Heavyweight Lucas Browne Has Always Enjoyed Hurting People

United States boxing fans are always seeking compelling and talented heavyweight boxers. And we aren’t picky or jingoistic, we will embrace a talented pugilist who doesn’t know the words to the Star Spangled Banner.

In the eyes of fight fans, many of them, there is but ONE talented jumbo-sized pugilist plying the dark trade….Wladimir Klitschko.

We are always, but always auditioning new bodies, with the hope that one could at the least give long, tall Wlad a run for his money…or maybe force him to sip from the bitter cup of loss for the first time in a dog’s age.

Lucas Browne, a 35-year-old Aussie with a 22-0 (19 Kos) mark, is headed to the States to attend the WBC convention (Dec. 14-20), where we presume he will do some handshaking and make himself more familiar to the powers that be that can smooth his ride to more meaningful bouts. Promoter Ricky Hatton and trainer, the Hall of Famer Jeff Fenech (fellow Aussie, ex bantam, super bantam, and feather titlist) will accompany. Could he be a suitable candidate to force Wlad to have a brown acid flashback to 2004?

I fired some queries at the big lad, to help us all get a better sense of where he came from, and where he proposes to go.

You hold a WBC and a WBA lesser belt, and the Commonwealth strap, I asked “Big Daddy,” are you a compelling and talented heavyweight, and could you be the man to topple Wladimir?

“Yes, I think I’m an very naturally talented athlete and have done as much as I’ve done so far mainly on my own,” said Browne, who last gloved up Nov. 12, taking out Chauncey Welliver in five, in his homeland. “So my talent has gotten me this far, but it’s time to step it up in a big way..I think I have the skills, the power, the anger to give Klitschko a very hard night at the office yes!”

How so, sir?

“People try to box him, and for a man who has dominated and perfected his style for so long, why would you try to out-box him?” asks Browne quite reasonably. “Put him in a place he’s not used to, push him around, bully him, bash him like you’re in a school hard, that’s how I would do it.”

Makes infinite sense to me, lord knows I’ve theorized the same gameplan for umpteen years now…

Tell us about your strengths, why you are deserved of more buzz in the boxing sphere….and are there holes in your game you need to work on?

“I think I’m the sort of fighter that always brings the bang factor to a fight, it’s never boring, you’re always on the edge of your seat waiting for something to happen and it’s exciting,” he told me. “I’m learning more and more every day and there will always be holes in your game, but I think I have the size, the strength, the punching power, and very soon the speed and agility to mix it with the best.”

Browne is now in the top five in the WBA, WBC and IBF, for the record. Joseph Parker, a New Zealander with a 12-0 mark, has been yapping that he’d like a crack at the beefy tatted fella, but it seems as though, understandably, Browne wants to fry fatter fish.

Tell me please about your upbringing…mom, dad, brothers, sisters, type of upbringing…and how did your upbringing affect you?

“I had a very normal upbringing,” said the boxer, who stands 6-4, and has been cutting down from the 270s into the 250s. “Older and a younger brother who I was always trying to beat, supportive parents, all was fine. I grew up with most of my friends being Arab or islander, so I was the token white boy and really had to stand up for myself so I didn’t get picked on or bullied, and it worked lol. I always played sport at a state level, and always enjoyed the physical side of sports, being able to hurt someone was always fun for me.”

Now that’s a quote that stands out for me, eh?

“Being able to hurt someone was always fun for me,” indeed…

And what about an SO? There is no shortage I’m sure of admirers of that tatted up vessel and fearsome demeanor and ability to concuss…

“I was married for 11 years but as things do they fade,” he said. “I’ve got three beautiful children and am very proud to be their dad. I’m currently living with my girlfriend and her little one.”

And how did he get started in the sweet and savage science, I asked the scrapper, whose best win came over James Toney (UD12) in April 2013. “My ex wife and kids moved across the country just before my 30th birthday, so I used the extra time on my hands to start fighting,” said the hitter. “I’d always wanted to do it, and started in the cage, two weeks later I had a kickboxing bout, and the week after I had my pro boxing debut. I spent years years in the cage and fought Daniel Cormier for the XMMA world title, but was massively outclassed in the wrestling department and lost by ref stoppage due to a cut from an elbow. I’d always only punched in my fight either way and chose to stick with boxing as it was what I’d always wanted to so anyway. As of 2011, I was just a boxer.”

Who are the top guys you are targeting? What about maybe Tyson Fury? What do you think of him?

“At the moment I want some good hard fights that will get me up in the rankings,” Browne said. “People like Fury, Denis Boytsov, Alexander Ustinov, Ruslan Chagaev would be priority on my list. I’ll probably defend my Commonwealth title soon, and then hopefully challenge for a world title next year. Basically, I’m a guy who wants to make his mark on the world, make my family and my kids proud of their dad, give the fans a good show, and make some money while I’m at it,” he said, in closing. “I’ve had no amateur experience and have done 70% of what I’ve achieved so far on my own. I’m with promoter Ricky Hatton, trainer Jeff Fenech, and finally doing things right. Expect a massive 2015!”

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