Eighteen months ago Kiki Leutele’s dreams of bursting onto the world stage were crushed by a unanimous points decision against undefeated Australian heavyweight Demsey McKean.
Ahead of his next major fight against Justis Huni, his rival’s promoter thought it was an opportune time to reopen the scar from last year.
“I’m looking forward to this fight for a whole other reason,” Huni’s promoter Dean Lonergan told an audience in Brisbane at their press conference.
“We were supposed to have this fight, the main event, probably six or eight months ago, and I’ve had nothing but whinging and whining coming from Team Peach, who is the team coach of Kiwi Leutele.
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“I’ve got a lot of time for Kiki, he’s a good man and I’ve got a lot of time for Isaac (Peach) but the amount of whining that comes out.
“We beat Dempsey McKean and the Australian judges are corrupt; we can’t come over for a promotional event because it’s going disrupt our training; you keep putting us off and you’re treating us like shit; Justis Huni gets all the attention.
“Justis gets all the attention because Justis can fight, Justis gets all the attention because he was once upon a time a world amateur champion…
“I think Kiki Leutele is someone who will present an excellent fight on Friday night. He’s going to come, he’s going to throw punches, but for god sake I hope the whinging stops afterwards.”
When the time came for Leutele (8-1-2) to talk, the 28-year-old New Zealander promised to stop the talk and let his fists do the talking.
“What I’m going to bring is just a lot of hurt,” he said.
“He’s coming to knock me out, I’m coming to knock him out so it’s going to be an exciting fight.”
Asked whether he can an you knock Huni (6-0) out, Leutele had no doubt.
“100 per cent I believe I can knock him out,” he said.
“It could be the first round or it could be the last round but I’m going to be there. We’ve prepared the best we’ve ever been. There’s been a lot of sacrifices leaving my family and stuff like that. I’m ready.”
But there was one question he did not want a bar of: Demsey McKean.
“To be honest I’m sick of hearing about Demsey McKean,” he said.
“It’s about me and Justis now. What happened with Demsey it is what it is, I can’t change anything, so stop asking me that question.”
