Tauranga boxer lasts the distance to bring home silver

Kelly Halling doesn't know which she treasures most _ the medal she won at one of the world's leading international boxing tournaments or the two black eyes she's sporting for her trouble.
Halling, 27, cherishes the silver medal won at the week-long invitation tournament in Taiwan but it is the two black eyes she's wearing like a badge of honour.
The shiners came courtesy of a pounding by hard-hitting Canadian Mary Spencer in the women's middleweight (66kg) final in Hua Lien. Determined not to go down, 27-year-old Halling rode the flurry of punches dished out by Spencer over three rounds.
"I got two good black eyes for my trouble and it was probably the hardest three rounds I've fought in my life," Halling said yesterday after arriving home.
"It was definitely the hardest I've ever been punched - she had a lot more ring experience than me and was a good head higher, giving her a much longer reach.
"It was a great experience though having three hard rounds like that at that level of competition and although her coaches obviously wanted her to stop me, I was determined that wasn't going to happen."
Taiwan was Halling's second international tournament boxing for New Zealand after winning silver at the Oceania championships in Tonga.
The fighter, who boxes out of Welcome Bay's Te Kanapu Meke Meke O Tauranga club, scored her first international win in Taiwan with a three-round points decision over United States' Elizabeth Cue.
The win over Cue advanced Halling direct to the final with Spencer.
Female boxers from 20 countries were invited to the Taiwan competition, with Halling the most successful of the four New Zealand fighters.
Flyweight Stephanie Perry, middleweight Daniella Smith and lightweight Alexis Pritchard all won bronze.
Halling is gunning for her third national title next year, as well as selection in the New Zealand team for the Oceania Championships in Papua New Guinea, but is in a period of self-enforced rest from the ring.