Justis Huni required counseling after watching his former trainer Keri Fui collapse from a heart attack and later die.
Huni on Saturday against Frazer Clarke fights for the first time since his only defeat, by Fabio Wardley in June 2024, since when a scheduled rematch with Kiki Toa Leutele was abandoned as a consequence of Fui’s tragic death.
They were to fight again on the undercard of December’s contest between Jai Opetaia and Huseyin Cinkara, but having been present when Fui so unexpectedly collapsed during a training session – prompting Australia’s Huni and his strength and conditioner to give him urgent medical attention – their rematch was called off.
Huni was present at Opetaia-Cinkara which, on account of Opetaia’s closeness to Fui, served partly as a tribute to one of the Australian fight scene’s most popular figures.
The heavyweight also speaks as someone once hit by five bullets during a drive-by-shooting, but what happened to Fui troubled him perhaps above all else.
“It affected me a lot,” Huni told BoxingScene. “I took some time off. I wasn’t in a very good place. But I had to pull myself together, knuckle down, get back into training, and find happiness again.
“It was very hard. It hit different for myself and my S&C trainer because we were the ones that were there that day. It was very hard to go through that period – to lose someone so close and special.
“[Counseling] was a big help for me. I couldn’t just lock myself away. It was a dark time. It was pretty hard – I’d never experienced something like that before in my life, so it was very hard. Very hard.
“For [Opetaia] to still take on that fight with everything that had been going on through his camp just shows his character; how strong he is mentally. Credit to Jai for stepping up and getting the job done.
“[Fui] was a coach; a father figure; he was like a father figure to me. Always there; always someone to speak to; always had my back, and just wanted the best for me and my career. I was very unfortunate to lose someone so close.
“The trainers I went through – he was always there – and then I ended up being with him and he ended up training me and we were supposed to go into our first fight together. That’s what we were training for. It was just unexpected.”
The chance to fight England’s Clarke on the undercard at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium of Tyson Fury-Arslanbek Makhmudov presented Huni, 27, with an opportunity that forced him to quickly attempt to rebuild.
Clarke, 34 years old and fighting for the first time under his new trainer Joe Gallagher, is also still attempting to recover from his own defeat by Wardley – one inflicted in October 2024 – which means that he and Huni, who has since recruited Josh Arnold to be his new trainer, share familiar ground.
“I wanted to move down to the Gold Coast anyway, and [Arnold] was the first name that was brung up by my manager Mick [Francis],” he explained. “I tested him out – I absolutely loved it, and since then we’ve grown together. Got a good relationship; he’s very understanding; very easy to work with. He’s got a good gym; other good fighters in that gym.
“We’ve made a few little adjustments. Not major, or a change in style. I’ve still got my own style but have added little things; tweaked things. I’m happy with where we are, and I can’t wait to go and show the world everything we’ve been working on.
“I feel exactly the same as I felt before the Wardley fight. I had no pressure; I felt free. It’s the exact same feeling. It’s like a coming-out party all over again.
“I don’t really take the Wardley fight as a loss. I came over here late notice, didn’t have the best camp, and all I could do was go out there and give it my best shot and that’s exactly what I did. Unfortunately I got caught with a beautiful punch that Wardley threw, and that was that. But coming over here at late notice, to give the performance that I gave, I done the best that I could do, so I was happy with it. Even though I lost I was still happy with the effort that I put in to get that fight.
“I judge myself on other people he’s done the same thing to. Take the [Joseph] Parker fight. I gave a much better performance than Parker did – he’s experienced. I look at the way he finished Frazer Clarke. Considering the camp I had and the injuries I was carrying – I’m happy to be back. Usually you don’t get the opportunity to come back, and I’m looking to put on a good performance again.”
Asked if Clarke’s career could be over if he suffers another defeat – he unexpectedly lost to Jeamie Tshikeva in his past contest – Huni responded: “It’s entirely up to him. I’m not really too worried about where his career goes after this. I’m just worried about myself and where I go, moving forward.
“He’s very good. He’s got a good amateur background. He knows what he’s doing in that ring. I’m just preparing to come in and counter everything that he’s got to bring. He’s got good body shots. He’s got a good right uppercut; left body rip. His jab’s OK. But it’s nothing I haven’t seen before. I feel pretty confident, going into this fight.
“He doesn’t like the body shots. But nobody likes body shots. We’re putting a game plan together to counteract whatever he brings.”
