To many casual fans of boxing, Conor Wallace is a name going under the radar.

That doesn’t matter. 

If things progress as the Northern Ireland-born light heavyweight boxer anticipates, you’ll know all about him soon enough.

And the 28-year-old isn’t bothered about not having the name recognition enjoyed by some of his contemporaries in the burgeoning Australian boxing scene.

“Fly low and fly long. That’s my motto,” Wallace tells ABC Sport, a broad smile across his face.

We are speaking in a sports bar at the top of Brisbane’s famous Caxton Street, immediately after Wallace weighed in for his Wednesday night clash with unbeaten South African Asemahle Wellem (7-0-1) at Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall.

Boasting a professional record of 14-1 (10KOs), the 192cm-tall Brisbane-based southpaw is one of a cluster of fighters at the 175lb (79.38kg) weight limit chomping at the bit to take on some of boxing’s genuine stars.

Ranked second in the IBF behind mandatory challenger to Artur Beterbiev’s belt, Michael Eifert, and sixth in both the WBO and WBC standings, Wallace is one of the few Australians ranked globally by multiple governing bodies.

“That doesn’t bother me,” he says about the relative lack of recognition, in an Armagh accent mildly softened by his years Down Under as he sips on an energy drink, rehydrating after what must be some effort to cut his tall frame to make weight.

“I just go about my business. Just get the job done.”

As is the case every time a fighter steps into the ring, there is a risk.

The better you are, the greater those risks become on the way to monumental rewards.

With Wallace on the cusp of some massive fights against some of the biggest names in boxing, a defeat could spell disaster for the rangy left-hander, not just the loss of his WBA Oceania light heavyweight title, but so much more.

“It is what it is. You know what I mean?” Wallace says with confidence.

“If I can’t beat this boy tomorrow night, don’t worry about any mandatories or anything like that.

“I’m a fighter. Fighters fight.”

Weighing in

Weigh-ins are an intriguing and necessary part of the spectacle of fight weeks.

Bystanders catching a glimpse of gaunt, athletic men walking up to the stage, stripping to their underwear and posing may wonder whether they have accidentally wandered into one of Caxton Street’s other venues.

Closer investigation, though, reveals more of the pomp and ceremony of an occasion worthy of a title fight.

Boxer’s families and supporters mingle, each camp largely keeping themselves to themselves but occasionally catching up with old acquaintances.

A newborn baby in Wallace’s camp, innocent wide eyes staring out over pleasingly chubby cheeks, takes everything in as other supporters sip on soft drinks, banter with their friends, or sup darker beverages of a stronger potency.

The fighters themselves, forced into a head-to-head meeting with a man who, in little over 24 hours time, will be desperately trying to knock them out, are locked into a confusing mix of nervousness, calm introspection and barely-contained excitement.

Some veritably bounce off the scales, animated and edgy and full of pent up energy desperate to be released in a flurry of fists — although that will have to wait.

Others are more prosaic, feigning disinterest in their rival, while all desperately sup on energy drinks as soon as their weight has been confirmed.

Huni out to rediscover old magic

While many of the undercard fighters are understandably twitchy on account of them cutting weight, the two heavyweights are under no such constraints.

That includes Justis Huni (10-0), who cut a relaxed and cheery figure as he chatted with family and friends away from the cluster of humanity surrounding the scales.

The 25-year-old — who weighed in at 109.7kg, lighter than his past two bouts — meets veteran Argentine southpaw Leandro Robutti (11-6) standing opposite him.

That’s not to say the punters won’t get their heavyweight money’s worth — Huni’s 38-year-old opponent topped the scales at an incredible 140kgs.

Huni has long been destined for big things.

A boxer of frightful accuracy and speed in his amateur days, Huni had begun to fall into the trap of listening to critics, working on his knockout power while sacrificing his fleetness of foot.

Huni is still unbeaten — the 25-year-old is now rated as the fifth-best heavyweight in the world by the WBO — but has gone back to his old amateur coach Mark Wilson in a bid to rediscover the style that won him so many admirers.

“What everyone liked about me was footwork and using my hand speed and hitting and not getting hit,” a happy and relaxed Huni says.

“It’s what I’ve known, when I came up through the amateurs, that’s how I boxed. That’s what people enjoyed seeing me doing, boxing. 

“A lot of people said I was a heavyweight that fought like a middleweight. So, just getting back to that and being happy doing it too.

“It’s what people want to see as a heavyweight, someone different. Not someone who just stands there and bangs. I want to break my opponents down. I don’t need that one-punch power.

“It’s getting back to that. I’ve been feeling good, I’m loving it.”

Wallace heading in the right direction

Following the undercard weigh-ins, Wallace, who until that time had been sitting quietly, staring into his near future, confidently strode up to the stage through a throng of his supporters, the switch between athlete preparing for competition and the showman inherent in every boxer flipping dramatically.

The crowd, many sporting Team Wallace T-shirts in Ireland’s green and orange hues, punched the air and cheered on their star, adding to the atmosphere.

These surrounds may be humble compared to some, particularly to the top fighters in the division, undisputed champion Beterbiev and his Russian counterpart Dmitri Bivol, who are set for a rematch in the new year for all four belts.

But for Wallace with an enormous, parochial backing, it may already feel like he’s in the world’s biggest arenas.

“It’s getting bigger and bigger all the time,” he says.

“I love fighting here in Brisbane and absolutely pumped to be back at the Fortitude Music Hall, it’s my favourite venue.

“This is what it’s all about. Fighters fight. You know what I mean?

“I love this sh**.”

Wellem did not make the weight at the first opportunity, coming in a fraction over the 79.38kg limit while Wallace weighed in at 79.2kg.

There was a flicker of irritation from Wallace at his opponent’s slackness, the showman flicking a palm at the sombre-looking South African’s taught and muscular belly and mocking his opponent’s error in front of his receptive audience.

“That’s the least of his worries, making weight,” he tells me soon after stepping off the stage, formalities — and theatrics — over.

“He’s fighting me tomorrow night. I think he’s got a bit more to worry about.”

A win there, in front of what will likely be a raucous crowd, will make for a very satisfying Christmas for the Wallace clan.

After that? Who knows?