Boxing World Cup Brazil: Kiwi trio target Commonwealth Games qualification

Greer Hall, Saskia Elliott and Alex Mukuka are currently in Brazil.

Three boxers from Kirikiriroa Boxing Association are representing New Zealand at the Boxing World Cup.

Greer Hall, Saskia Elliott and Alex Mukuka are currently in Brazil for the first stage of the World Cup, which starts tomorrow.

Stage two will take place in Guiyang City, China in June, followed by the finals in November in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Part of the World Cup serves as the final qualification for the Commonwealth Games in July, meaning Mukuka, Hall and Elliott have a lot to fight for.

In Brazil, Hall, who fights in the 54kg division, will take on the toughest opposition of her career to date, Canadian fighter Scarlett Delgado.

Delgado is ranked 8th on Boxrec and is a regular at international competitions, including the 2025 World Boxing Championships, 2024 World Olympic Qualifier, 2024 USA Boxing International Invitational and the 2022 IBA Women’s World Championships.

Meanwhile, Elliott, who fights in the 57kg division, will take on Kazakhstan-born Hungarian Vlagyiszlava Kukhta.

Kukhta is ranked in the top 30 on BoxRec.

Mukuka, who fights in the 55kg division, will take on Chinese boxer Jiamao Zhang.

Zhang competed at the 2024 Olympic Qualifier Preliminaries and 19th Asian Games.

Other New Zealand boxers attending the tournament include Ashley Belk, Jordan Wilson, Mezmorize Anderson, Morgan Henderson, Elenoa Lilo, Finbar O’Sullivan, Connor Campbell and Wendell Stanley.

Fights are broadcast live via the Confederação Brasileira de Boxe YouTube channel.

Hall’s and Elliott’s first fights will be tomorrow (April 20 in Brazil), and Mukuka’s first fight will be on Wednesday (April 21 in Brazil).

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.