Health concerns have left Australian heavyweight Justis Huni in the dark over a hand injury that could seriously delay his charge to a world title shot.
The 23-year-old overcame tough New Zealand slugger Kiki Leutele at Brisbane’s Nissan Arena on Friday night, a unanimous points decision improving him to 7-0.
But Huni was sent for scans on both hands at the weekend after he experienced severe pain in the final five rounds, with his damaged right hand causing particular concern.
An appointment with the specialist on Tuesday never happened though, with Huni rushed to hospital in the morning with stomach pain and now awaiting test results of a different kind.
Huni had hoped to fight again in December, while a touted showdown with three-time welterweight world champion Mairis Briedis early next year was his ticket to a world ranking and subsequent title shot.
Surgery would scupper those plans, though, and come less than 18 months after a previous hand operation kept him out of the ring for a year.
The 110kg weapon had ligaments in his right hand repaired after damaging them in a tough defeat of Paul Gallen in 2021, the lay-off forcing him to miss the Tokyo Olympics.
