One of the biggest boxing events of the year will provide three Kiwis an opportunity to further stake their claims in the sport with all eyes on Marvel's stadium in Melbourne on Sunday.
Junior Fa, Hemi Ahio and David Nyika will all feature as a curtain raiser on the main card for the highly-anticipated George Kambosos Jr v Devin Haney showdown.
With the WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF and The Ring lightweight world titles on the line, the event is expected to draw eyes from around the world.
Newshub will provide live round-by-round coverage of the event, starting from 12pm (NZ time) with the main card expected to begin around 1pm.
JUNIOR FA V LUCAS BROWNE
Perhaps the most intriguing fight featuring one of our own, and possibly closest to call is Junior Fa's showdown with Lucas Browne.
Fa is looking to bounce back from his first defeat in his professional career, after he was on the losing end of a razor-thin decision loss to Joseph Parker in February last year.
The City Kickboxing product hasn't been active since but a win over Browne in Australia could be just what he needs to get himself in the conversation again.
Browne was long talked about as a potential opponent for Parker, but after a couple of losses, including to former NRL player Paul Gallen, his reputation took a dive.
But it should undoubtedly be Fa's toughest test to date after Parker, with the experienced Browne providing a tricky challenge for the Kiwi.
Browne won the WBA Oceania heavyweight belt in his most recent bout against Faiga Opelu, and was a former world-title challenger when he fought Dillan Whyte in 2018.
Fa is under no illusion what an opportunity he has in front of him, and the potential ramifications of a victory over somebody like Browne.
"This is huge," he said. "Much bigger than myself and Joseph Parker when we fought.
"I'm counting myself really lucky that I get to be on this undercard fighting a name like Lucas Browne. So I don't take that lightly. I'm going to be coming in to put on a great performance here.
"A win over a name like his will get me in talks with the likes of the heavyweights over in the UK or in the US. He's made a bit of a following up in the UK, so I guess me beating him will probably turn heads there.
"What I want out of this fight is just bigger fights, bigger names. Doesn't matter who, I just want bigger names."
HEMI AHIO V CHRISTIAN NDZIE TSOYE
Hemi Ahio will put his undefeated record on the line against Cameroonian Christian Ndzie Tsoye and is looking to bring the 'heat' as his nickname suggests.
Ahio has an impressive 18 wins from as many fights, with 13 coming by way of knockout. The 'Tongan Tyson' isn't the tallest of heavyweights at just 6ft, but packs a ton of power.
The 31-year-old recently won the inaugural WBC Middle East heavyweight title after he beat Mohammad Ali Bayat by TKO in the UAE in October last year.
A veteran of the local circuit, making his professional debut in 2013 just a year after picking up the sport, Ahio will be looking to make a name for himself with an impressive win in Australia.
He's expected to make light work of Tsoye, who with a 5-4-2 record is not posing much of a threat on paper at least.
He did, however, go the distance with highly-regarded Australian heavyweight champion Justis Huni, the man who recently recorded a stoppage win over Gallen.
DAVID NYIKA V KARIM MAATALLA
Two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist David Nyika will face unheralded Australian Karim Maatalla in just his third professional bout.
The 26-year-old is coming off a dominant win over Anthony Caprin in December, where his opponent failed to answer the bell after just the first round.
The cruiserweight has been training under Andy Lee, alongside WBC heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury and fellow Kiwi, Joseph Parker.
Not much is known about his next opponent, but the Melbourne-based boxer does boast a 2-1 record with his most recent two fights ending by way of stoppage in his favour.
Nykia isn't expected to have too much trouble on the night, but he's hoping to finally be tested as a professional.
"With my last two fights, both the guys gave up within the first three minutes. I'm looking to find someone a little bit tougher, someone that's going to take me at least a few rounds.
"I know I need to stay active, I need to stay relevant. This is the entertainment business, and I need to put my best foot forward and give the people what they want to see, which is violence, which is entertainment, fireworks.
"I know I'm very capable of doing that."
FULL MAIN CARD
From 1pm NZT
George Kambosos Jr vs. Devin Haney - 12 rounds for WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF and The Ring lightweight world titles
Jason Moloney vs. Aston Palicte - 10 rounds at bantamweight
Junior Fa vs. Lucas Browne - 10 rounds at heavyweight
Hemi Ahio vs. Christian Ndzie Tsoye - eight rounds at heavyweight
David Nyika vs. Karim Maatalla - four or six rounds at cruiserweight
ODDS
Kambosos $2.30 Haney $1.57
Maloney $1.10 Palicte $6.50
Fa $1.06 Brown $8
Ahio $1.03 Tsoye $12
WHERE TO WATCH
Sky Sport 4 will be broadcasting the preliminary card from 11.30am, and the main card is available on Sky Arena from 1pm for $39.95.
WHAT TIME
The main card is expected to start around 1pm NZ time on Sunday, with the preliminary card around 11.30am. The main event of Kambosos v Haney isn't expected until 4pm.
Join us from 12pm Sunday for live round-by-round updates of George Kambosos Jr v Devin Haney main card
