Former Wollongong boxing champion and convicted rapist Leroy Fisher denied return to combat sport

Leroy Fisher was aged 21 and living in Wollongong in 2015 when he detained a woman in his home for nine hours using handcuffs and sexually assaulted her.

During sentencing, Wollongong District Court Judge Andrew Haesler said Fisher's four offences had a common theme in the "humiliation and degradation of his victim".

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The victim told the court she feared she would not survive the ordeal while she was being subjected to physical and verbal abuse from Fisher.

Fisher pleaded guilty and was jailed for eight years and five months, with five years' non-parole backdated to July 2015, when he went into custody.

Leaving Wagga to pursue his boxing career prior to his offending, Fisher has since returned after being released from jail, according to submissions by his solicitor.

In October 2021, the Combat Sports Authority refused to register Fisher as a combatant in the amateur boxing registration class, stating it was "not satisfied [he was] a fit and proper person to be registered ... due to [his] criminal history."

As a result, Fisher took action against the Authority in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) in May this year and won.

At the time, NCAT accepted Fisher "exhibited good behaviour" after his release on parole in October 2020 and was attending a domestic violence course and psychological treatment.

NCAT also noted Fisher was regularly contributing to the community through attending church regularly as well as a martial arts academy and gym in Wagga.

A former senior forensic psychologist in sex offender assessment at Junee jail submitted that Fisher was "not a risk of further violence" and "would be a great ambassador for local boxing."

"I have seen many people as part of their post release from prison. In my opinion, Mr Fisher is one of the few people who seem truly committed to being a positive citizen in Wagga in terms of rehabilitation," the psychologist stated.

However, the Combat Sports Authority pointed out Fisher was on parole for "serious violent and sexual offending" and argued his return to boxing would have a "detrimental impact on public relations" via perceptions that the industry condoned his crimes.

Last week an appeal by the Combat Sports Authority and the NSW Police Commissioner backed their case, overturning the previous ruling.

While not denying that Fisher has shown promising signs since his release from jail, judges Robert Dubler and Sigrid Higgins argued that "opinions [including those that Fisher is unlikely to re-offend] need to be tempered by the reality that no one can predict with certainty whether this will be the case or not."

"In our view, the acts of violence in question are too extreme and the respondent's release from prison too soon to allow us to be satisfied that he is a 'fit and proper person' within the meaning ... of the [Combat Sports] Act," the judges said.

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