Former NRL star locked in to fight Roosters gun

1 year ago 72

NRL premiership victor Jaiman Lowe says there's nary mode his bout with Sio Siua Taukeiaho volition spell the distance, aft confirming he'll combat the Tongan World Cup prima connected the undercard of Paul Gallen's rematch with Justin Hodges.

Lowe has agreed to instrumentality connected Taukeiaho contempt having conscionable days to hole for Wednesday's fight, and helium concedes not everyone successful his household was thrilled with the news.

The begetter of three says his 14-year-old daughter, Dakotah, didn't mince her words erstwhile she recovered retired the details.

"They're similar maine and the wife, they're beauteous straightforward with their opinions," helium told Wide World of Sports.

"The oldest was beauteous blessed for me, the mediate 1 is simply a spot much cheeky.

"When I told them who I was warring she ducked disconnected and googled Sio. She came backmost retired and said, 'Dad, you're going to get killed'.

"She's astir apt not incorrect really. If you stacked him up against maine you'd astir apt person your wealth connected him each day. You can't truly reason with that comment."

The 39-year-old said helium had nary hesitation successful agreeing to the fight, adjacent committing earlier helium recovered retired who his hostile was.

"I've been successful interaction with a fewer antithetic promoters implicit the past fewer years, my woman and I similar to telephone it my mid-life crisis," helium chuckled.

"I've ever loved boxing and I privation to person a ace earlier I get excessively old.

"To get connected a large paper was ever the plan, I've had a mates of fights but thing of this magnitude.

"I didn't adjacent cognize who I was fighting, and I cognize it's abbreviated notice, but I'm keen."

Taukeiaho has been dubbed 'The adjacent Gallen' but adjacent erstwhile Lowe recovered retired who helium was fighting, helium wasn't backing out.

"If I was going to person 2nd thoughts I astir apt would person asked who the hostile was earlier I said yes," helium explained.

"I'm not disquieted astir it, I'm not gathering a vocation disconnected this, it's an opportunity.

"But don't get maine wrong, I'm arsenic competitory arsenic anyone, I'm going determination to win. I'm assured capable successful my quality and the abbreviated announcement is astir apt bully for me, I don't similar the grooming arsenic overmuch arsenic I should!

"But that competitiveness ne'er leaves you. You request that to get to the apical successful immoderate sport. I'm going into the ringing to sound him out."

Lowe played 142 NRL matches for the Cowboys, Rabbitohs and Storm, coming disconnected the seat successful Melbourne's 2012 expansive last triumph implicit Canterbury.

But helium says his boxing acquisition goes backmost to his teens, portion helium made his pro debut earlier this year.

"I've been sparring and warring and grooming successful gyms for 20 years, I've sparred Solomon Haumono, I've sparred immoderate different guys," helium said.

"I've fought the biggest up-and-coming heavyweight successful Australia, John Maila, successful June.

"He's a spot of an chartless present but helium won't beryllium for long.

"He's knocked everyone other retired successful circular 1 and we went 3 rounds, truthful I was beauteous stoked with that, due to the fact that I cognize however large he's going to be."

It's that experience, nevertheless limited, that helium says volition clasp him successful bully stead against Taukeiaho.

"I instrumentality immoderate assurance from the information Sio has ne'er been successful the ring, that's thing I recovered successful my archetypal fight," helium explained.

"You tin spar each you similar but there's nary substitute for getting successful the ring. It's similar footy, you tin play each the trials you want, but the existent happening is different.

"I deliberation I've got the borderline there."

"Looking backmost with the payment of hindsight, if footy hadn't gone the mode it did, I would person liked to person taken up boxing," helium added.

"Who knows what could person happened? I signed with the Cowboys erstwhile I was young, I'm not the smartest feline going around, I was ne'er going to tally a company, it was ever going to beryllium athletics successful immoderate capacity.

"I've ever wanted to person a crack."

Lowe said it was "crazy" it took truthful agelong to find an hostile for Taukeiaho.

"It frustrates maine a small spot that you've got each these bully heavyweights successful Australia close now, and nary of them were that interested," helium said.

"I cognize the Rose brothers can't inquire each azygous boxer, and possibly determination would person been idiosyncratic retired determination if they kept asking around.

"I cognize a fewer blokes knocked it back, that's brainsick to me. If you've got an accidental similar that, and that's your sport, you instrumentality it.

"But I'm blessed to measurement in."

Lowe wasn't acrophobic to propulsion a fewer during his NRL career, famously earning a 4 lucifer prohibition for knocking retired Gold Coast's Brett Delaney successful 2007.

He said his program against Taukeiaho is simple.

"He'll person a large overhand right, thing helium hits you with is going to beryllium hard and it's going to hurt, truthful I'll beryllium looking to support him distant from me," helium said.

"My biggest spot is akin to him, I've got a bully close arsenic well. If helium relaxes successful immoderate mode and I deed him with my right, he'll beryllium struggling to enactment connected his feet, and I've got nary uncertainty if helium hits maine flush I'm astir apt doing the same.

"I don't deliberation it's going to spell 4 rounds, enactment it that way! It's a lawsuit of seeing who gets successful first."

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