Streaming fans to Vegas, in Vegas
Bray Park boxer Vegas Larfield will have more than 100 family and friends streamed into his dressing room at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas on Sunday morning - just minutes before his second professional fight.
The 18-year-old is taking on Juan Alberto Flores in a four-round bantamweight contest on the undercard of a huge, televised fight night at the iconic hotel.
Phil Murphy, Vegas’ manager and sponsor from Oxmar Properties, has set-up a special screening at Club Pine Rivers for Vegas’ supporters.
Live cross
He has also arranged for a live cross 12,000km into Vegas’ dressing room just before the fight, which is expected to start around 10am Queensland time.
“It’s so they (supporters) can give Vegas their very best wishes for the fight,” says Phil, “hopefully this will lift him so high he will blast Flores out of the MGM Grand.”
Vegas trains at the All Star Boxing Academy in PCYC Pine Rivers and went to the US with Andrew Maloney, whose world title fight with Joshua Franco is the co-main event.
Phil spoke to top US boxing promoter Bob Arum saying it would be “great” to get Vegas added to the Top Rank/ESPN show.
“Bob immediately said yes, of course,” says Phil.
Huge shoutout
Vegas won his first professional fight in August stopping Ricky Hunt in the first round and now faces Mexican Flores, who has won two of his three fights, but not fought for 14 months.
Announcing the fight on Facebook, Vegas said: “A huge shoutout to my team for getting me such an opportunity.
“Opportunities like these don’t come up every day and I’m not one to pass up a scrap. Thank you all for the support and well wishes they mean a lot.”
Aussie crown
Vegas started boxing in 2015 during the rugby league off-season. He impressed All Star trainer Ben Harrington and as an amateur won three state titles, an Australian title and three Golden Gloves.
Fellow Australian Andrew Maloney is looking to recapture the world super flyweight crown he lost to Franco at the same venue in June.
Sharing the top billing is undefeated Terrance Crawford, who took the welterweight world title from Brisbane’s Jeff Horn, in another world title fight against Kell Brook, from the UK.