Boxing: Five Tauranga boxers set to show their skills at North Island Golden Gloves in Taupō

Tauranga boxers (from left) Ariane Nicholson and Michelle Nuku are among the fighters set to compete at this weekend's North Island Golden Gloves. Photo / File

Tauranga boxers Ariane Nicholson and Michelle Nuku have their eye on gold - but it won't be an easy fight in front of them.

The pair, who are part of the Tauranga Boxing Club, are among the five Tauranga fighters competing at this weekend's 2019 North Island Golden Gloves tournament, which ranks in stature second only to the Boxing New Zealand National Championships.

There will be more than 100 bouts taking place on Saturday and Sunday at the Great Lakes Centre in Taupō. Also on the line are places in the North Island team that will square off with their South Island counterparts in the North verses South Golden Gloves box-offs in Rotorua on June 22.

Leading the Tauranga Boxing Club title charge is Nicholson, who is eyeing gold in the 69kg female division this year.

In her Golden Gloves debut in 2017 Nicholson took home silver in the senior women's middleweight division (75kg) and last year she defeated King Country's Stephanie Trotter to take gold in the same division and was named the 2018 Golden Gloves Most Scientific Female Boxer.

Her success follows a gold-medal win at her international boxing debut, winning her 69kg weight division at the Arafura Games in Darwin, Australia.

Tauranga Boxing Club coach Chris Walker says Nicholson wants to back up her success with another gold medal this weekend but says it will be no easy task.

"She'll have to fight to win. She'll have to be her best," Walker says.

Nuku, Walker says, has nothing to lose this weekend and is feeling confident and hungry.

She also represented New Zealand at the Arafura Games, coming away with a bronze medal, and this weekend will likely come up against Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Troy Garton, who beat her by unanimous decision at last year's National Championships.

"She's the underdog and has nothing to lose," Walker says.

The three remaining Tauranga Boxing Club members will all make their Golden Gloves debut over the weekend. Promising light heavyweight boxer Henry Wilson, who hails from Te Puke, is boxing in a competitive novice division, while two Maketu youngsters, Te Kehu Kerr and Motekiai Hunt, will debut in the cadet divisions.

"[Wilson's] a tough character, he's a tough kid, he'll give it a good crack.

"Everybody's really been looking forward to it," Walker says.

Double Boxing New Zealand age-group champion Hannah Walker was to be chasing her fourth Golden Gloves title this weekend but Walker says he has had to pull her out of the event.

2019 Golden Gloves – Tauranga Boxing Club entries:
Female 69kg: Ariane Nicholson.
Female 60kg: Michelle Nuku.
Male Novice 81kg: Henry Wilson.
Cadet Novice: Te Kehu Kerr, Motekiai Huni.