Boxing: Sonny Morini set to fight in Fiji, his fourth bout outside New Zealand

Matamata boxer Sonny Morini, 20, won the New Zealand national PBCNZ Welterweight title in November. Photo / Alina Peach, Peach Boxing

Matamata boxer Sonny Morini continues to make a name for himself internationally as he is preparing to fight in Fiji this weekend, in what will be his fourth professional boxing fight outside New Zealand.

Morini, 20, will take on Fiji’s Kaliova Tahikia in Suva on March 28, in a non-BX-9-related fight.

It is a keep-busy fight for Morini as he eyes up bigger future fights, including the BX-9 welterweight tournament.

Morini has fought in Fiji once before, while his other two international fights took place in Thailand.

Morini is slowly climbing the welterweight rankings, a difficult division to rise in.

He is currently ranked 204th on Boxrec, just on the verge of breaking the top 200.

If he did join the BX-9 welterweight tournament and won, it would give him a big jump in the rankings and possibly a top-15 position in one of the four major sanctioning bodies.

Morini’s upcoming opponent, Tahikia, has a record of three wins and two losses. One fight ended in a no-contest.

Tahikia’s most significant win was against two-division Fiji national champion Ronald Naidu in September.

At the fight event in Fiji, Morini won’t be the only New Zealander: Peach Boxing stablemates Emma Nesbitt and Kyan Hand, both of Auckland, will also be on the card.

Nesbitt, 21, is currently ranked 10th in the minimumweight division on BoxRec.

In the light flyweight division, she is ranked second in the WBA, eighth in the WBO, eighth in the IBF and ninth in the WBC.

Recently, she won the WBA Oceania title in the minimumweight division, becoming a two-division WBA Oceania champion.

Nesbitt will take on undefeated Indian boxer Aarti Hooda, who fights anywhere between minimumweight and super bantamweight.

Meanwhile, Hand, 20, made his pro debut in November.

He is fighting his fourth professional fight and second pro fight outside New Zealand.

Hand has an amateur boxing background, but is still learning the pro game.

He will take on Fijian Isimelo Dautokidavui, who is making his debut.

All fights will be streamed online live on PPV at maitvfiji.com/ppv/.

The full card is still to be confirmed.

Benjamin Watt is a retired boxing judge and New Zealand boxing writer with a decade of experience. Watt has also been BoxRec’s New Zealand record-keeper since 2014.