“We normally run three or four events like this a year. This is the first time since our move out of Hastings Central to be running this tournament and we’ll have more on the cards coming because everyone loves a little bit of amateur boxing.”
About half a dozen Samoan boxers from Marist Boxing Club travelled to New Zealand and spent three days training in Auckland before arriving in Hawke’s Bay on Friday.
They included a Samoan national youth title holder Darius Poulava and the 2023 Pacific Games silver medallist Saliuafi Tuautu.
McDougall said Australia, Samoa, Fiji and New Zealand worked together to develop coaches and boxers and boxers from New Zealand had visited Samoa before for competition and development.
“We brought Marist Boxing Club from Samoa over in 2018 and a part of that development was the relationship with Samoa we had [built] previously,” McDougall said.
“We thought the best way Oceania could get better was for us to all work together.”
He said this event and others like it were about the development of young people in the sport.
Visiting boxers from Samoa took part in the first event hosted at Hastings Giants Boxing Academy's new venue in Mitre 10 Sports Park. Photo / Connull Lang
“We’ve got some good presence with our local boxers,” McDougall said.
There were sparring and coaching sessions on Friday before the event on Saturday and Sunday evening.
Mike Asuasu Junior Vui from Marist Samoa against Ben Wright from Napier boxing. Photo / Connull Lang
He said there was a “wonderful” community of people in Hawke’s Bay, including among Māori and Pacific Islanders, who loved boxing.
“There are so many gifted and talented [people] and to showcase this kind of sport in front of them is a great pathway for them to find success in themselves.”
