United in maroon: Liam Wilson

For boxer Liam Wilson, being a Queenslander is a badge worn proudly. It's a badge that packs a punch for him in the ring and he hopes for the Queensland Maroons at Suncorp Stadium come Wednesday. 

The Caboolture product, who trains under Benny Harrington at All Star Boxing, said he had every confidence the Maroons would come out firing and he would certainly be cheering. 

"Like the great Jimmy Barnes once said, 'there is no second prize'.... I've had a few losses in my career, but that's ultimately how I think.... there's only a winner and a loser... there's one job and that's to win," Wilson said.

The 28-year-old stepped up to lightweight from super featherweight on July 10, beating Youseff Dib through knock-out in the undercard on the Sam Goodman-Chainoi Worawut fight night. 

It was a successful return to the ring for Wilson after he lost his world title fight against Oscar Valdez in America in March.

"I'm back to putting my name back on the map and showing everyone I haven't left," Wilson said.

"I've still got plenty more to give."

Wilson said growing up, he watched on as Gorden Tallis and Darren Lockyer put everything on the line for Queensland, and his dad and brother light up their lounge room with passionate arguments over who was superior.

"My dad was from New South Wales, Tenterfield, and my brother is obviously a Queenslander, so I used to watch them two argue in the lounge room... literally full-blown arguments back when Gorden Tallis used to play... bickering and fighting during the whole match, season to season about who was better," Wilson said.

"It would really light up the lounge room."

Wilson, who fought at Suncorp Stadium in an undercard fight when Jeff Horn and Anthony Mundine clashed in 2018, said state pride was always on the line, as it was the night he fought at The Cauldron.

“That itself was a Maroons versus Blues match, rivalry…. Queensland versus New South Wales,” Wilson said.

"To me, being a Queenslander, means there's a lot of pride on the sleeve.

"I wear a lot of pride on my sleeve... obviously when we go into combat, which is a fight for me, if I'm up against another state, I'm a proud Queenslander... I'm doing it not just for me, but for everyone from Queensland.

"When I win, I not only think of myself, but I put all Queenslanders on the map as well.

"When I'm overseas and I get my introduction of where I'm from, I have a lot of pride when they say I'm from Queensland.... Caboolture, Queensland."

Wilson, who is also dad to six-year-old Charlotte and three-year-old Maverick, said it "feels unreal" to be someone who helped put Queensland on the map. 

"That feels unreal for me... I was actually fortunate enough to have my fight in Arizona and in the training camp over there, where I did my training camp, I was there for Round 1 of the NRL over there… I was there to witness the footy, which made my proud as well, to be there and watch the footy take place in America,” Wilson said.

“For me to help put Queensland on the map is an unreal feeling because never did I think once as a little kid that I would make it this far... but to now be up in the bright lights, doing Queensland proud, doing myself proud, and doing this country proud, I take a lot of pride in that. Grateful.

“Every time I walk in the ring, I'm doing this for my kids, and that, for me, is the biggest accomplishment in my life and my career, and it’s still going.

“What a time to be alive for me. I'm doing something that I love and I'm in my prime right now and my kids are watching me do everything I’m doing. So every fight for me is a dream come true.”

Wilson said come Wednesday he and coach Harrington would be cheering loudly as the Maroons continued to shine a light on this fabulous state.

“He's more of a footy fanatic than I am… we both take a lot of pride in being from Queensland,” Wilson said.

“Go Queensland.”