Stronger Justis Huni Stops Troy Pilcher Within Two Rounds

Heavyweight contender Justis Huni has promised to show his new, aggressive side.

It reaped immediate benefits as he stopped hard-hitting Troy Pilcher in the second round on Thursday evening at the Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane, Australia.

Critics of the 25-year-old former superstar often point to his lack of strength related to his large frame. But because of the middleweight's speed and footwork, the six-foot-four Huni rarely had to sit down with his punches and trade blow-for-blow.

Back in March, something changed. Boxing on the undercard of Anthony Joshua against Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Huni dominated his opponent, Kevin Lerena, until the 10th and final round. The experienced South African was urged by his corner to find something extra for his late mother and he did just that, rocking the Australian with his left hand.

Huni made a stammering step. He circled the ring. He came out on top and eventually survived to win a unanimous decision with scores of 96-94, 96-94 and 98-92.

Something changed in him that night. And maybe for the better.

On social media before the Pilcher fight, Huni (10-0, 5 knockouts) was at pains to explain that he was working on his strength and technique to get the most out of his shots.

It ended up paying off for the Kiwi, 29, who scored 2:26 in the second round.

Pilcher's plan was to ambush Huni with the opening bell. He loaded his right hands and disarmed Huni, and put him back on the ropes. But as often happens in scenes like this, the cream rises to the top.

Huni increased the pressure and pushed from the sticks, creating space to punch. Where there is space, the fastest, sharpest and most accurate punches come from Huni.

Pilcher (9-1-1, 7 KOs) landed a good one-two late in the round, but it was Huni who had the better work, including a brace of powerful rips to the body just before the bell.

Huni had settled into his rhythm early in the second. A stiff left to the body followed by an overhand right sets the tone for the proceedings. The upper left line reminded Pilcher that he would be punished for being too bold.

Pilcher tried hard, firing his gun, but it had little effect on Huni, who looked calm in the eye of the storm.

A left hook, right hand combination from Huni stung Pilcher midway through the round, but the underdog bit his lip and bounced back, landing a quality lead overhand right. Huni retaliated by attacking the body with two punches that knocked Pilcher out and left him panting.

With less than 50 seconds left on the clock, Huni delivered a long left hook that caught Pilcher off guard. His head fell back and he fell into the ropes. Huni, with her newfound belief in her powers, was unwilling to let him off the hook. A powerful right hand caught Pilcher on the chin and as he dragged his right arm over the top rope for support, Huni came in to finish him off with a big shot, culminating in a roundhouse that sank to the canvas in the green corner. suddenly a towel came in to end the fight.

The fight was scheduled for 10 sessions, but it didn't look like it would go that far. Huni confirmed it.

“I knew he was going to come out strong and give it his all in the first round. I had to get my distance and pick up my punches,” said Huni, who weighed in at 247½ pounds for the fight.

“There is one left on the floor. I'm a little closer to my dream. We will continue walking from now on.

“It was not dirty. He had to do what he had to do. He tried to frustrate me, but I had to pick up the gun and get the job done.”

Huni wants to squeeze in two more fights this year, but he is not choosing who they will face.

“I will just let the team decide,” he said. “I'm ready to go. I will try to stay as busy as possible this year. Hopefully we get two more fights this year and another busy year next year.”