Liam Wilson is ready to become Australia’s next boxing world champion.
On Saturday (AEDT), Wilson get the chance to join an exclusive club of Australian world champions when he takes on Mexican Emanuel Navarete for the WBO super featherweight world title in Phoenix, Arizona.
Navarete (36-1) has held the WBO belt since 2020 and hasn’t lost a fight in a decade, meaning Wilson (11-1) will go into the fight as a heavy underdog.
He’s an $8 outsider with Australian bookies and even longer odds in overseas markets.
But underdog status doesn’t bother Wilson, who is determined to become world champion and fulfil a promise he made to his dad before he died when he was a teenager.
“It’s crazy man,” Wilson told news.com.au of the chance to fight for a world title.
“It’s just around the corner. I haven’t done it yet. That’s the last job I’ve got to do. I’ve done the hard work in training.
“I’ve got a fight to win and that’s to become world champion. It’s been a dream of mine for many years. I made a promise to my dad when I was a young kid that I’d be world champion for him one day.
“It’s been an emotional rollercoaster because I feel like I have a lot to live up to in that way. But I’ve been working very hard for it and I’m going to win this fight.
“It's the pinnacle of professional boxing. It feels pretty surreal at times as well. I lay in bed thinking about it and wow.”
