Australian boxing back on the map.

MUCH OF THE Australian boxing revival can be pinned to the monumental success of Tim Tszyu. Since turning professional in 2016, Tszyu has been on a mission to prove he’s far more than just the son of Hall of Famer, Kostya. He breezed through the local boxing ranks before taking on the world, and last year enjoyed a breakout year, one that caught the attention of many fighters and fans abroad.

Tszyu (24-0, 17 KOs) fulfilled a childhood dream last March when he defeated Tony Harrison to clinch the vacant WBO interim light-middleweight title. He then successfully defended the strap twice, first by humiliating Carlos Ocampo inside 80 seconds and then with perhaps his most impressive performance to date, a unanimous decision over division staple Brian Mendoza.

Shortly after having his hand raised against Mendoza, Tszyu declared he would be campaigning in the United States moving forward. And next month, he will make his Las Vegas debut, squaring off with former unified welterweight titlist Keith Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs) in what will be PBC’s first pay-per-view as part of a new deal with Amazon’s Prime Video.

While Tszyu’s belt won’t be on the line — the WBO declined to sanction the fight for Tszyu’s title, likely because Thurman has never competed at the 154-pound limit — it’s chapter one of what’s shaping as a bumper year for the Sydneysider.

“This is the Tim Tszyu era,” Tszyu declared at his inaugural Las Vegas press conference earlier this year. “I don’t just plan on beating Thurman, I plan on putting [on]…