Boxing: Adesanya unveiled as Super 8 wildcard

Israel Adesanya has just signed with Glory promotion. Photo / Xavier Wallach

Kiwi kickboxer Israel Adesanya has already won an eight-man fighting tournament this year but wants to add another crown to his hit list next month.

The 25-year-old, who is 40-2 as a kickboxer and won August's King in the Ring event in Auckland, was confirmed today as the New Zealand wildcard for the cruiserweight Super 8 boxing contest on the North Shore on November 22.

The international wildcard was expected to be announced early next week, although it's understood Scotland's Stephen Simmons (11-0) had the inside running.

Adesanya will join Australians Brad Pitt (15-1), Daniel Ammann (29-7-1) and Anthony McCracken (16-7-1), Kiwis Lance Bryant (3-0) and Monty Filimaea (9-10-1) and Samoa's Vaitele Soi (22-0) in the Super 8.

Fighters will be paired off in to quarter-final match-ups and they will meet over three three-minute rounds with the winner advancing.

"I'm happy and I appreciate the opportunity and I'm going to make the most of it," Adesanya told the Herald.

"I feel good knowing I won't get kicked, so my elusiveness will be even more flamboyant than it normally is."

Adesanya has never had a professional boxing match in his career but he does have a 2-0 record in MMA and has proven to be dangerous with his hands as a kickboxer.

"I don't feel like I'm out of my depth, I feel like I can roll with these guys," he said and insisted his experience in eight-man tournaments would give him an advantage over the field.

"I've won eight-mans in my career so they don't know what it's like; the mindset. You have one fight and you have to fix yourself for the next fight and they'll have no idea of the state of mind you need to be in."

The Super 8 fight night will be headlined by a heavyweight clash between veterans Shane Cameron (29-4) and Kali Meehan (41-5) who will meet for the WBA Oceania crown.

Kiwi cruiserweight David Aloua (11-1) will also put his WBA Pan African title on the line against Australian Daniel Baff (16-2-1).

Meanwhile, Mark Hunt's striking coach Lolo Heimuli has been granted a visa to the US and will join the team in Mexico via Los Angeles next week.

Heimuli, who travels on a Tongan passport, was having trouble arranging the correct documentation in time to join Hunt ahead of his interim world heavyweight title shot against No 1 contender Fabricio Werdum (18-5-1) at UFC 180 on November 16.

But with the assistance of Hunt's management team, Heimuli has sorted the paperwork and should be on the plane to Mexico on Monday.

Hunt (10-8-1) was a late replacement for the main event of UFC 180 after champion Cain Velasquez pulled out with a knee injury.

The 40-year-old veteran of combat sports is on a mission to drop 18kg ahead of the bout and is running through a strenuous fitness regime under trainer Alex Flint as he gets used to the altitude in Mexico City.

Ground-game specialist Steve Oliver has also joined the Hunt camp in Mexico as they push the Kiwi towards the biggest fight of his MMA career.