GOLD COAST, Australia – When Jake Wyllie makes his way to the ring on Saturday to confront Paul Fleming, he will do so aware that he is putting his hopes of signing a promotional agreement with Matchroom on the line.
The junior welterweight first came to Eddie Hearn’s attention in March when as a late-notice replacement opponent he impressed in defeat by the decorated George Kambosos Jnr.
In August he was rewarded by the promoter when he was matched with Youssef Dib and recorded his 18th professional victory, and on Saturday, at the Gold Coast Exhibition Centre on the undercard of Jai Opetaia-Huseyin Cinkara, he will appear on a Tasman Fighters promotion determined to impress Hearn and Matchroom from afar.
It is little secret that Matchroom are planning to more consistently compete in the Australian fight market. It, similarly, was tempting to conclude when Tasman secured broadcast agreements with Stan and UFC Fight Pass for Opetaia-Cinkara that there are unlikely to be further co-promotions between Tasman and Matchroom that appear on DAZN.
What Matchroom continue to lack is the profile of fighter required to make the same impact in Australia that they have been in the UK and the US, and the 25-year-old Wyllie is aware of the value of becoming one of the vocal points of their planned expansion – and it is that, in the all-Australian contest with Fleming, that he recognises he is potentially putting at risk.
“I’m not necessarily signed to [Hearn], but he did keep his promise and he did come back to Australia, and myself and Youssef Dib headlined a big card which ended up being a sellout as well,” he told BoxingScene. “I’m free at the moment. I haven’t signed with anyone. There’s too much in Australian boxing to tie yourself down with anybody.
“There’s so much going on – Tasman Fighters, No Limit, Matchroom coming out and doing big things. Ultimately Matchroom’s the one I want to be with, but look, in the mean time, if these big fights and good offers come, I’m gonna take it.
“I got the one with Youssef Dib. That was big – that was headlining on DAZN and around the world, and we’re in talks with Eddie Hearn at the moment, but I’ve got one job to do and that’s focus on Paul Fleming on Saturday night. I need to get through him to start even thinking about going elsewhere.
“My career’s fast-forwarded a couple of years, and I can only put that down to George Kambosos. George gave me an opportunity, I fell short of it, but I’m doing everything I can to make sure I get the most out of it, right my wrongs in training with what I can do for the big fights, and how I can get through those rounds and get the win. I had that fight with Youssef Dib after that, and that was just the start of the beginning. I’m looking forward to finishing the year strong.
“This is why you’ve got to stay fit and stay active, because a big-fight call-up could happen at anytime. I’m not saying I always stayed fit ‘cause I knew I was gonna get Kambosos, but I was staying fit and I was fit enough to be able to take him on, and if I wasn’t, if I was overweight, you’d never live yourself down if you have to say to your manager ‘Look, I’m not fit enough; I won’t make the weight’. That’s shithouse. I’d have missed out on a great pay day and a great fight that progressed my career. I took the opportunity with both hands. It’s rewarding myself now.”
Fleming, 37, competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. By his own admission he was tempted out of “retirement” to fight Wyllie having recorded his only defeat in his most recent contest, in March 2023 against Charly Suarez.
“Fleming’s right up there if he wants to be,” Wyllie continued. “I’m expecting a good, hard solid fight out of Fleming, because it doesn’t matter – if I beat him they’ll say ‘You beat a washed-up fighter’, if I lose then they’ll say ‘He was too crafty’ or too good in other areas. I’ve got to win by any means. If I’m talking about where I want to get to in this career I need to get past all these fighters to get world-title shots and world-title eliminators. Paul Fleming’s gonna bring a great fight and I’m excited for it.
“He’s crafty. He’s slippery; he moves his head well. He’s gonna be a bit tricky to catch. We’ve worked through all of that through training camp. We’re excited for it.
“People like myself – we’ve got to take every opportunity we can. Even Jai Opetaia – he didn’t start off on cards like this. He would have been on local RSLs and pubs and headlining shows, and he’s paved the way for people like myself to be able to get the equivalent accreditation to be on these cards and be on shows around the world. If we don’t have people like Jai Opetaia, none of this is gonna happen. We’ve got to take advantage of that, and get on these cards and make the most of it.
“I knew it would have been televised, but then they came round a few weeks later and said it’d be headlined on Stan, and that was great to see – again, it’s more eyeballs on the sport. I can’t wait.”
