Perennial underdog and upset specialist Garth Wood believes some new found smarts will help him create another boxing boilover against the vastly experienced Sam Soliman on Sunday.
IBF ranked No.2 Soliman, 38, will fight the unrated Wood for the interim IBF Pan Pacific middleweight title at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre.
Both men came in just under the 72.57kg limit, with Wood scaling 72.30kg and Soliman 72.20kg.
Victorian veteran and former world title contender Soliman (40-11, 17 KOs) has accumulated a massive 437 rounds in a professional career spanning almost 15 years.
Wood (10-2-1, 6 KOs), who is five years younger than Soliman, has boxed 50 rounds as a professional.
However the Sydneysider and former NRL player has made a habit of toppling tall poppies, most notably Anthony Mundine.
Back after a nine-month break and fighting under a new trainer and manager, Wood plans to display some new weapons in his arsenal.
“I’m just going to try and show a lot more smarts, more skills and movement,” Wood told AAP.
“I’m not just going to stand right in front of him like I have in the past.
“Given the time in my career and who Sam is and how much it means to me, it is my biggest fight.
“He’s a great fighter, he would be my main scalp if I knock him over. I want to be world champion by the end of this year or next year.”
A victory would propel Wood into the IBF world rankings, but Soliman has no intention of becoming another of the Sydneysider’s victims.
A victory over Wood would keep Soliman in the hunt for a fight against Australia’s current IBF middleweight world champion Daniel Geale, who is tipping him to outpoint the younger man.
However, the cheerful Victorian acknowledged he was unlikely to get any more world title chances if he slipped up against Wood.
“Absolutely. I’d be silly to think otherwise but people like Bernard Hopkins are giving us older guys hope,” Soliman told AAP.
“I’ve trained hard and left no stone unturned.
“Anyone who can do what he (Wood) has done in such a short amount of time is incredible.”
The undercard is headed by a fight for the IBF Pan Pacific light middleweight title between Yao Yi Ma and Virgil Kalakoda
