Australian warrior Lucas Browne, who overcame tremendous odds to take a portion of the heavyweight title this past Saturday night in Grozny, Russia, does not appreciate being called out and challenged by fighters he says have not earned a world title shot. Browne, who has also boxed away from home in England, is understandably proud of the way he worked his way up to title contention and he says other fighters who want to challenge him for his next belt should do the same.
Speaking with Foxsports.com.au, the unbeaten champion known as “Big Daddy,” made it clear he is not amused:
“My message is simple: p**s off!” Browne said. “If you want to win yourself a world title, great. Go do what I did. Fight a heap of times overseas, work your way up and earn it the hard way. I have to accept that people are going to try stirring me in the media. Promoters, managers, fighters. They’re all going to want to make me bite. I’ve already had guys like Solomon Haumono approach me but what the hell have they done to earn a world title shot? I had to get my belt the hard way. So should everyone else.”
It’s hard to argue with what Browne says. According to reports, unbeaten Joseph Parker has also called the new champion out. But Browne’s team, which includes Ricky Hatton, want to get their man the big fights now that he’s a champion. Targets for Browne include the winner of the Anthony Joshua-Charles Martin fight, for the IBF title, Tyson Fury and David Haye. And while a Browne-Parker clash would be a big event in Australia, Browne against these other names would be much, much bigger fights.
And for what he did on Saturday against Chagaev – overcoming a nasty cut, beating the count after being knocked down in a torrid 6th-round and even having to cope with a round that was ended early and one that ran late – Browne deserves at least one massive payday. We don’t know how long Browne is going to reign for, but he will be a whole lot of fun to watch as long as he is on top.