Vatuvei ponders bout with Gallen
Manu Vatuvei only has eyes for his pro boxing debut right now but he knows there could be some enticing opportunities in the future.
The former Warriors icon makes his debut against Dave Letele, aka ‘The Brown Buttabean’, on the undercard of Joseph Parker’s heavyweight clash with Alexander Flores in Christchurch tonight.
It’s a long way off, but Vatuvei is refusing to rule out the possibility of a blockbuster clash with Cronulla Sharks enforcer and proboxer Paul Gallen – if he can prove himself to be a worthy opponent.
Vatuvei, who has been without a professional league contract since being released by English club Salford in June due to injury, is 32 but could turn his boxing sideline into a lucrative climax to his sporting career if he can upset Letele at Horncastle Arena.
‘‘You always want to test yourself against those kind of guys but I’ve still got a long way to go. I’ve got a lot of experience that I need to get into me first,’’ Vatuvei said when asked of a possible clash with Gallen.
Gallen has fashioned a handy record of 8-0 in the professional ranks so Vatuvei has plenty of catching up to do but given the money the pair could earn, a fight in the future is not as crazy as it sounds.
But the former Kiwis and Tongan international is refusing to get ahead of himself or go calling anyone out just yet.
Vatuvei, who has been training under Kiwi trainer Lolo Heimuli and former Warriors team-mate and professional boxer Monty Betham, wants to keep an open mind on his boxing future until he can prove himself in the ring.
‘‘If I do really well and I look like an actual boxer then we’ll move forward but we’ll see how it goes,’’ Vatuvei told Stuff.
‘‘I’ve just got to take this fight first and then hopefully I get another one.’’
He is leaving negotiations for his rugby league future with his manager but confirmed he is yet to retire from the sport.
Tonight won’t be Vatuvei’s first scrap in the ring. He beat double Olympic rowing champion Eric Murray in a corporate contest at Fight for Life in 2012.
‘‘I’m always keen on learning new stuff and boxing is always something I’ve watched and been a fan of for a long time.
‘‘I’ve always done boxing on the side for training,’’ he said.
Vatuvei spent most of his league career around the 112kg mark but tipped the scales at 116.35kg at yesterday’s weigh-in. ‘‘My upper body is not usually this big so I can see a bit of difference from what I was before,’’ he said.
A trim Letele, who has lost more than 110kg in the last four years, weighed in at 110.45kg.
Letele has come out of retirement for the bout. He walked away from boxing – with a professional record of 16-3 – in January 2017 to focus on his crusade of fighting obesity. His fitness motivation group, Butterbean Motivation, has helped Kiwis lose more than 100,000kg of excess weight.