It would be fair to say that there have been some pretty high profile heavyweight scraps in Australia in recent years, but it would also be fair to say that most if not all of them would resemble corporate-style affairs, often with one or both combatants famous for their endeavors in sports other than boxing and now trying their hand at pugilism.
That is where next month’s domestic dust-up between the undefeated Justis Huni and Joe Goodall differs, making this perhaps the most significant heavyweight fight in Australian history. Both are pure boxers with impressive amateur pedigrees, each having medaled at world championships and now boasting undefeated records in their fledging pro careers.
However, despite very similar career trajectories it is Justis Huni that has garnered all the headlines and the accompanying lucrative promotional deals, leaving Joe Goodall to fly under the radar, carving out his own path in the gyms of Las Vegas under the tutelage of renowned trainer Kevin Barry.
While Goodall enters the fight as a clear underdog, one would be foolish to discount his chances, especially since his move to Vegas and his arrival at the Team Barry gym, it’s a change Goodall saw as vital to his development.
‘My whole amateur career and first seven pro fights were under Glenn Rushton and he’s a great trainer. I really learned a lot, but the truth is I got a little bit stale there. I’d been there so long, and I needed to mix up the training. I had surgery for an injury, and I had some time off and I came back with an attitude that now was the time to make a change.’
It was also at that time that Goodall switched manager, moving to Steve Scanlan and with it a desire to make a big move. Scanlan not only bought new sponsors on for Goodall, but it was also his suggestion that his fighter link up with Team Barry in Las Vegas, something Goodall was keen to pursue having watched Kevin Barry take Joseph Parker to a world title. ‘I knew he had trained a lot of heavyweights; I’d watched him take Parker all the way and those two things were highlighted in my mind, he was a guy that has been there and done that.’
After a Zoom call between the two in order to scope things out and liking what he heard Goodall hopped on a plane and made his way to Las Vegas, a city he’d never been to before, but a place that provided not only a new beginning but also some of the best sparring a heavyweight could find anywhere in the world. It’s something that Goodall believes could make a big difference in the fight, stating, ‘Sparring is perhaps the most important part of any preparation for a fight, and it’s been vital to my development since arriving in Las Vegas.’
Goodall then goes on to roll off an impressive list of heavyweight prospects that he’s worked with in recent times, ‘So far I’ve been able to spar Joe Joyce, Jared Anderson, Tony Yoka and Efe Ajagba.’
I ask him how it compares to the sparring available in Australia, sparring that Huni himself will be utilizing ahead of their clash, ‘You just can’t beat what we’ve had out here. This is the best sparring you’ll get anywhere in the world and with respect to what is available in Australia, I just don’t see how he is getting the kind of work in that I am.’
With high quality sparring has also come a higher level of development and Kevin Barry has been working Goodall hard to deliver better fundamentals, ‘We’ve worked on my footwork, my jab and Kevin has gotten me to sit down on my punches, punching with balance. We’re also working on different combinations and different lead patterns that are harder to defend against, he calls them off-beat combinations. When I arrived, I was very much an open book, just looking to absorb all the new knowledge and it also refreshes the mind.’
As both are Australian and undefeated it was almost inevitable that Goodall and Huni would eventually face each other one day, especially as they had sparred as amateurs. However, coming off an injury layoff and with a big contract inked it was certainly a bold call for Huni’s team to call out Goodall this early. I ask Goodall whether he believes they may be underestimating him, ‘I knew once he turned pro, we would likely fight down the line, but it’s probably come a bit sooner than I would’ve thought. We’ve worked well together in the past, but boxing isn’t a team sport, and with a carrot dangling there it’s time to put our relationship aside for a moment and face each other. I feel like they may be underestimating me, if I was in their position, I wouldn’t be facing me after a layoff, but hey they wanted it. It’s signed, sealed, and delivered so it’s time to get it on. I’m not sure their focus is entirely on me.’
Being that Huni is considered the hotter prospect and the one with the media push, I put it to Goodall that he may be at a disadvantage if it goes to the scorecards, something he isn’t as concerned about, making other plans instead, ‘Well although I always go into every fight the same, which is to box and fight hard, they call this professional boxing. At the end of the day I aim to take any opponent they put up against me out and I come with that mentality to any fight.’
It’s a mentality that should serve Goodall well as the fight shapes up to be one of those classic puncher versus boxer matchups. Huni will undoubtedly look to stick and move, accumulate points, and stay away from the more physical moments that Goodall will seek to engage in, but Goodall doesn’t believe his skillset shouldn’t be underestimated either. ‘I can box as well, so it’s going to be an interesting boxing match, especially with the sparring I’ve had. I feel like this is divine timing for me.’
With big risks come big rewards and both Huni and Goodall are in a sense risking more than they must at this stage in their respective careers in order to claim bragging rights for Australian supremacy. And while Huni comes with the bigger rep, Joe Goodall, quietly doing his work in the bright lights of Las Vegas comes with a determination and burgeoning skillset that means this fight is anything but a foregone conclusion. One thing though is for certain, whomever walks away from June 15th with their hand raised in victory has very real claims to being one of the division’s top young contenders.