Boxing: Chen ready for challenging year

Kyle Chen (right) is ready for the biggest year of his young boxing career. Pictured here with fellow up-and-comer Floyd Chadwick. Photo/Peter de Graaf

Kyle Chen is gearing up for what is shaping up to be his busiest year of his young but very successful boxing career.

The accomplished fighter, who has already notched up a string of titles, recently returned from taking a break over summer break to claim two more wins from his first two fights in 2017, one of which came boxing for an invitational New Zealand team against a touring Tongan youth side.

Up-and-coming Kerikeri boxer Kyle Chen training at Kerikeri Community Fitness.

The latest result has boosted the record belonging to the Taiwanese-born teenager (his first name in Chinese is Ting aka Thunderbolt) to 38 wins, 6 defeats following a move from the junior to youth ranks in amateur boxing last year.

The 16-year-old Kerikeri High School Student was also pleased to be named as one of two young New Zealand boxers to have been accepted into the AIBA international boxing association's Road to Buenos Aires programme, in preparation for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Argentina.

The first camp was held from April 19-27 at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, with further camps scheduled in late-2017 and mid-2018.

As well, Chen has also been nominated by Boxing NZ to the New Zealand Olympic Committee for selection to the New Zealand team to the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas in July this year, with the NZOC expected to announce the full New Zealand team some time this week.

Chen said he has stepped up his training accordingly.

He currently divides his time by training at the Kaeo Boxing Club between two to four times a week, spending the remaining week days working on his aerobic fitness at the gym in Kerikeri, also while continuing his studies.

Chen has now recorded 20 straight wins since his last loss, his second bout at the world youth championships Russia in August 2015.

Chen has been dominating the cadet and junior division in Australia, Taiwan and New Zealand since 2013.

With dual citizenship to Taiwan and New Zealand he has won the Taiwan national championships twice and New Zealand nationals three times.

He has also won New Zealand Golden Gloves twice and the 2016 Australian Golden Gloves open.

His long term goal is to compete in the 2020 Olympics, 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2024 Olympics.

Chen has opened a Givealittle account to help with the expenses needed to represent the Far North and New Zealand on the world stage.

"[I just want to] Thank everyone who supports me, and got me this far," he said.

- The Northland Age