Ivic vs Talivaa Predictions: Battle for the Aussie belt could go the distance

Undefeated heavyweight Stevan Ivic defends the Australian heavyweight championship this Friday, January 16. The challenge comes in the form of 7-1 southpaw Liam Talivaa. The title 10-rounder takes place at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Boondall with Nikita Tszyu vs Michael Zerafa headlining. Kayo Sports will show the event in Australia, with no UK or US broadcast planned at press time.

Read on for my Ivic vs Talivaa predictions.

Ivic vs Talivaa Odds

Challenger Talivaa is the underdog, but a live one at 6/5. Champ Ivic is 8/11 to score the win while the draw is 16/1 if you can’t split them.

Ivic vs Talivaa Fight Preview

This is a chance to put a marker down for these two Aussie big men. The prestigious domestic title is on the line, a belt worn by former world-level fighters like Lucas Browne and Joe Bugner. But beyond that, Ivic and Talivaa have a chance to grasp that elusive, incredibly-modern sort of momentum. This fight is about the title, but it is also about going viral.

This show will draw a big audience. The Tszyu family’s long-running feud with Zerafa will ensure that. Ivic and Talivaa’s fellow heavyweight, Demsey McKean and former world title challenger Liam Wilson ensure plenty of eyeballs, too. So the winner of this fight is aiming not just to take home the belt worn by Aussie boxing legends, but a wealth of new fans and attention too.

Grasping for relevance is generally easier at heavyweight. Rack up a few quick KOs and you get to be ‘the next Mike Tyson’ for as long as it takes you to get hammered and become ‘the next 2005 Mike Tyson’.

Ivic and Talivaa are not hardcore finishers, with the former scoring two knockouts in seven victories and his opponent managing three in the same amount. But heavyweight boxing is rarely that cut and dry. These two men scaled just short of a combined 500lbs at the weigh-in. When that sort of force is in play, any punch can end a fight.

Ivic looked composed in a draining war with Toese Vousiutu (who faces McKean on the undercard) last time out. That was his second 10-rounder and, while he ate a lot of shots, he largely looked good. 

Talivaa has never spent longer than five rounds in a professional. His last fight was his longest, when he undid former conqueror Brandon Grach in the aforementioned session. That victory was revenge for Grach’s two-round KO of Talivaa in 2023. 

This one could end at any time, but with both men proving they can take punishment as well as they dish it out, we could easily be in for a longer battle. With so much on the line, this will be a fiercely competitive contest however long it lasts.

Ivic vs Talivaa Full Card

Nikita Tszyu vs Michael Zerafa

Liam Wilson vs Rodex Piala

Blake Wells vs Ainiwaer Yilixiati

Stevan Ivic vs Liam Talivaa

Demsey McKean vs Toese Vousiutu

Max Reeves vs Sonny Abid

Billy Polkinghorn vs Jomar Paliwen

Nelson Asofa-Solomona vs Jeremy Latimore

Jack Javed vs Zephy Vaotu'ua

Ivic vs Talivaa Prediction

I’m not convinced the KO comes here. While I reckon Ivic will have the better of the action, I’m not convinced there is enough pop in his shots to finish Talivaa. I’ll take the champion on points at 6/4.

You can find all our latest boxing betting tips and analysis at our Betfred Insights Boxing page and our latest boxing odds here.