NZ boxing punches above its weight
Just as the Kiwi combat sports scene looked set to be swamped by the rising force of MMA, boxing is counter-punching strongly.
For so long having to rely on the international profile of former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker, boxing is seeing a fresh wave of talent.
There’s a strong group of boxers ranked inside the top 10 by respected organisations and two world title fights are imminent – cruiserweight David Light taking on WBO champion Lawrence Okolie in Manchester on March 26, and Mea Motu headlining the Fight For Life card in Auckland on April 27 against Canada’s Tania Walters for the IBO’s vacant superbantamweight belt.
Light is ranked No. 1 by the WBO and in the past week he has been joined in the top-10 status by aggressive middleweight Andrei Mikhailovich (No. 5 at the IBF) and Jerome Pampellone (No. 10 with the IBF).
Parker remains relevant in a highly competitive heavyweight division, being No. 7 with the WBO, 10 with the WBC and eight on the respected Ring magazine’s independent list.
With clever promotional work by Dean Lonergan, who’s establishing himself in Australia, Mikhailovich and Pampellone can manoeuvre into title fights if they stay unbeaten.
What’s more remarkable is the consistent success of Peach Boxing, a West Auckland gym under the guidance of Isaac Peach.
It has Light,
Mikhailovich, Pampellone and Motu in its stable and looks capable of earning a reputation that could rival the remarkable
City Kickboxing gym in Auckland which, under the guidance of Eugene Bareman, has started to dominate the MMA scene with UFC stars like Israel Adesanya, Dan Hooker and Kai Kara France.
MMA might be the game of the current generation, followed faithfully by the youth of today, but boxing isn’t giving up the fight. Top flight boxing still outweighs MMA in monetary rewards, though there is no easy route to a fortune.
But gold is still out there to be mined. Sportico, a United States company which deals in ‘‘the business of sports’’, just released its top 50 highest-paid athletes of all time.
There were seven boxers on the list, headed by eighth-ranked Floyd Mayweather’s $2.13b. Only golf with eight and basketball with 13 had more entries. Conor McGregor was the sole MMA representative with his $1b placing him 33rd.
Love it or hate it – and most traditionalists deplore it – boxing’s profile with the new generation has been ramped up heavily in recent years by the advent of celebrity fighters like Jake Paul, who bring millions of new viewers.
That’s a mark of the primal fascination of boxing as much as it is about these ‘‘influencers’’. Combining the two is powerful cocktail of sporting intrigue.
Not everything is rosy in boxing though as its murky shadow continues to haunt it. Alarmingly, much of that is in the amateur ranks which threatens its longterm future where the
International Boxing Association, led by Russian Umar Kremlev, remains at odds with the International Olympic Committee. The IBA is under intense scrutiny after serious allegations of corruption following an investigation into the standard of officiating at recent tournaments.
Boxing has been left off the ‘‘initial’’ program for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and question marks remain about its status for Paris 2024 after its competition at the 2020 Games in
Tokyo were overseen by an external task force. But right now it’s time to celebrate a new era in the Kiwi pro scene.
‘Top flight boxing still outweighs MMA in monetary rewards, though there is no easy route to a fortune.’