What a wonderful weekend of NZ sport
‘‘My beloved VodafoneWarriors now have their hopes of playing finals footy hanging by a thread.’’
glory that lasts in the memory, and sometimes it is athletes who might not be household names who do something that genuinely impresses me, and one such man is boxer Dave Letele.
He is known as the Brown Buttabean, the trash-talking fighter with a heart of gold.
Anyone who has tuned in on a Joseph Parker fight will have seen him on the undercard, but it is his deeds in the community that single him out.
The 36-year-old wants to deliver a knockout blow to something that is a scourge in our busy lives - obesity.
And what makes him so special is that he is not some kind of do-gooder know-all. He understands what it is to be obese because not so long ago he topped the scales at a massive 210kgs.
That is a huge man – but today he is down to a respectable 122 kilos.
He knows firsthand how tough it is to lose weight, so for a gold coin donation anyone can join one of his fitness camps, which focus not only on exercise, but on eating well and getting more healthy foods into our diets.
He has even set up a bulk- buying group to help out those who struggle with the family budget.
‘‘Obesity is a huge problem in New Zealand, and it is certainly one that hits our Pacific Island families hard,’’ Dave told me.
‘‘So when I saw the need out there, I thought I could do something practical to help.’’
It’s a great story, and something the loud-mouthed boxer should be very proud of.
In real life he is nothing like the in-ring loud-mouth. He is gentle, humble, and caring.
We could do with a few more like him. Check out Facebook, search for Buttabean Motivation.
Of course, my beloved Vodafone Warriors now have their hopes of making the eight and playing finals footy hanging by a thread.
We got towelled by reigning premiers, the Cowboys, up in Townsville, and now must beat the Tigers and the Eels a week later, and hope the Gold Coast Titans lose both their remaining games. They have the Panthers and the Cowboys as their run home.
But we are not done yet and I will be at Mt Smart this weekend cheering the boys on.
Go the Mighty
Warriors. Vodafone