Fight prompts arty take on trash talk
Two creative talents have taken to their chosen media to trade blows ahead of their corporate boxing match.
Rapper Todd ‘Louie Knuxx’ Williams will take on street artist Cam ‘Odjobs’ Shennan at the Taranaki Explosion Fight Night at the TSB Stadium on Friday.
Williams, 37, has written a special rap about the boxing match, explaining his thoughts on how it will go down.
‘‘I’m grateful to Cam, My other opponents were absent. It’s going to be a shame to punch a face that’s so handsome. I got no nerves, I’m in a good mood. Do they really want me to beat up a good dude?’’
In response Shennan has drawn up a cartoon image depicting Williams, and all his tattoos, with his head spinning against the ropes.
While the pre-fight banter was a new take on trash talk, both fighters said they had been working hard ahead of the match.
Williams, who has been training since January, said his younger brother Matthew, 32, a Pro MMA fighter, was coming over from Australia to help out in the corner for him.
‘‘I’ve had three people pull out previously. I got quite stressed out,’’ he said.
‘‘I’m so keen to fight as it’s all been so drawn out.’’
Shennan, 41, said boxing had taken over his life for the past seven weeks.
‘‘I want to win it for sure. I’ve got a lot of people coming to watch the fight,’’ he said. ‘‘I’d be gutted if I lost.’’ Shennan, who has even been watching fights on YouTube in preparation, has lost 10kg during his training.
‘‘I’m the fittest and lightest I’ve ever been and I’m 41 years old.’’
He is, however, looking forward to getting some carbohydrates back into his diet and eating normally.
‘‘I’ve been eating salads since Saturday to try get down to weight.
‘‘I haven’t had a beer in seven weeks and I’m keen as for a pie.’’
The fight night will feature five corporate fights and three professional fights, finishing with Sam Rapira’s last professional fight against Tipene Maniapoto.
A man at the heart of a stoush over the use of land near a sacred Maori site has been charged with assaulting a person with a gorse branch. Michael James Ure appeared in the New Plymouth District Court yesterday but entered no plea to a charge of assault with a blunt instrument. Court documents stated the 56-year-old is alleged to have assaulted a man on May 5 at Oakura, wielding a gorse branch as a weapon. Ure will re-appear in court on June 15. Earlier this month, Ure claimed a small group of people had been disrespectful of a waahi tapu site at the end of Weld Rd, south of Oakura, and had tried to establish a new track through it. The area surrounding the pa site is Crown land and is administered by the New Plymouth District Council.