MOHAMMAD Ali once said a boxing match was won or lost far away from the witness of public gaze - behind the lines, in the gym and on the road - long before the adversaries danced under the lights.
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It’s war wearied wisdom, but if it is to be believed Goulburn’s Luke Turner could have a real shot when he takes on former NRL bad boy Blake Ferguson on Wednesday night.
The pair will do battle at All Phones Arena on the undercard of the highly anticipated bout between three time world champion ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley and former world champ Anthony ‘The Man’ Mundine.
In the lead up to the fight, the quarry worker has been putting himself through the paces.
His days start with a cardio/ weight session followed by eight to 10 hours work. Three nights a week, he makes a four hour round trip to Campbelltown in Sydney’s west to do pad work before pulling up early the next morning and starting the process all over again.
Despite this being the 22-yearold’s first professional fight – and second boxing match ever – he is quietly confident of his abilities.
“I’m going in with the mindset that I’ll win,” he told the Post on Wednesday.
“I think I’ll go alright.
(Ferguson) is going to be all over me fitness-wise but other than that I think I’ll go alright.”
He also said he was trying not to overdo it with his training regime; the last thing he wants is to sustain an injury less than seven days before he steps in the ring.
Despite preparing to fight on the world stage, boxing isn’t the main source of Turner’s natural sporting prowess.
He’s more at home on the footy field and is best known as a centre forward for Workers Bulldogs. Boxing is just something he “fell into”.
He’s always been a fight fan. In fact, Sugar Shane Mosely is a bit of a hero to him and he has always wanted to try his hand at the sport.
When one of his teammates dobbed him in to the promoters of a local fight night in September, he finally got a chance to fulfil that ambition.
He took on the Queanbeyan Blues’ Matt Holmes in front of a packed Workers Club auditorium.
After the bell rang at the end of the first round and the fight descended into a slugfest, resembling more of a street brawl than a boxing match. It ultimately went the distance and was declared a draw by the judges. A few weeks later, he was offered the Ferguson fight.
Turner was left in the lurch after the main event was cancelled.
He says he hopes rumours the former Raider could pull out at the last minute are just that.
“I was really nervous the first time around but then I was really disappointed when it was cancelled so it has made me appreciative of the second chance I’ve been given to fight him,” Turner said.
“As long as it goes ahead I think I will enjoy it more this time around instead of getting nervous in the week leading up to it.”
The 22-year-old admits his friends and family are more excited than he is. However, he said the chance to fight on the undercard of a Mosely match, on Main Event was an opportunity too good to pass up.
He isn’t sure how far he will take his boxing career. If he wins on Wednesday he says he will pursue it further but that this will be the measure of his abilities.
The Workers Club will play the fight from 7.30pm. Admission is free.
