Canberra boxer Dave Toussaint to fight on the Manny Pacquiao-Jeff Horn card
Canberra boxer Dave Toussaint took a chance on the sport he loves and it has landed him on the biggest card ever seen on Australian shores.
Toussaint has officially signed to fight on the Manny Pacquiao-Jeff Horn card at Suncorp Stadium on July 2.
Canberra boxer David Toussaint training in the lead-up to his fight on the Manny Pacquiao-Jeff Horn card in Brisbane on July 2.
Photo: Sitthixay DitthavongThe undefeated middleweight will face boxing royalty in Shane Mosley Jr (10-1), son of the legendary "Sugar" Shane Mosley, in the third fight from the top of the card.
Toussaint grew up doing assignments on Pacquiao at school and never in his wildest dreams did he think he would one day share a card with one of the greatest boxers of all time.
The 10-0 Canberran, fighting out of the Stockade Training Centre in Dickson, took a gamble when he quit his job as an electrician to chase his boxing dream about 18 months ago.
But the gutsy decision has now landed the 26-year-old on the biggest boxing event in Australian history, with Pacquiao and Horn holding top billing in their WBO welterweight championship bout.
"As a kid growing up I always looked up to [Pacquiao], being a young southpaw, he was a little southpaw. I never thought I'd be on the same card as him," Toussaint said.
"I know Jeff [Horn] from the amateur days as well, he's a great bloke. To be a part of this massive event, it's huge for me and I'm really glad and honoured to be a part of it."
Backed by Australian boxing great Daniel Geale as a future world champion, Toussaint admits walking out in front of 55,000 screaming fans at a heaving Suncorp Stadium will be foreign territory.
His opponent on the other hand, will "definitely be used to the limelight" having grown up in one of boxing's royal families and sporting the name of his father, a four-time world champion.
The two are polar opposites, but once "Diamond Dave" steps through the ropes everything will be business as usual.
"Once you get in there, there's four corners in the ring and it doesn't make much of a difference," Toussaint said.
"I'm just going to try and keep that in mind and not let the event get to me. The last few fights have all been higher and higher stakes, and the nerves have ramped up every time.
"It's not going to really make much of a difference. Every fight for me now is going to be as important as the one before. It just lifts every time."
Mosley Jr is another big name Toussaint hopes to tick off, having already finished the likes of Junior Talipeau, Jordan Tai and Steve Moxon.
Not one for padding records, Canberra's humble hometown hero wants to fight the biggest and the best.
"I've definitely taken a few risks in my career so far and they've all paid off," Toussaint said.
"Again, taking on a big name like Shane Mosley Jr, it's going to be good for my career and if I win it'll excel me further than taking on some random guy.
"I'm happy to be taking on the challenge and happy to see what comes next."
Contract negotiations dragged on but that was never going to worry Toussaint, who has already been training to combat Mosley Jr for a number of weeks.
Toussaint says "it didn't really matter if it was three weeks or five weeks before", because he's going to be ready on the night in the biggest moment of his career.
A win over the California native could launch Toussaint on to the world stage, and "who knows what's going to happen" from there.
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