Chris John favored to beat back Browne

Chris John favored to beat back Browne

Associated Press, Sydney, Australia

With World Boxing Association featherweight champion Chris John the firm favorite for their bout on Sunday, Australian boxer Tommy Browne says he will rely on a mixture of aggression and skill to overcome his opponent.

Browne, 22, who lost a 12-round points decision to South Korea's World Boxing Council champion Chi In-jin in Seoul in January, will take on the Indonesian at the Penrith Panthers club in western Sydney.

Chris John, who turns 26 on Sept. 14, has a record of 35 wins -- 19 by knockout -- and one draw. He beat American Derrick Gainer in a unamimous decision in Jakarta in April.

Browne, 1.8 meters compared to the 1.7 Chris John, will enjoy a significant height advantage and plans to keep the pressure on throughout against his more experienced opponent.

"We know he's a fairly smart boxer, he's got good hand speed and he's a good counter-puncher," Browne said at the weigh-in on Saturday.

"I've got to make sure he doesn't get himself set and always be in his face and don't give him time to counter-punch. We both have a similar style, so it's going to be interesting."

Chris has an Australian trainer -- Craig Christian -- and spent eight weeks in Perth, Western Australia state, preparing for the 12-rounder.

"He's (Browne's) got a good jab and he's very tough," the Indonesian said.

Browne has a record of 18 wins, three losses and a draw. Two of his three defeats were overseas and the other came in his first professional bout.

Both men weighed comfortably inside the featherweight limit of 57 kilograms at Saturday's weigh-in.

South African referee Stanley Christodoulou will control Sunday's fight, his 107th in a world championship contest.

Former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier is expected to be a special guest of promoter Tony Caradonna. Frazier recorded the final victory of his professional career in Australia against fellow American Jimmy Ellis at Melbourne's Junction Oval in March 1975.

Now 61, Frazier took 30 years to make his second visit to Australia when he made a brief trip to Sydney last month as a guest speaker at a boxing awards dinner.