By Logan Savory

When Bowie Tupou reaches for a handshake he make an everyday person's hand look like the size of a thimble.

There's little surprise then that Tupou has a found a home in the sport of boxing.

However, he hasn't followed the traditional pathway through the boxing ranks to position himself as No 13 in the World Boxing Organisation heavyweight rankings.

Tupou's sporting exploits started as a Jonah Lomu type winger in rugby union, after him and his family shifted from Tonga to Australia.

At 100-plus  kilograms he was a daunting sight for opposition wingers.

He played age-group rugby for Penrith where he toured New Zealand in 2001, it included a game against Southland under-21 in Queenstown.

Penrith Panthers' rugby league club  then swooped as Tupou was included in their setup with the prospect of progressing the giant winger into the NRL.

An NRL career never happened though.

Tupou says there was a booze culture and he fell into that trap like many youngsters can.

His partner - and now wife - Georgia was the first person to suggest boxing as a sport to help get him back on track and install some discipline in his life.

He trained for a year, before at 23-years-old, with no amateur background at all, he took the plunge and took on his first fight.

in his debut fight he squared-off against Brian Fitzgerald, who had an extensive and successful amateur background.

After six rounds of boxing Tupou won by unanimous decision and he was hooked. Boxing was where he wanted to make his name.

From 2006 to 2009 he won 15 straight fights, as he went from a rugby league player-cum-boxer to a talented fighter who made the boxing community standing up and taking notice.

He made the move to the United States to train alongside some of their best heavyweights as he continued to rise up the world rankings.

His biggest assignment was in 2012 when he took on respected American heavyweight Bryant Jennings. It was his move to set himself up for a world title shot.

Tupou however was stopped by Jennings in the fifth round.  He felt he could continue but the referee had seen enough.

The defeat left him pondering his future in the sport, and he decided it was time to return to Australia and continue his boxing trade there.

His decision to ditch the Untied States was not him giving up on his dream, he says. He felt he  performed best when he was surrounded everyday by his family and friends.

Tupou has also been able to link up with legendary Australian trainer Jeff Fenech on his return to Australia.

Fenech himself was a world champion boxer and has since trained many fighters, including Mike Tyson.

Tupou has had three fights since returning to Australia and won all of them.

His latest was against Hunter Sam where he won by split decision in a 10-round contest.

Tupou now turns his focus to Joseph Parker in Invercargill on August 1.

It was a fight Tupou was always planning for but the original thought was for it to be staged in Auckland in October.

However, with Japanese boxer Kyotaro Fujimoto pulling out of the Invercargill bout, Tupou's shot at Parker was brought forward.

The fight makes sense, according to Tupou.

He believes a win will help him climb back up the world rankings and feels it is also a fight the public wants to see.

Having a Samoan and a Tongan go at it he thinks will appeal.

Tupou and Parker are not only both Pacific Islanders, but they are also both Mormons which meant there was a healthy respect for one and other.

As a result there is not expected to be any of the traditional trash talk leading up to the fight in Invercargill, but Tupou promises when they do enter the ring they will become the fiercest of enemies.

"You don't often get two Islanders going at it at this level," he said.

"The reason I am taking the fight is it is an opportunity for me. He's No 8 I am No 13 [in world rankings]. I've got to take this opportunity. No-one up there in the rankings is  normally keen to take on a young lion."