Boxing: Auckland’s Emma Nesbitt ready for age-defying bout in Manukau

New Zealand light flyweight boxer Emma “Little Miss” Nesbitt will have experience on her side when she takes on an Australian fighter more than double her age on Sunday.

The 20-year-old Aucklander will step into the ring against Aussie No 4 Bec Moss, 47, at the BX-9 professional and semi-professional boxing series in Manukau.

Yet despite the 27-year age gap, Nesbitt is confident of an upset, given she has Kiwi IBO world super bantamweight champion Mea Motu in her corner.

“If I can spar and go toe-to-toe with Mea, there’s no one in my weight category that I can’t fight,” Nesbitt told the Herald.

“It’s huge confidence being able to have [Motu] as my sparring partner and for her to push me and test me.”

Nestbitt has been training with Motu at Peach Boxing since she turned pro about two years ago.

Since she’s become the Women’s International Boxing Association light flyweight world champion, the WBA Oceania champion and the New Zealand premier boxing international champion. Currently ranked seventh in the world, she’s a two-time Golden Gloves Champion and has had five knockouts in her 7-1 pro record.

Emma Nesbitt (centre) has been training alongside Kiwi boxers Mea Motu (left) and Erin Walsh (right). Photo / CSN

And though Motu had guided Nesbitt early in her career, she said it was terrifying training alongside the 35-year-old at the beginning.

“I’m about 49-50 kilos, so for my sparring partner to be Mea Motu, who is the world champ, she’s an absolute beast.

“I walked away with a few good knocks to the head for a while.”

Nesbitt said it was Motu who gave her her boxing nickname “Little Miss” – inspired by the children’s book series Mr Men and Little Miss.

"It’s huge confidence being able to have [Mea Motu] as my sparring partner and for her to push me and test me," Emma Nesbitt said. Photo / CSN

“It was just a thing in the gym. She always, I guess, found me quite little and sweet and nice, and she just decided it fit me,” Nesbitt said.

Nesbitt is aware of her underdog status heading into the BX-9 bout. Moss fights in a southpaw stance and is described as a pressure fighter.

“She’s a seasoned fighter. She’s experienced and she has lots of life experiences that I haven’t quite got yet. She’ll be a really hard fight.”

“It has its limits of fairness to it, but I’m pretty comfortable in my ability.

“I’ve been training and fighting since I was 8 years old. Even though I’m only 20 now, I’m sort of a veteran in the combat fighting [scene] in New Zealand.”

“This is just the beginning of my boxing career, but it’s nothing that I’m not used to.

Motu will stand in Nesbitt’s corner on Sunday. She’s yet to miss a single fight of the youngster’s budding career.

Bec Moss, Australian light flyweight. Photo / Supplied.

The purse for the fight $3000, with $1000 for the winner’s prize, which is a relief for Nesbitt.

“It’s great to be paid because I normally fight in my own gym show, where just my fight to be put on could cost $15,000. So now that someone else is able to put the fight on for me and pay me is great because it’s hard to be a boxer and try and live.”

Nesbitt said she survives financially in the sport by making any prizemoney she makes last.

“It’s really hard to actually find work at the moment where it can fit into the schedule that I need to be able to train and to have these hard fights that will hopefully take me to the top of my division.”

The headline bout at Sir Woolf Fisher Arena Due Drop Events Centre, Manukau City sees Francis Waitai and Mikey Helg clash for the IBO Asia Pacific Title.

Tickets are available here.

Bonnie Jansen is a multimedia journalist in the NZME sports team. She was named New Zealand’s Best Up and Coming journalist in 2025. She’s a football commentator and co-host of the Football Fever podcast and was part of the Te Rito cadetship scheme before becoming a fulltime journalist.