Hutt fight club battling for a base
The first rule of fight club is that you must always talk about fight club.
A diverse group of novice boxers are changing lives in their community, but their future is uncertain pending the loss of their gym.
The team at Foemua Productions provided a place for novice boxers to heal, grow, and give back.
Their Hutt City base is an industrial warehouse, with breezeblock walls and exposed beams.
In the centre is a tired-looking boxing ring with sagging ropes. On either side are rows of punching bags hanging listlessly.
Co-founder Ana Pereira said when the gym recently changed owners, the subsidising agreement with the owner fell away.
They would now have to pay full rent week to week, something the group, already running on the smell of an oily rag, could not afford.
‘‘It’s helped my confidence, I feel stronger, both mentally and physically.’’
Ressa Lealofi
First-time boxer
Seeing the difference the team made for their people, the Tokelauan elders and community of Te Umiumiga Hutt Valley offered the Tokelau Community Hall in nearby Naenae.
Pereira said they were grateful for the offer, but the space needed a lot of work.
‘‘It’s fantastic that we’ve been gifted the space to use, but the hall needs a new roof and the gym we were leasing had the ring, the punch bags, and other equipment – it’s going to be a massive outlay to start over.’’
Pereira estimated they’d need around $70,000 to set up at the new site and continue providing classes and events.
Punch-fit classes were intensive cardio and shadow boxing to loud techno music and drill sergeant shouts from the instructors.
Participants – ranging from teenagers to grandmothers, from a multitude of different cultures – pay $5 a class.
Last week, the community came together for ‘‘The Battle for the Pacific’’, a glitzy, non-sponsored fundraiser now in its fourth year.
The event raised $20,000 for initiatives to improve the mental and physical health of the Wellington Pasifika communities.
It pitted novice boxers from Hutt City (the Red Team) against Wellington City (Blue Team).
First-timer Ressa Lealofi, 24, had been apprehensive.
The baby of the family, with four older brothers, Lealofi knew talking about feelings didn’t come easy for the men in her Samoan family. ‘‘It’s the Samoan way, to be strong for your family, often men are worried about speaking out, that it might be seen as a sign of weakness.’’
Lealofi found the challenge of getting fight-ready therapeutic.
‘‘It’s helped my confidence, I feel stronger, both mentally and physically.’’
Petite classmate Dee Ives was aware most wouldn’t expect to find her in this rough-and-ready gym.
Suicide had affected Ives’ tight-knit family twice and she was determined to create space for those hurting to speak up.
The fight night had been a good way to raise awareness and funds, Pereira said.
‘‘It’s fun but there’s a serious message. They’re stepping out of their comfort zone and pushing themselves to the limit.’’