'Surreal' phone call sets up Aussie's 'dream' fight

1 year ago 85

Queenslander Liam Wilson (11-1) has secured a accidental of a beingness and volition combat Mexican prima Emanuel Navarrete (36-1) for the vacant WBO ace featherweight satellite rubric connected February 4 (AEDT).

It's a melodramatic crook of events for Wilson, who was successful training to combat British No.1 WBO contender Archie Sharp (22-0) successful a rubric eliminator combat connected the undercard of Tim Tszyu's title combat with Jermell Charlo successful Las Vegas connected January 29.

But an wounded to chap contender Oscar Valdez (30-1), who was primitively slated to combat Navarrete for the vacant satellite title, opened the doorway for the Australian.

"We had been preparing for that combat for astir apt 8 weeks, getting a bully preparation, getting my legs underneath me, " Wilson told Wide World of Sports.

"That was going backmost and distant arsenic acold arsenic I cognize helium hadn't signed the contract. We were sitting successful limbo and clip was ticking, we were scrambling to find opponents if helium wasn't going to sign.

"I past got a telephone from my manager Steve erstwhile I was retired for a run, helium said 'do you privation to combat Navarrete for the satellite title?'... I didn't adjacent judge it due to the fact that anterior to that I was waiting connected Archie Sharp to accidental yes to the fight, that's each I was expecting and erstwhile I got a telephone saying I was warring for the satellite title. It blew maine away.

"My imagination is to combat for the satellite rubric (so) for my dad, myself, my household to get a accidental to bash that is precise surreal."

Navarrete is the existent WBO featherweight champion but is going up successful weight, and is connected a singular 31-fight triumph streak dating backmost to 2012.

Wilson is presently successful Washington DC and volition stay successful the American superior for six weeks earlier travelling to Las Vegas to ticker Tszyu's bout with Charlo. He'll past caput to Arizona to implicit his last preparations.

"For the archetypal clip successful my vocation I don't consciousness similar there's immoderate pressure," Wilson said.

"With the fights anterior to this I had to triumph conscionable to get present and possibly get that satellite rubric shot.

"Now that I person a satellite rubric changeable I conscionable person to triumph it. To maine it's a win-win concern - if I triumph my imagination comes true, if I suffer I'll inactive beryllium astir again to combat for a satellite rubric but I don't judge that's going to happen."

Since suffering his archetypal vocation nonaccomplishment to Philippines combatant Joe Noynay successful 2021, Wilson won the rematch and past defeated Argentinian Matias Rueda to beryllium the No.3 contender for the WBO.

As Wilson looks guardant to the combat of his life, the 26-year-old holds fond memories of his father, who passed distant from an unwellness astir 10 years ago, adjacent to his heart.

"I conscionable privation to triumph and support and beryllium a champion. He motivates maine my kids arsenic good truthful there's each the much crushed to triumph this combat for myself my household and my dad.

"He ever followed my fights arsenic an amateur. If helium was present helium inactive would beryllium the biggest protagonist of my career. I conscionable clasp connected to that. I cognize helium was a combatant astatine bosom and helium would beryllium truthful arrogant of maine doing this."

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