Taking on Australian Cruiserweight champion Darryl Leabourn in his 100^th and final boxing bout, local Darren Finn knew he wasn’t going in as the favourite, but that didn’t stop him.

“Leading up to (the fight), it was all about him. It was his retirement fight, everything like that,” Finn said.

“Even when I got up there, the media was all about him and overlooked me. With him, it was his 100th fight, so anyone in the fight game knows an accomplishment like that’s mega. Some people don’t even reach 20 fights these days.”

A dual international champion and New Zealand’s youngest national champion to date, Leabourn was a force to be reckoned with.

Having lost to Leabourn twice before, Finn knew this all too well.

Also competing in his 100th ring contest (including kickboxing, muay thai, karate and boxing), the Sapphire Mixed Martial Arts fighter had personal struggles to contend with. The Saturday, November 11 date – of which he’d only been given six weeks notice – was his late father’s birthday. 

“My emotional state was a wreck,” Finn admitted. Winning for his father was both a motivation and a stumbling block, as Finn was reminded of his grief. He spent the weeks leading up to the bout shut away from all distractions, and simply trained.

“When we fought, neither of us stood back, and we just went for it. It was a high pace for the both of us, because both of us had everything to lose,” he said.

After their three previous fights resulting in split decisions, the local fighter was determined to have a convincing win, and said he knew what he had to do to beat Leabourn. Finn won in a unanimous decision in a high paced, hard-hitting bout, taking home the Australian cruiserweight belt.

“The first thing I did was wish my dad a happy birthday,” he said.

“In all my life, there’s very few times I’ve actually cried. That was one of them.”

Finn is now a three-time Australian boxing champion in three weight divisions in three sanctioning bodies.

He dedicated his win to his father. Finn gave credit to Leabourn as a tough opponent.

“It was the hardest he’s ever fought and it’s the hardest I’ve ever fought,” he said. 

The win has landed Finn a contract with Dragon Fire Management, led by famous fighter Danny Green’s trainer Angelo Hyder. 

“You’re always going to have obstacles in life. It’s just what you do and how you apply that makes the difference between winning and losing,” Finn said.