Boxer Lani Daniels fights Kiwi-Samoan Alrie Meleisea for the IBF world heavyweight title in late May. Photo / Dean Purcell.
An interview with Northland boxer Lani Daniels is an unusual experience at the outset.
No fancy gym, or fancy anything, for the 34-year-old, who fights Kiwi-Samoan Alrie Meleisea for the IBF world heavyweight title on the North Shore in late May.
Training facilities don’t come any more down to earth.
We found Daniels sleeping on a couch at the back of coach John Conway’s woodshop in New Lynn, after a tough early morning training session.
It’s a tiny operation, where everything is on wheels so Daniels’ makeshift bedroom can quickly be turned into her training arena.
Daniels (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi) from Pipiwai near Whangarei, has moved to west Auckland in an all-out attempt to make the most of a rare shot at glory for a female fighter.
Daniels chats about the up-and-down world of female boxing, challenges with drugs and alcohol, the hometown Kiwi basketball legend who helped inspire her, a passion to help youth, the 10-round IBF title fight, her lead-up fight against former Manawatu rugby player Sequita Hemingway on Friday, and more.
You were supposed to fight Alrie Meleisia for a big title two years ago…why was it called off?
We were supposed to be on the Joseph Parker-Junior Fa card…it was called off due to boxing politics. We both missed out on a great opportunity because that was a massive crowd. But some things are meant to be. I’d been out of the sport and a bit lazy and packed on the weight then. I have lost a bit of weight now.
How much?
I’m at the lower end of the heavyweight scale. That’s why I started fighting again last year. I’d got unhealthy - just life in Pipiwai, not training. I got up to 98, 100 kgs, through eating and drinking. There was probably a bit of depression there. I think everyone goes through those waves. You need to do something, otherwise it gets worse.
Is the fight against Sequita Hemingway a risk?
There are always dangers but there are heaps of positives - money, ring time and proving to myself that I’m worthy to fight Alrie. Preparing for Sequita is all we are concentrating on now - and she has beaten Alrie. I thought my previous fight against her was my best fight mentally, which I put down to my head game, my corner and prep. Physically it wasn’t - I could only just fit my shorts. I was so scared they were going to split.
You are known as the Smiling Assassin - does it sum you up?
I’ve always struggled to bring out the nasty side - maybe I worry about the backlash. I just don’t like being mean to people - it even took me a while to hit people in the face.
Against my first-ever opponent I shut my eyes and apologised to her - “I’m so sorry” - and threw my hands. I didn’t like it. But I’ve learnt over the years it’s either me or them.
I learnt a lot from (Olympic boxer turned mindset coach) Lex Pritchard, being exposed to her mentality. She was quite nice, but step in there and she was freaky.
Your training/living setup definitely qualifies as grassroots…how did you link up with coach John Conway?
When I first arrived here I thought ‘is this the right place?’. We met through one of my friends. My sister Caroline and I were just winging it - learning to wrap our hands off YouTube. We didn’t even have a bucket.
John is my first pro trainer - my best trainer. He’s a humble guy and you can trust him. Look at where we are. He reminds me of home - he makes do with what we’ve got and makes it work. And he’s lived and breathed boxing himself. And I like listening to his stories.
Do you watch fight videos?
We watch a lot of old fights…Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali. My favourite is (late Hall of Famer) Arturo Gatti. I love his skill.
Is women’s boxing progressing in New Zealand?
It’s getting better and women’s fights are entertaining - they’re pretty feisty. I find men’s fights a bit more technical whereas all women are fighters. We women have different fights in life. As boxers, we just choose to punch.
Are you well accepted by the men?
Male boxers are supportive as - when I had my last title fight against Geovana Peres at Sky City they were all there around the ring - David Tua, Shane Cameron, Joseph Parker.
Junior Fa came into my changing room to wish me good luck - I hadn’t met him before and was star-struck.
What special challenges do women boxers face?
It’s hard to find opponents - there were quite a few for a period but you need to be fighting all the time. It’s easy to fall off when you don’t have a fight to prepare for, and it’s heartbreaking when you do all this training and it falls through.
You faced challenges as a kid, particularly after your brother Tukaha died of leukaemia at the age of 11…
I was 14 - I didn’t realise it was tough at the time. I blocked it all out. I just smoked drugs and drank alcohol because it made me feel better for the moment. But in the long run it made everything worse. It continued for 10 years, until I found boxing through my sister.
I’m an all-or-nothing person. I really need to steer clear (of drugs and alcohol), but the temptations are always there.
As a health nurse you work with youth…
I love working with youth. They are going through the same struggles so I can understand it. That was me - dealing with grief at a young age. We’ve got a gym at the rugby club in Otangarei (in Whangarei)…boxing is just a tool for me to give back. And it has been massive - the turnout is epic. At the end of the day it is about our people. I’ve got to focus on these fights but I will go back to that.
What was life like, growing up in Pipiwai?
I was brought up on a farm - it was cool being in the gardens, in the bush, at the creek, making do with what you’ve got.
Did you have a childhood hero?
I love basketball and used to watch the New Zealand men’s team - the women weren’t established back then.
Pero Cameron (the FIBA Hall of Famer) is from Pipiwai. I know him and his mum Mata - she was my coach in the Northland team. Pero was slick. Even his sisters were sharp - pretty much the best in the country at secondary school. I still have contact with Aunty Mata and did some work with Pero’s brother Ray Cameron down here.
Boxing great Daniella Smith, who won an IBF title, is a Northlander…
She pretty much lives just over the hill. I flick her the odd message - she’s always been very supportive. Her advice has always been about the mental game. She’s seen me spar and felt it wasn’t really me when she saw one of my last fights. She said it was about headspace and I agreed.
If you weren’t a mental health nurse…
I never wanted to be a nurse. I worked at McDonald’s and Burger King for eight years, in Whangarei and Hamilton. But my mum and sister are both nurses and supported me to do it. I always wanted to be a high school PE teacher but I want to be a boxing coach now.
Apart from the title, does the fight against Meleisea carry some decent prizemoney?
The contract says I’m not allowed to say - but perhaps I need to keep my day job. Women’s professional boxing is starting to grow - I wish I was younger.
What sort of fight can we expect?
It will be a hearty fight, a Samoan and Maori going at it. She will be putting in the work because it’s a huge opportunity that will open doors. She’s a heavy hitter, but I am too. She’s got that natural Pacific Islander slip-slide. She just needs an engine.
I’ve always self-doubted and tended to rely on those around me to push me. That’s what has changed.
Physically I’m nowhere near my peak, but my head game is much stronger. It’s fascinating, the power of the mind.