Starting rotation: Fighting back – Kiwi boxing punches above its weight

Boxing, one of the oldest and most basic sports, is fighting back in New Zealand.

Just as the Kiwi combat sports scene looked set to be swamped by the rising force of MMA, boxing is counter-punching strongly.

For so long having to rely on the international profile of former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker, these are heady times for the puglists here with a fresh wave of talent rising.

There’s a strong group of boxers ranked inside the top 10 by respected organisations and two world title fights are imminent – cruiserweight David Light taking on WBO champion Lawrence Okolie in Manchester on March 26, and Mea Motu headlining the Fight For Life card in Auckland on April 27 against Canada’s Tania Walters for the IBO’s vacant super-bantamweight belt.

READ MORE:
* Rankings boost gives NZ middleweight Andrei Mikhailovich sniff of world title shot
* Mea Motu’s world title opponent confirmed to headline Fight for Life
* New date and venue for David Light’s cruiserweight title shot

Light is ranked No 1 by the WBO and in the past week he has been joined in the top 10 status by aggressive middleweight Andrei Mikhailovich (No 5 at the IBF) and Jerome Pampellone (No 10 with the IBF).

Parker remains relevant in a highly competitive heavyweight division, being No 7 with the WBO, No 10 with the WBC and No 8 on the respected Ring magazine’s independent list.

With clever promotional work by Dean Lonergan, now stretching his tentacles back across the Tasman after successfully establishing himself in Australia, Mikhailovich and Pampellone can manoeuvre their way into title fights if they maintain their unbeaten records.

What’s more remarkable is the consistent success of Peach Boxing, a west Auckland gym under the guidance of Isaac Peach that is rapidly making a global name for itself.

It has Light, Mikhailovich, Pampellone and Motu in its stable of fighters.

Peach Boxing looks capable of earning a reputation that could rival the remarkable City Kickboxing gym in Auckland where, under the guidance of Eugene Bareman, it has has started to dominate the MMA scene with UFC stars like Israel Adesanya, Dan Hooker and Kai Kara France.

MMA might be the game of the current generation, followed faithfully by the youth of today, but boxing isn’t giving up the fight.

Top flight boxing still outweighs MMA in monetary rewards though there is no easy route to a fortune.

But gold is still out there to be mined. Sportico, the United States company who deal in “the business of sports”, just released their top 50 highest-paid athletes of all time.

There were seven boxers on the list, headed by eighth-ranked Floyd Mayweather’s $2.13b. Only golf with eight and basketball with 13 had more entries. Conor McGregor was the sole MMA representative with his $1b placing him 33rd.

Love it or hate it – and most traditionalists deplore it – boxing’s profile with the new generation has been ramped up heavily in recent years by the advent of celebrity fighters like Jake Paul, who bring millions of new viewers to the sport.

That’s a mark of the primal fascination of boxing as much as it is about these “influencers”. Combining the two is powerful cocktail of sporting intrigue.

Not everything is rosy in boxing though as its murky shadow continues to haunt it. Alarmingly, much of that is in the amateur ranks which threatens its long-term future where the International Boxing Association, led by Russian Umar Kremlev, remains at odds with the International Olympic Committee.

The IBA is under intense scrutiny after serious allegations of corruption following an investigation into the standard of officiating at recent tournaments.

Boxing has been left off the “initial” program for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and question marks remain about its status for Paris 2024 after its competition at the 2020 Games in Tokyo were overseen by an external task force.

Losing the Olympic goal would be a disaster for a sport so steeped in history.

But that’s the future. Right now it’s time to celebrate a new era in the Kiwi professional scene.