Boxing ready to surge

HARD WORK PAYING OFF: Boxing coaches (from left) Paul Graham, Rob Kora and Kim-Maree Larby are building up the Patu Tahi Boxing Club. Picture by Paul Rickard

Gisborne's Kim-Maree Larby recently became one of only a handful of fully accredited female boxing coaches in New Zealand.

The head coach at Patu Tahi Boxing Club achieved her Level 2 boxing licence while colleagues Paul Graham and Rob Kora achieved their Level 1 licence.

It takes years of hard work and dedication to be certified as a Level 2 coach, with a bare minimum of three years' active experience after receiving a probationary licence and being in a fighter's corner in at least 12 separate events.

Larby started boxing when she was 12, but gave up fighting after she injured a wrist playing rugby league.

She says she's “very passionate” about boxing, which made the process of getting her Level 2 certification straightforward.

“If you like boxing it's easy,” she said.

“It's a big achievement for us; I'm lucky to find two guys to build up.”

The club is always on the lookout for more coaches to rebuild the once “thriving” regional boxing scene.

Kora said he had been under Larby's wing for several years, helping out before he got his probationary licence. He is her brother-in-law and helped out doing the boxing programme for a local gym before moving on and helping Larby form their own space at the old Army Hall.

“Everyone here is a volunteer; I enjoy it. . . it's good seeing the kids progress,” he said.

Graham said fighters had to show their grit before they could get into the ring to fight officially.

“We put it on them to push themselves as much as they can. When you get in there, there's only you and your opponent.”

He said the reward of coaching was seeing their athletes improving their skills in and out of the ring . . . “watching them grow outside of the sport, it's not just in here (the gym)”.

Larby's goal is to build up the foundation of the club so it can continue its growth if she were to step away for whatever reason.

“I want to start bringing tournaments to Gisborne, which is why we've got the permanent boxing ring.”

Originally the Patu Tahi club was in Patutahi, but when the original coaches retired the club found a new home in town.

Larby says splitting the name into Patu and Tahi focuses on an alternative meaning — Patu is Maori for “strike” and Tahi means “first” — while honouring the club's history. (The New Zealand History website breaks the placename down to “Pa: fortified village” and “tutahi: lonely”.)

She says safety is the priority and Boxing New Zealand is governing the sport well.

“Seeing it from both sides, as a coach and having been a fighter, I agree with everything they're doing.”

It's a big commitment to be a coach for the club. Last year club members travelled 13 times to compete in tournaments, but Larby says it's worth it.

The lockdown was hard on the club. Members had no competition or tournaments and had difficulty getting the required pre-fight medical tests done.

“If we can't get out and fight, it's like going to rugby training and not playing.”