In November last year Will ‘Wild Bill’ Nasio had his arm raised in victory after a stunning round four TKO victory over Herman Ene-Purcell, with him he took the Queensland heavyweight title.
However there was minimal opportunity for celebration with Ene-Purcell calling for an immediate re-match. The Toowoomba based heavyweight was gracious in defeat but felt the best man on the night didn’t walk away victorious.
In his words “Will Nasio knows he dodged a bullet in the first fight”
That’s left a bitter taste in the mouth of Nasio so he accepted the re-match to prove the first fight wasn’t a fluke.
“That comment doesn’t sit very well me, I was confident I was still going to beat him but I was surprised with how hard he came out,” Nasio said.
“That’s the best Herman Ene-Purcell I have ever seen and we’ve been sparring each other for three years.”
It goes without dispute that Ene-Purcell was in control of the fight after three rounds. However in round four Nasio landed a thunderous combination which sent Ene-Purcell crashing to the canvas, he got up but another knock down and the fight was waved away.
“It was a war, Herman won the first three rounds, he knocked me down in round one but I was able to catch my timing in he fourth and knock him out,” Nasio said.
“For us it was a successful night but everyone was still questioning whether the win was a fluke so that’s why I took the re-match to prove to everyone it wasn’t a fluke.”
The re-match has added significance with the ANBF sanctioning it for the Australasian title. Both men have vowed to adapt and change for the return bout. Who will handle the occasion better? For Will Nasio he wants to end the bout with no doubts in anyone’s mind.
If the first bout ended with question marks, this time around Nasio plans to end it with an exclamation mark.
“July 13 is going to reveal a lot about both of us,” Nasio said.
“It will reveal a lot about our preparation, I know he will come out firing and we’ve been working on my mistakes and the things I did wrong in the first fight.
“We’re both pretty confident and may the best man win.
“Under the guidance of Chris Carden we’re working on releasing Wild Bill 2.0 tune in July 13 you’re going to see another knock out.”
The Nasio vs Ene-Purcell eight round Australasian title fight is one of a number of huge fights locked in for the July 13 TGW & Smithy Bring the Big Fights 23 card.
The card also features Jamie Hilt vs Ashley Huston for the Australasian super lightweight belt and Brent Rice vs Gaige Ireland for the Australian lightweight title.
