Jimmy, you were an inspiration

Champion boxer was a hero at a time of casual racism in New Zealand.

Of all the Polynesian heroes that mean so much to Samoans, the great Jimmy Peau was one of the biggest and most important.

The former heavyweight boxing world champion’s passing this week at Auckland City Hospital, in his sleep following an operation for a brain tumour, was a peaceful end to a life that to my mind has never been explored or as fully celebrated as much as it deserved.

Peau came along at a time in the mid-1980s when New Zealand was still trying to figure out its identity as it emerged from nine years of Muldoonism, and entered the age of neo-liberal financial reform that David Lange’s Roger Douglasimbued Labour Government was in the process of unleashing.

As far as perceptions of Pasifika people went, it felt like we were still seen as the menial labour that the workforce needed, and then tried to get rid of when the economy was tight and politicians wanted to be seen as getting tough on immigration.

As a schoolboy negotiating secondary school at that time, I can still remember the systemic and casual racism that we endured.

Consequently, when the wider national community found a reason to celebrate and hold up one of our own, it meant so much more, because it helped to uplift everyone.

Given the nature of the global Samoan diaspora, our sports stars usually represent their adopted homelands and through their success, end up inadvertently playing the quite political role of creating acceptance for their whole community.

When heavyweight boxer

Jimmy Peau wore the silver fern at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, where he won the gold medal, he had the whole country marvelling at his skill, and proud of his exploits.

He was controversially omitted from the New Zealand boxing team to the 1988 Seoul Olympics and then turned professional after an amateur record of 83-6.

During his professional career he was the Australian heavyweight champion twice, and he held two world titles, the WBF and the IBO belt, which was later held by Lennox Lewis.

His professional career was largely in the United States so Peau faded from the view of the New Zealand public.

Subsequent press stories from the US that emerged over the years indicated that Peau had some struggles later in life but I don’t want to focus on those aspects of his story.

Samoa has a long and proud history of producing top boxers. Peau was a part of that and the one responsible for taking Samoan punching power global.

You can watch his fight against American Crawford Grimsley on YouTube. You’ll only need 1.5 seconds as it’s unofficially recorded as the fastest knockout in boxing history.

Peau’s success helped pave the way for another Samoan boxer, David Tua, who was about to represent New Zealand on the world stage, and now Joseph Parker who is continuing that tradition.

I can still remember Peau in those fights on his way to his Commonwealth gold medal.

The power, the grace and the fact that he seemed to do it so easily.

To a young Samoan kid struggling with self-image and the negative stereotypes that affected Pasifika people in New Zealand, Peau was a shining beacon in the dark.

Manuia lau malaga to one of the best Samoa has ever had. Because Jimmy conquered and succeeded, it felt like we all could.

‘To a young Samoan kid struggling with negative stereotypes, Peau was a shining beacon in the dark.’