knockout: great australian boxing stories

A no-holds-barred collection of Australian boxing yarns by one of Australia’s bestselling storytellers and boxing aficionado, Grantlee Kieza

Boxing has given Australian sport some of our most inspiring champions and captivating tales. Stories of underdogs overcoming heartbreaks and hurdles, of endless courage and dedication, triumph and tragedy, of bitter feuds and fatal showdowns, and of tough Australian battlers who became giants in the ring.

Some of our most celebrated sporting legends have been fighters - from the heroes Les Darcy and Dave Sands, to the iconic Lionel Rose and Johnny Famechon, to the huge modern drawcards such as Jeff Fenech, George Kambosos, Kostya and Tim Tszyu, and the flamboyant female stars Sharon Anyos and Ebanie Bridges.

For many, tenacity and sheer grit ran like molten steel in their veins - Lionel Rose rising from poverty in the bush to being mobbed by a quarter of a million people after his 1968 world title win. Jai Opetaia ignoring agony to win a world title with a broken jaw in 2022. Jeff Horn, a bullied schoolboy, out-toughing Filipino Manny Pacquiao, one of the most ferocious sluggers of all time.

From the first brawls in old Sydney Town, the travelling boxing tents across the country and the first black world heavyweight champion to today’s most celebrated fighters, Australia’s pre-eminent boxing journalist and former assistant trainer to some of the ring’s most talented champions presents our nation’s greatest boxing stories.