Boxing: Tinta Smith to take on Trish Vaka in Hamilton for national cruiserweight title

Hamilton's Tinta Smith will take on Northland's Trish Vaka.

Hamilton will witness history this week as the city is set to host New Zealand’s first female cruiserweight boxing title match.

The match will be between local fighter Tinta Smith and Northland’s Trish Vaka on March 16 at Te Rapa Racecourse.

It is a special occasion because there are not a lot of female cruiserweight fights - and titles - being held around the world.

Cruiserweight is a class for heavier fighters weighing between 79.3kg and 90.7kg. The next class up is heavyweight, which is considered an open class.

It is unclear how many countries have a cruiserweight class for women, but it is believed that up until now, South Africa is the only country that held national fights in this class.

This makes the Smith-Vaka match a historic fight as it would not only be the first cruiserweight women’s fight in New Zealand but also the first in the Asia Pacific region.

The South African cruiserweight title went to Razell Mohamed, who fought New Zealander Lani Daniels for the world heavyweight title last year.

Professional Boxing Commission of New Zealand spokesman John Glozier said there were several reasons why there were not many women’s cruiserweight fights around.

“Women’s boxing hasn’t been around for that long, it’s still developing, so there are not a lot of women competing in general.

“And most women compete in the welterweight and lower weight classes.”

Glozier said another reason was that the cruiserweight class in both men’s and women’s boxing, wasn’t added until later.

He said although it was rare, cruiserweight was a “legitimate title”, there were just not a lot of women around that would compete for it.

In terms of the upcoming fight in Hamilton, Glozier said: “We are writing history. It’s good, because it creates interest.

“Women’s boxing is quite advanced in New Zealand in the sense that a woman can have three or four fights here and be world-rated, it gets women involved easier.”

The Smith-Vaka fight was first classified as a heavyweight fight.

Ōkaihau-born Trish Vaka (right) took on Roseanna Cox at the Wāhine Toa II boxing night in Whangārei in December. Photo / Michael Cunningham

“One of the fighters lost weight [recently] which meant they both met the limit for cruiserweight... If it had stayed a heavyweight fight, the winner [of Saturday’s fight] would have had to go on and fight in an open-end weight class.

“They could have fought anyone over 90.7kg, there is no limit.”

Smith is a two-time New Zealand amateur champion, having won the titles in 2021 and 2023. She has beaten some big names in the amateur division including Commonwealth Games rep Magan Maka and World Boxing Council rep Deanne Read.

She turned professional in June 2022 for her clash with Daniels for the New Zealand national (Pro Box NZ version) light heavyweight title.

Smith lost by a narrow but unanimous decision. In August 2022, she fought former world No 8 Nailini Helu for the South Pacific (PBCNZ version) super middleweight title, losing by a majority decision.

Talking to the Waikato Herald ahead of Saturday’s match Smith said it hadn’t been easy to find matches in amateur and professional boxing as a female fighter.

“I have stepped up and down in various weight classes to chase down fights. I lost around 50kgs to step in the ring as an amateur boxer with my nutritionist, Casper Fitness and my coach Dion McNabney. Being able to compete is the cherry on the top.

“If you want to compete at a high level in anything, you must commit. I never do anything in halves. It has always been a passion of mine to show women that we have the capabilities to compete alongside our male counterparts. Being given this opportunity is a gift.”

Smith trains at Nabby’s Boxing Gym in Hamilton and is coached by Dion McNabney, who also coached Lani Daniels.

The Smith vs Vaka fight is the headline match within the Young Guns 17 boxing event.

“Just being able to main-event a show, and it is a female boxing match, is incredible,” Smith said.

About fighting Vaka, Smith said she was confident in her abilities.

“No fight is the same, and each person brings something unique to each match, as I’m sure Trisha will too.

“I’m confident in my abilities because I have, in my opinion, the best coach in the country, who has invested numerous hours of training in moulding my craft.”

Looking ahead, Smith said she would make the most of her time in the sport.

“I know boxing has a limited time, so I will fight anyone ... I want other females to see that boxing isn’t just a sport dominated by men, but women definitely have a space in the sport, and this is shown in the growth of females in boxing in recent years.

“Each time I step through those ropes, I feel an immense amount of joy and pride. I can role model to the younger female fighters in my gym that anything is possible, but you must train hard and turn up.”

The match on Saturday will be her third professional boxing fight.

Vaka, a professional rugby player for the Northland Kauri team, has been in the ring with some of the best, including world champions or world title contenders.

Vaka is trained by Daniella Smith, the first International Boxing Federation women’s world champion, who recently returned to boxing after a four-year break.

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