Undefeated Australian boxer “Diamond” Dave Toussaint will return to the ring in Canberra, ACT, this weekend.
The highly rated boxer has a great amateur pedigree, with his 70 amateur fights including golden gloves honours, and big victories over highly rated Australian boxers Damien “Super” Hooper, Zac “Dynamo” Dunn, and Sam “The Jukebox” Banney.
Debuting as a pro in 2013, Toussaint has claimed 8 victories, with six coming by way of knockout. He had a big leap in competition two fights ago, and these greater challenges brought about some big results.
The first of these, was a sixth round knockout of the tough as nails Steve Moxon, who previously pushed interim world title challenger Dennis Hogan to a split points decision, and had never been stopped.
The second was a fourth round knockout victory over New Zealand’s Jordan Tai, who was previously undefeated.
When quizzed about how he’s handled the drop down to middleweight, heading into this weekend’s fight against Thailand’s Natthakan Thonglat (a late replacement for Australia’s Tej Pratap Singh), Toussaint revealed the carefully laid plans to drop down gradually:
“Ive been planning the drop down to middleweight for a while now, so I’ve lost the weight over time rather than a sudden crash. Living in Canberra Im lucky enough to have some world class sport scientist (Israel Halperin and Reid Reale) from the AIS in my team that help take care of my strength and conditioning as well as nutrition.”
He added:
“I’m now punching harder and faster at the lighter weight and it’s great to have facilities here where we can actually test and prove it. I feel like Im in the best shape of my life and sharper than ever, so really looking forward to showcasing my ability this weekend.”
Toussaint is now well entrenched within the top few Middleweights in Australia (Boxrec, if updated, would have him sitting fourth).
When asked about some of the bigger names in the Middleweight division, worldwide, that he’d like to challenge at some stage, Toussaint refused to piggyback off a big name:
“I’m not really one to call people out or talk myself up at someone else’s expense to make a fight. I figure if I keep training hard and progressing through the rankings, the big fights will come. At this stage I’m willing to fight who ever my team put in front of me, my goal is to work my way to a world title shot over the next few years.”
He concluded:
“I’ve got a great trainer in Garry Hamilton and a strong team behind me and I’m excited to see just how far I can go, but at the moment I’m just happy to be able to do what I love and make boxing my job. It’s a tough sport and there are no guarantees, but with the support of my sponsors and my team hopefully I can make it to the top level.”
(Image credit: Dimitri Yianoulakis Photography and sent in to use by author of article Mark Franklin)
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