Boxing: Beau O'Brien wins title

Napier's Beau O'Brien (left) lines up more points on his way to beating Taranaki's Daniel Maxwell for the vacant New Zealand Professional Boxing Association's light middleweight title on Saturday night.

Hawke's Bay boxer Beau O'Brien had a lengthy victory speech sorted for Saturday night ... but he cut it short.

"People were leaving and I think I would have run out of breath anyway," O'Brien, 22, said after capturing the vacant New Zealand Professional Boxing Association's light middleweight title with a unanimous points-decision win against his more experienced Taranaki opponent, Daniel Maxwell, in Taradale's Pettigrew-Green Arena.

"This is definitely the highlight of my career ... I think I'm going to be smiling for the next three days at least," he said.

It was the Napier Boxing Club fighter's fourth professional bout and first 10-rounder.

Maxwell, 36, had 17 pro fights including two 10-rounders going into the fight, the feature fight of the Corporate Contender Charity Fight Night that raised $17,000 for the Child Cancer Foundation.

Before the fight O'Brien's trainer Rod Langdon was worried he may have accepted the fight too early in O'Brien's career. Afterwards he was talking about a more illustrious date. "I'm going to get in touch with Duco Events and see if I can get Beau on the undercard for Joseph Parker's bout against Brazilian George Arias in Nelson in March. I might be a bit late but it's worth a crack," Langdon said.

O'Brien wasn't looking that far ahead.

"I'm keen to have a break over the festive season and spend some time with the family. I owe them that as I was coming home from work and then leaving home straight away for two hours training every night in the lead-up to this."

Although O'Brien knocked Maxwell down twice and was always in control he said Maxwell didn't make things easy for him.

Langdon added, "Beau did everything I wanted and a bit more. He kept his composure and didn't drop his intensity."

Former France under-21 rugby prop Laurent Simutoga got the early birthday present he wanted in the buildup to his 26th birthday today. Despite a late opponent change - Wellingtonian Mark Mataipule replaced Tokoroa's Richard Ogle - Simutoga recorded a first-round TKO win in their Super Heavyweight corporate bout.

Mataipule received a cut to an eye.

The Hastings Rugby and Sports club player was one of three Hawke's Bay rugby personalities to win their corporate bouts. Former Hawke's Bay under-20s rep Manihera Eden beat Nathan Hardaker and long-serving Hawke's Bay Tuis rep Gemma Woods beat Dee Aria.