Meet Josh Byrne, Perth’s 18-year-old boxing sensation
In recent years, Perth has proven to be a major player when it comes to growing high quality fighting talent, whether that be in MMA or boxing.
A young man who is seen to have huge potential to go all the way is Perth’s Josh Byrne. We had the opportunity to speak to the Perth native about his journey so far.
When did your boxing journey start?
JB: I was 10 when I started and it was just for fitness at first, but as I got older, and had a few wins I thought I could maybe turn it into a career.
What do you like about boxing?
JB: It’s a bit like an addiction, once you start and you win a fight, you get that good feeling and then when you win you just want to carry that feeling on. I love the sport, I love everything about it, once I get into it, I find it so easy to carry on and maintain my fitness.
Where do you currently train?
JB: Right now, I train at Big Rigs in Malaga, the guys are really nice and my trainer Rig is a great guy. I feel like I can talk to him about anything, they are a great bunch of guys to train with.
For every great boxer of today, there is a background influence from one of the greats of the past. Which boxer inspired you?
JB: I think Mike Tyson is definitely [an inspiration], not so much his style, but just his attitude towards [boxing].
The “I’m going to rip your head off” attitude kind of describes me a lot, if someone hits me, I try and get them back for it.
In his professional debut, Byrne cruised to a lopsided unanimous decision victory, when he outclassed Mitch Arnold to win every round on the judges’ scorecards.
The win also won Byrne the Alan Pond cup, a trophy named after a legendary West Australian fighter who was a multiple time kickboxing champion before his death in 2021. We asked Josh about this victory.
How did it feel to beat Mitch Arnold in your professional debut?
JB: It was awesome, I couldn’t have planned the fight any other way. The result was awesome, and I can’t thank my manager/promoter Tony [Tolj] and my coach Big Rig (Dayle Phillips) enough. Tony for setting it up for me and Rig for putting the hours in and helping me train and getting me fit. It was a phenomenal feeling being able to walk away with the trophy.
With a debut victory under your belt, what is next in the short term?
JB: Fighting on the next [Dragon Fire] card is a goal in the near future, that’s already on the way for me. For next year, maybe I’ll have another couple of fights and see where that takes me, I might possibly fight for a state title or something like that next year, we’ll see how it goes.
While having a vicious and dedicated approach to the sport of boxing, Perth looks set to have a real prospect for great things in the future.
With more experience under his belt on the local scene, Byrne will hopefully burst onto the international scene over the next few years a fly the West Australian flag.
Byrne is next expected to face Bima Prakosa at Thunderdome 47 on August 23.