TAKE THAT: Tammy Te Whaiti (left) on her way to a points win against Micheala Prebble-Morrell in Hastings on Saturday night.PHOTO/WARREN BUCKLAND
TAKE THAT: Tammy Te Whaiti (left) on her way to a points win against Micheala Prebble-Morrell in Hastings on Saturday night.PHOTO/WARREN BUCKLAND
When Napier mother-of-two Tammy Te Whaiti accepted an invitation to fight in Saturday night's Battle for Life Charity Boxing event in Hastings she reckoned it was her niece calling.
"The event was a fundraiser for the prevention of suicide and two years ago I lost my 14-year-old niece to suicide.I think she was calling me to come and take a beating," Te Whaiti, 26, recalled.
Te Whaiti's niece would have been proud of her aunty had she been among the near capacity crowd in the Hastings Sports Centre-hosted and Hastings Pak 'n Save-sponsored event. Te Whaiti recorded a points win against Micheala Prebble-Morrell of Hastings and their fight was judged the best of the three female bouts by the New Zealand Professional Boxing Association officials.
"It was my first taste of boxing and afterwards I said I would never get back into the ring again. But after thinking about it I might carry on with boxing, particularly if it's for a good cause like this weekend's one," Te Whaiti said yesterday.
The Napier store manager for 2degrees mobile has a background in netball and touch but because she works on weekends, she was unable to play netball this year so took up boxing. She was trained by one of the weekend event's organisers, Patrick O'Brien.
Flaxmere-raised two-time world kickboxing champion Chris Johnson, now based in Sydney, won the feature fight with a first-round TKO against Whanganui's James Griffiths. Johnson and Te Whaiti were among eight members of the Raisey's Red team to record wins. Flaxmere College and William Colenso College teacher Caine Tawhai won his eagerly awaited bout against Damon Tamati, a son of Kiwi rugby league legend Kevin Tamati.
Tamatea Rugby and Sports Club stalwart Rick Kirikiri and Josh Kahui were the only members of the Sport Hawke's Bay Blue team to register wins. Kirikiri won the prize for the fighter who generated the most sponsorship for the cause - $2000.
Kahui's bout with Matua Tangira was judged the best male fight.
