Caleb Maraku escaped prison after coward-punching a teenager in November. Photo / Channel 9
Caleb Maraku escaped prison after coward-punching a teenager in November. Photo / Channel 9
WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO
A teenager who escaped a jail sentence for coward-punching someone is being inundated with challenges to step into the boxing ring and "fight like a man".
Caleb Maraku, 19, walked from a Gold Coast court last week laughing and taking selfies with TV reporters after he wassentenced to 12 months probation for the sickening attack.
Maraku and two of his friends were out in Surfers Paradise last year when the group attacked Taliesin O'Meara, 19, in the early hours of November 27.
The entire assault was caught on video, showing the victim backing away from the three boys after one of Maraku's friends kicks him.
While O'Meara is looking at the person who kicked him, Maraku punches him in the side of the head, knocking him out cold as he slams on to the pavement.
Maraku was charged with one count of assault occasioning bodily harm and one count of contravention of a banning order. Following his sentence on Friday, the 19-year-old has been slammed for his behaviour.
In a Facebook post, the victim's mother Tasha Tadrew expressed shock over the sentence.
"This is the low life that hit my son and is now walking away with a 12-month suspended sentence and laughing in the process," she wrote.
"Where is the justice? For my son who is still suffering, for his family and friends that are still suffering? My heart is heaving and I am beyond furious … this is not OK. This is not what was meant to happen."
Caleb Maraku laughed and took selfies as he walked free. Photo / Channel 9
Maraku has also been challenged to a number of physical fights, the first of which came from Gold Coast scaffolder Ben Vandenbroek.
In a Facebook message shared by local boxing promoter Jamie Myer, who hosts charity fight nights, Vandenbroek wrote to Maraku.
"Caleb you weak gronk get in the ring for our charity scaffolding boxing night?" Vandenbroek wrote.
"You think ur the man jumping a young bloke 3 on 1 … let's [see] how you go you little bitch c***".
Maraku responded, writing: "Sort it out I'll come down 100%. Message with the info and dates [and] I'll see u then."
But according to Kerry Foley, a professional boxer from northern Sydney, Maraku has dropped off the face of the earth and stopped replying to the Gold Coast challenger.
The event was supposed to be held at the QT Hotel on March 24 but after Maraku appears to have backed out, Vandenbroek has turned to Foley instead.
"Ben [Vandenbroek] asked me to get it so public that he can't hide. So, I've put out a real f***ng challenge where we can fight properly."
Foley, who has been boxing for 12 years, has made a Facebook event inviting the teenager to fight, which has already amassed over a thousand likes.
"It was obviously a coward punch but he's acting like he's achieved something from dog slotting a guy," Foley told news.com.au.
The boxer said every time he tries to post on Maraku's Facebook, it's marked as spam and deleted.
"I've tried to contact him [Maraku] plenty of ways, he'll eventually see it. He can't hide forever.
I'll fight him in the cage, in the ring, whatever he wants. We can go three rounds, one round, whatever. He's not going to last long anyway," Foley said.
"I'm going to treat him like a man. He thought he achieved something with that punch but why not fight someone that's actually looking at him."
