Viliami Liavaa vs Anton Markovic, could Nikita Tszyu be next, Renold Quinlan vs, Troy Pilcher, No Limit Boxing fight night schedule

Initially, Viliami Liavaa was going to be a rugby star.

But that dream?

Well, it was over by age eight.

“I was just too much of a hothead,” cackles the now promising New Zealand super welterweight.

A fighter who, still only 22, has in the past 24 hours been catapulted from hopeful undercard fighter to, incredibly, the headline act on No Limit’s first Australian fight card of 2024.

That, and now officially on the cusp of a Trans Tasman showdown with Nikita Tszyu.

Despite having spent his past 12 months out of the ring, Liavaa can earn himself a shot at the youngest son of Australian boxing legend Kostya Tszyu if he beats Sydneysider Anton Markovic at Moore Park tonight (watch live on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports from 7.30pm AEDT)

BOXING: Goodman v Schleibs & Hardman v Saavedra | WED 13 MAR | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.

While initially scheduled as co-main for the No Limit on Fox card, the young Kiwi now takes top billing after the original headliner between Bilal Akkaway and Renold Quinlan was scrapped — with the later weighing in almost 5kg overweight on Tuesday lunch time, which itself almost sparked a scuffle between the two camps.

Yet while that fight is now off, and Team Akkawy left furious, Quinlan will still throw down against Queensland heavyweight Troy Pilcher, who steps in on just 36 hours’ notice.

BOXING: Goodman v Schleibs & Hardman v Saavedra | WED 13 MAR | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.

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Following all of the drama on Tuesday however, No Limit CEO George Rose not only pushed Liavaa into top spot, but also confirmed reports from Fox Sports Australia suggesting a win could earn the young New Zealand father a Pay-Per-View headliner against The Butcher.

“We are going to push Viliami Liavaa versus Anton Markovic up to the headline fight now,” Rose confirmed.

“One of the main reasons for that, as we touched on a little bit today … there is a real chance that if Viliami gets through this fight, he may fight Nikita Tszyu very soon.

“We could be looking at that one in April.

“So a win to Viliami, that means he’ll be fighting Nikita.

“But he’ll have to get through this headline fight first.”

Currently, the younger Tszyu sibling is in Las Vegas helping world champion brother Tim prepare for his own headliner against US superstar Keith Thurman.

But Liavaa?

Again, he was initially pitched into rugby before that, err, hothead got him into some strife.

“I was only young, but wasn’t real happy with the team,” the fighter recalled during what would become, hour by hour, an incredibly chaotic day for Aussie boxing.

“I was always snapping at everyone. Trying to get into it with everyone.

“So my dad, who would always be there watching our games, he eventually had enough.

“After one particular weekend, dragged me down to the gym the following Monday.

“And from there, I’ve never looked back.”

Asked about a potential showdown with Tszyu, he continued: “At the moment I’m focused on nothing but the fight in front of me.

“So win that and then we’ll see from there how things fall into place.

“But if Tszyu’s name were to come across the table, yeah, why not?

“If nobody else is stepping up to the plate, I will.

“I’ve seen a few of his fights, and I rate him. Think he will go a long way.

“But right now I’m only focused on getting in there Wednesday night and implementing my game plan.

“Come out on top at the end of the night.”

After going undefeated through the first six fights of his career, Liavaa then undertook a huge step up in competition last March against tough Caboolture product Ben Hussain – only to be stopped in round four.

From there, the young fighter then disappeared from the ring for a year in a bid to improve his game and now returns for the opening to a huge month for Australian boxing, dubbed ‘March Mayhem’.

Elsewhere, Liavaa and his partner Keshia have also recently celebrated the birth of their daughter Novalie, which the fighter also attributes to having provided him with a new mindset and drive.

Now living and training in Victoria, Liavaa added that – while his focus extends no further than Wednesday night – he is definitely keen to win and then throw down against the younger Tszyu sibling this year.

“It still feels unreal, even the fact that I’m going to be fighting on TV,” the Kiwi said with a smile.

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around that.

“After losing last year against Ben Hussain, I decided to sit down, take some time away and change a few things.

“I’ve also had the birth of my daughter too which has really matured me and motivated me to push harder.

“In my last couple of fights, I was just going with the flow.

“But now with my daughter, I’m a lot more focused on certain things.”

The younger Tszyu sibling, meanwhile, is also keen to get back into the ring in April after taking the Australia super welterweight title from Dylan Biggs via an emphatic stoppage late last year.

The win capped off a huge year for the rising star, which also included stoppage victories over Jack Brubacker, Ben Bommber and Bo Belbin.

So popular has the 26-year-old become, there was initially talk of him performing alongside big brother in Las Vegas on the same weekend as the NRL launch, or even headlining his own card against Nico Ali Walsh – the grandson of boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

While Team Tszyu have also talked about the possibility of bringing an international opponent Down Under for Nikita, other potential candidates closer to home had included the likes of Koen Mazoudier (11-3-1) and Ben Mahoney (13-0-1).

Right now though, Nikita is helping brother Tim prepare for his own fight against American superstar Keith Thurman in T Mobile Arena on March 31.

The fight is a huge one for Australia’s undefeated poster boy, given a win will could see him earn a shot at the world’s No. 1 fighter, Terence Crawford, while a loss will see him stripped of WBO gold

Speaking with Main Event’s Ben Damon last week, Thurman revealed Tszyu will be forced to give up his WBO championship strap if he loses later their Las Vegas headliner.

Only last week, WBO president Paco Valcarcel also hinted that, with a win, Australia’s undefeated champ could also be catapulted into a huge fight against undisputed welterweight king Crawford.

While Tszyu is not putting his WBO belt on the line against Thurman, the new ruling appears to suggest the organisation wants Crawford in a title fight against whoever triumphs.

With Thurman coming up from welterweight, and out of the ring two years, it was decided Tszyu would not be defending his belt in their upcoming bout.

But given Thurman once ruled over the welterweight division himself, and has never lost to anyone not named Manny Pacquiao, there would also be strong interest in a title fight between himself and ‘Bud’ Crawford.