Australian boxers have made a habit of shocking the fight establishment of late.
Whether it was Jeff Horn beating Manny Pacquiao at Lang Park, George Kambosos' smash and grab job on Teófimo López in New York or Jai Opetaia's brave beating of Mairis Briedis on the Gold Coast, Australian fighters are not daunted by being labelled as underdogs.
That's great news for Liam Wilson (11-1, 7 KOs), who on Saturday afternoon (AEDT) has a chance of his own to stun the world when he fights for the WBO super featherweight world title against Mexican knockout artist Emanuel Navarrete (36-1, 30KOs) — who is currently on a decade-long win streak.
Incredibly, Wilson will be getting his chance in what will be just his 13th professional fight.
If that does not equate to enough cards stacked against the challenger — his team are alleging that the scales were tampered with at a contentious weigh in to allow Navarrete to come in significantly over the super featherweight limit of 59kg.
The Queenslander came in at an almost shockingly low weight of 126.3lb — almost two kilos below the limit.
If the scales were accurate, it would be the lightest that Wilson had ever weighed in for a professional fight and almost under the featherweight maximum.
If there had been interference though, it would cast serious doubt over whether Navarrete had weighed in under the limit, given he topped the scales almost exactly on the limit.
"Events like that you don't really see coming," Wilson told ABC Sport.
"Especially when he is a two-time world champion, I thought he'd be more professional than that.
"It all lines up for him, not making weight and they've obviously tampered with the scales and made him make weight."
Wilson says he weighed himself on the scales 20 minutes before the official weigh in and came in "just under" the limit.
His camp are up in arms, particularly after footage appeared to show a man touch the scales before the weigh in for the main event.
However, the fighter is paradoxically taking confidence from the drama.
"What I take from it is, he's either overlooked me, or he hasn't prepared like a true champion," he said.
"It's a shame, it's the sport that I love … it's just stupid how these things can happen."
Wilson's manager Steve Scanlan told Fox Sports that he will be "demanding answers" and could yet pull out of the fight.
However, Wilson said he is likely to still head into the ring, especially given he has previously beaten a fighter who came in heavy.
"It hasn't differed my mindset … I'm using this as motivation," he said.
Controversy aside, this fight is Wilson's biggest opportunity since he turned professional.
Wilson, in taking this fight, will be fulfilling a promise to his late father — who he told he would be a world champion just before he died when Wilson was just 14.
However, as is so often the case in such a brutal a sport, it could have been so different.
Wilson suffered a humbling defeat at the hands of Joe Noynay in Newcastle on the undercard of Tim Tszyu's three-round demolition of Steve Spark.
Wilson was knocked down four times in that fight, severely bloodying the lofty ambitions of the Queensland fighter.
Six months later, Wilson was back, knocking the Filipino fighter out in Brisbane — despite him weighing nearly 9 pounds over the limit.
That victory handed him the WBO Asia Pacific belt, which he exchanged for the WBO International strap just three months later by beating Matias Rueda in Brisbane, earning a number three spot in the WBO rankings and a shot at the title vacated by Shakur Stevenson.
The Caboolture fighter will enter the ring in Glendale, Arizona a rank outsider, but is in with a shout of joining IBF cruiserweight champion Opetaia as Australia's only current male boxing world champions.
Standing in the 26-year-old's way is a two-weight world champion with cannon balls for fists, who has not lost a fight in over a decade.
Through pedigree alone, 28-year-old Navarrete is a clear favourite.
On a 30-fight, decade-long win streak, the fast-punching Navarrete is the reigning WBO featherweight champion — a strap he has worn since October 2020.
Navarrete is also a champion at featherweight and super bantamweight, but will be stepping up to the 130-pound (58.9kg) limit for the first time.
With an increase in weight though, comes an increase in power, something Wilson believes will be the Mexican's undoing.
At the face off Wilson's 6cm height advantage was revealed as the Aussie looked down on the Mexican champion.
"I'm bigger, stronger, and just naturally bigger as a person [then Navarrete]," Wilson said.
"If I can assert my authority early in the fight … I think I win this pretty comfortably."
Navarrete told reporters through a translator that he "did notice that [Wilson is] taller", but added there was "nothing to be worried about".
"I'm familiar with boxers who hit hard," he said.
"For me, it's normal."
Should Navarrete win, he will become just the tenth Mexican boxer to claim world titles at three different weight divisions.
"Being a three-division world champion will be the culmination of another goal in my career," he said.
You can listen to the full interview with Liam Wilson on ABC Summer Grandstand on Saturday afternoon.
