Bridie Witton: Safety first

Reporter Bridie Witton has been sharing her training updates as she prepared for tonight's Rotovegas Corporate Fight Night. This week, there was a twist

The organisers have pulled me from the fight night.

It is primarily a safety issue; my opponent has lost around 10kg in the weeks that we have been training, but I have only lost three in the past month (I have gained muscle though, I swear) and it is illegal to host a fight between people with a weight discrepancy of more than 5kg.

I am gutted because I have been eating a lot of spinach but, basically, the issue is my ancestors spent the past 40,000 years evolving in the freezing climates of Scandinavia, and my constitution is a result of this.

After a couple of days of sulking and glaring at people, and a few tears, I have mostly gotten over it, and there are only positive things to take from the experience.

I have lost weight and am a lot fitter, faster and stronger than I was six weeks ago. I have learned a new skill, and it is the only time in my life that having arms that are a bit longer than they should be has been a positive thing.

I intend to keep training and maybe one day I will have a fight in an amateur tournament. Tonight should be an awesome night, regardless. All the fighters look totally fierce and will be able to show the skills that they have worked hard for over the past month-and-a-half. Good luck to all of you.

-About 1000 people are expected at tonight's Fight Night, at the Rotorua Girls' High School arena. The first fight is 6.30pm. Limited tickets are still available from www.ticketmaster.co.nz or on the door, if there are any left. Full coverage in Monday's Rotorua Daily Post.