Tevita Pangai Junior has no regrets about last year’s bombshell decision to quit the NRL and pursue a career in boxing.
But the 28-year-old does wish he could walk back some of his subsequent trash talking after admitting to a “fake bad boy” act.
Pangai Junior will attempt to extend his professional heavyweight record to 4-0 when he takes on New Zealand’s Raphael Sa’u (one win, one draw) in Saturday’s ‘The Fists and The Furious’ fight night.
The Fists and The Furious is live and exclusive on Stan Sport this Saturday from 6.30pm AEDT, and is included free with a Stan Sport subscription
“I love my boxing and I’ve said some things in the past – people don’t understand the business of boxing,” Pangai Junior told Wide World of Sports.
“We’re not on a set salary where you get hundreds of thousands of dollars – boxers, we get paid by bums on seats and pay per view and it’s show business, it’s entertainment. So I was painted as a bad boy in the NRL and obviously that sells in boxing.
“But at the end of the day that wasn’t me. I’m not Anthony Mundine and I’m not Paul Gallen. So I’m just going to be myself and I’m a good guy that’s made mistakes. I’m going to continue to make mistakes but I’m a family man and I love my boxing and I love my rugby league.”
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Pangai Junior said the change of tack to a more chilled out approach had been made after some reflection and speaking with his team.
“I obviously wanted to come into boxing and make some noise and try to sell the fight for the promoters who are putting in the hard work,” he explained.
“But at the end of the day, it doesn’t sit well with me and it’s not me.
“I’m not a bad boy. People are real these days and they can see someone that’s being fake. And it’s not me.”
Pangai Junior hopes to have “three or four” more fights this year beyond Saturday’s Sa’u showdown.
The one game New South Wales prop is juggling boxing with playing for Karmichael Hunt’s Souths Logan Magpies in the Queensland Cup this season and is hoping for a Broncos NRL return next year.
“Karmichael has been really good for me, he’s been understanding with my boxing training,” Pangai Junior said.
“So it hasn’t been that hard to juggle, to be honest. I love both sports and I have time for both. There’s a lot of hours in the day to fill up.”
Pangai Junior said he viewed his foray into boxing as a success so far but all that could go out the window with a loss on Saturday.
He had been honing his ring craft with “hard sparring” sessions against dangerous Australian heavyweight Toese Vousiutu and another league player turned boxer in Alex Leapai Junior.
“I’m trying to learn the boxing craft but obviously everyone loves a knockout. That’s what puts bums on seats and gets people excited,” he said.
“So I’ll be boxing but if the time comes and the knockout’s there, then I’ll go for it. I’ve watched a bit of his footage and he’s (Sa’u) a pretty slick boxer but I feel like the hard work I put in will get me over the line on Saturday night.
“It will be a step up, a hard fight but definitely one I’m ready for.”
In the main event on Saturday, undefeated Olympics star Paulo Aokuso will take on dangerous Ghanaian Emmanuel Danso in his quest to capture more world titles.
Elsewhere on the card, two Aussie Olympians bound for Paris will get their final tune-ups, with super heavyweight monster Teremoana Junior and Tina Rahimi both in action.
