Hamilton boxer Sheilla Yama had a whopper year.
Hamilton boxer Sheilla Yama had a whopper year - clocking up four wins and rising in the international rankings.
But looking back five years, becoming a boxer was not something that ever crossed her mind.
Originally from Papua New Guinea, Yama trained and worked there as a registered nurse, before leaving her home to work as a nurse in Rarotonga for four years.
In 2022, she moved to New Zealand. It was here she stumbled upon boxing by chance.
“I was a skinny girl trying to put on some weight, [so I] joined this gym that also did boxing as part of their training programme and quickly realised I was good at it,” Yama told the Waikato Herald.
She trained out of Walton Gym near Matamata, alongside Commonwealth Games representative Alex Mukuka.
The gym collaborated with Cairo George, of Hit Fitness HQ in Hamilton, where Yama and Mukuka sparred once a week.
Since 2023, Yama has been living and training in Hamilton, while working as a healthcare assistant.
She has delayed registering as a nurse in New Zealand, as she wants to focus on her boxing career, knowing her sporting career won’t last forever.
Yama clocked up big boxing wins quickly: A year after starting her journey, she won a gold medal at the 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands - an experience she credits with boosting her confidence.
“You fight a lot of different styles [at the Pacific Games].
“There was no avoiding anyone, you enter into a category and you end up fighting the best there is and win or lose, you unlock another level to you every fight.”
Her amateur record of 15 wins and six losses is proof of her knack for boxing.
In 2024, she decided to go pro, after losing an Olympic qualifying fight against fellow Hamiltonian Cara Wharerau.
Yama hit the pro ground running and won her debut against Aucklander Macca Jean.
Yama said she is very glad to have made the step to pro.
“I am now enjoying the pro scene a lot.
“There are ... a lot of rules with amateur boxing that I didn’t like... [for example] weigh-ins and fights on the same day, and the ring rules just didn’t allow me to be me.
“With the pros, I have time to refuel properly before fight night, and I am more mentally ready and not under pressure as I was in the amateurs.”
In her five professional fights, Yama is undefeated and she is ranked 9th in the WBA, 19th on Boxrec and 21st in the WBC.
Yama also holds the International (PBCNZ version) Super Lightweight title, which she won last year, after fighting Louise Creaven.
When asked about her biggest achievement, she doesn’t mention a fight, a title or her gold medal.
“I would say not giving up and trusting God’s timing.
“I didn’t know where this [boxing journey] was gonna go, [it was] not something I saw myself doing, so just getting to the level that I am on now is a win.”
When she isn’t standing in the ring, she enjoys being creative.
“I do love arts, do a bit of canvas painting and drawing, love cooking and sometimes turn into Dora the Explorer - [but] only during off season.”
Yama was previously promoted by Oz Jabur of BX-9, and has big goals for the future: She wants to fight a top 20 boxer in the Super Lightweight division and also has her eyes on a world title fight.
If she won a world title fight, it would make her the first Papua New Guinean world champion.
The only Papua New Guinean fighter to come close to a world title was Johnny Aba in 1979, who fought for the WBA world Featherweight title against Eusebio Pedroza, of Panama - but lost.
“[It] would be amazing to be the first Papua New Guinean to achieve a World title or even fight for one, that’s a big deal for me.
“I want to leave a legacy and have a sense of fulfilment like I’ve given all I’ve got ... no regrets, no ‘what ifs?’.”
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.