Taihia vows to smash Berridge
ADRIAN Taihia believes he has overcome tougher challenges outside the ring than anything Robert Berridge can throw at him inside it on Friday.
The grudge fight between Taihia (15-2-2) and Berridge (28-5-1) for the New Zealand Professional Boxing Association light heavyweight title has been over two years in the making.
Injuries and excuses have prevented the pair from squaring off before now. But there’ll be no love lost at ASB Stadium in Kohimarama.
After serving a year behind bars for being party to manufacturing methamphetamine, Taihia is determined to make up for lost time. Being away from his four boys - Paako, Kaeto, Lenix and Kaleb - aged between 15 and six, and wife Linda, was particularly difficult.
‘‘It was a very hard experience, doing a lag and going away. My family did it as well but they did it worse. They’ve got bills to pay, school lunches to make and the house to keep tidy. All those little things.
‘‘I’m appreciating what I have in-front of me; the importance of family and my kids and trying to give back to the community. I don’t want to put them through that riff raff again; put them back in that struggle.’’
Bad blood between Taihia and Berridge stretches some way back. A few years ago, Berridge’s manager, Vasco Kovacevic, rang Taihia and asked if he was willing to be a sparring partner. Taihia declined, saying he hoped to eventually meet Berridge in the ring. Kovacevic told him to go away and get some wins under his belt. ’’Things started turning sour when Robbie said no-one in New Zealand wanted to fight him,’’ Taihia said. ‘‘That wasn’t true. There were a lot of us that wanted to fight him.’’
On a Joseph Parker undercard in 2013, Taihia was helping out in the corner of Berridge’s opponent when things really kicked off. Taihia recalls Berridge making a slicing throat gesture towards him after claiming victory.
‘‘I didn’t like that. I wanted to jump in the ring and punch his face straight away but my corner man stopped me. I waited until after the fight to confront him. I jumped in the ring and called him out properly in-front of the whole of New Zealand.’’
That was enough to get the deal done. But at times it’s been as though this fight would never happen.
Taihia pulled out five weeks before their first scheduled fight with a broken nose; Berridge the next occasion with bruised knuckles on a card promoted by former All Black Va’aiga Tuigamala.
Tensions have only increase since.
‘‘He’s arrogant. Before that fight I gave my condolences to he and his family because he lost one of his members but him and his manager just looked at me and laughed. That tells you what kind of characters their team are. They’ve got no respect. Come next Friday, I’ll be showing you better respect me.’’
Taihia, a natural middle or super middleweight, has had one win and loss since emerging from jail.
‘‘I’m very confident heading into this. People fear his power but I want to feel his power. I’m not scared of it; I won’t be respecting it. I just can’t wait to get in there and do the damage. I hope he’s done everything he can so when the time comes, there’ll be no excuses.’’