Floyd Masson
A Te Awamutu born boxer is to fight for title vacated by Joseph Parker’s last opponent.
Brisbane based southpaw Floyd Masson fights Italian Fabio Turchi – also a southpaw – for the vacant IBO World Cruiserweight title in Queensland on April 1.
The title was vacated by Jack Massey when he moved up to heavyweight and was outpointed this month in Manchester, England, by New Zealand’s Joseph Parker.
Masson, who boasts a perfect win record after 12 bouts, won the Australian cruiserweight title with a majority decision win over Aussie Mark Flanagan in December 2021.
He is ranked 12th with IBF and is in the top 30 on the respected website Boxrec.
Only one New Zealander, the late Jimmy Thunder – one of many Samoan born Kiwis to make headlines in the ring – has won an IBO title. Thunder won the heavyweight belt in 1994 against unheralded Richard Mason and later defended it against Tony Tubbs, who fought the likes of Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe.
Masson’s opponent Turchi, 29, last fought in June in London when he stopped Englishman Richard Riakporhe, a former British cruiserweight champion, in two rounds. He is ranked 13th by the IBF.
Floyd Masson
Masson was born and raised in Te Awamutu and began fighting as an amateur in New Zealand before moving to Perth where he made his professional debut five years ago.
He has been based in Brisbane for two years and is preparing for the fight in Las Vegas under trainer Steve Rowlands,
