Matamata boxer Sonny Morini will take on South Island fighter Dane Edge for a New Zealand national title this weekend.
Morini, 20, has just come off a big title win in Fiji, where he defeated Fijian boxer Mohammed Ali by stoppage in the second and took home the PBCNZ PacificWelterweight title.
Morini has been on a roll since his professional boxing debut in April 2024, now having an undefeated record of nine wins, seven of them by knockout.
He is a three-time New Zealand National Amateur Champion, winning the title twice in the junior division and once in the youth division.
Instead of attempting to win an amateur title in the elite division, he has turned pro and set his eyes on the New Zealand national (PBCNZ version) professional welterweight title.
It has been a while since New Zealand has had a national welterweight champion, with the last one being Christchurch’s Bowyn Morgan, who won the New Zealand national (NZNBF version) welterweight title against Daniel Maxwell.
When Morgan retired in 2021, so did the belt.
Morini has a bright future ahead of him, especially being part of Peach Boxing, an elite West Auckland boxing stable founded by Isaac and Alina Peach.
The stable has produced several great boxers in New Zealand, including former IBO World Super Bantamweight champion Mea Motu, interim WBA world title challenger Jerome Pampellone, and world-ranked boxer Emma Nesbitt.
Morini will take on Edge, a kickboxer-turned-boxer.
The upcoming fight is Edge’s second attempt at fighting for a New Zealand boxing title.
His first was in July 2024, where he lost to another Peach boxer, Dylan Archer, for the New Zealand National Super Welterweight title.
Sonny Morini has a bright future ahead of him, especially being part of Peach Boxing, a West Auckland boxing stable founded by Isaac and Alina Peach. Photo / Alina Peach, Peach Boxing
Edge was last in the boxing ring in June on the BX-9 card, where he defeated Hunter Ioane by unanimous decision.
The Morini vs Edge fight for the New Zealand (PBCNZ version) Welterweight title will take place on November 14 at Auckland’s ABA Stadium.
In the main event of the evening, Mea Motu will be defending the WBA Oceania Super Featherweight title against Manjot Rattu.
This could be Motu’s last fight in New Zealand for a while as she aims to fight overseas next and potentially for a world title.
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.
