Boxing: Morrell's swansong is for dad

RETURNING HOME: Tony Morrell trains under the guidance of Flaxmere Boxing Academy trainer Merrill Purcell. PHOTO/DUNCAN BROWN

IN terms of ideal swansongs they don't come much better than this for Hawke's Bay boxer Tony Morrell.

The Flaxmere Boxing Academy fighter will join seven others from the academy on a 12-bout card at the Wairoa Boxing Club's "Young at Heart" charity event in the Wairoa Community Centre on Saturday night.

It is a fundraiser for the well-being of Wairoa kaumatua.

"When I heard about this event I jumped at the opportunity. It's a chance to return home and dad was very much on my mind," Morrell, 43, said.

His father Peter, who has lived in Wairoa all his life, has been told he only has six months to live because of kidney failure.

"This is a big thing for me. It's Christmas time and a lot of other family members will be home."

A product of Wairoa College, Wairoa Primary and North Clyde schools, Morrell, will take on Wairoa's Hickson Raroa in a cruiserweight bout, which like the others on the card, is scheduled for three two-minute rounds. It will be his fourth and final fight.

"I want to help out on the coaching side of things now. I've done my bit for suicide by fighting in two Battle for Lifes and became the first fighter to box in two bouts at the one event in September . . . we lost the mother to two of my boys to suicide. Next year I'll become a grandfather so it's time to be on the other side of the ropes," the father of four explained.

A Heinz Wattie's worker since he was 18, Morrell, had a background in karate and kickboxing before taking on charity boxing bouts.

His cousin JJ Morrell will take on Wairoa's Travis Herangi in a heavyweight bout on Saturday night.

Merrill Purcell and Henare O'Keefe will be the FBA squad's trainers on Saturday night.

O'Keefe's daughter Rebecca O'Keefe will take on Wairoa's Luana Mitchell in a women's heavyweight bout.

Stevie Thompson will meet Wairoa's Annabelle Toothill in a women's featherweight contest, Russell Pailate will fight Tatana Smith in a cruiserweight fight, Bryam Nuku will take on Wairoa's Amy Pearse in a women's welterweight fight and the feature fight will see Wairoa's Douglas Chapman take on Wairoa's Arthur Wairau in a men's heavyweight encounter.

Trainer O'Keefe labelled the Flaxmere contingent's journey north as "a case of Flaxmere reaching out to help uplift others".

The academy is another one of the Flaxmere-based U-Turn Trust's initiatives.

"The academy is about creating warriors in the ring and ladies and gentlemen in the home. Several of our fighters come from Wairoa or have relations up there," O'Keefe added.