Boxing: Trainee barber from Hastings learns to take it on the chin for Golden Gloves

Hastings Giants Boxing Academy pair Sam Nicol and Saili Fiso are fighting at the North Island Golden Gloves Championship in Taupo this weekend. PHOTO/Paul Taylor

Saili Fiso knows all about staying razor sharp and having a cutting edge in case those in the know hadn't noticed from his facial appearance.

That's because Fiso does it for a living as a barber at Illustrated in Hastings, training for the past eight months as an apprentice.

But the 24-year-old knows that's what he'll also have to be when he steps into the boxing ring for the North Island Golden Gloves in Taupo this weekend.

He is among five fighters in the 81kg open division today and tomorrow. It's his second Golden Gloves after making it past the first round in the middleweight division last year at the same venue.

His trainer, Craig McDougal, who runs the Solid Strength & Conditioning Ltd Hastings Giants Boxing Academy, also is taking Napier Boys' High School pupil Sam Nicol to the event, which has been classified "open" for the first time.

"I just want to really perform to the best I know I can in the ring. Obviously I'm trying my best to win," says Fiso of the 33rd tournament in Taupo, which has lured several Australian amateurs.

He doesn't know anything about any opponents but he goes into the ring having won all his fights lately bar one.

"As long as I do my best in the ring, I suppose that's what counts," says the Auckland-born boxer who studied at Hastings Boys' High School but now lives with the McDougal family.

Gleaning more experience in the ring also is vital as he matures into a fighter who thinks a lot more about his ringcraft and works harder on his fitness.

"I'm a lot more smarter, boxing all the time," says the young man who used find himself in trouble with tussles in the streets before McDougal channelled his energy into boxing.

"When I try to fight [in the ring] I end up trying to brawl so I'm working on becoming more technical."

Fiso is expecting to encounter taller opponents with a longer reach but isn't fazed by the prospect of what experience they may have under their belts.

He is indebted to the Giants team for providing him with all the sparring sessions, right down to feeding off the club's culture.

In a press release, Rex Jenkins, president of the Central North Island Boxing Association and Golden Gloves organiser, said: "It is great to have Australian participation at the Golden Gloves for the first time and will take our boxers who meet the visitors in the ring, out of their comfort zone."

Hosted by the Taupo Boxing Club until tournament founder, the late Nuki Johnson, passed away the tournament is now under the stewardship of the Central North Island Boxing Association.

The Golden Gloves was the brainchild of Johnson who was often referred to as Mr Boxing. From humble beginning in the Wairakei Village Hall, the annual tournament now sits second in stature to the National Championships.

More than 150 boxers are expected to journey from gyms throughout the North Island, to compete at the Great Lakes Centre this weekend.

"We have had a solid increase in female entries to around 35 entries.

"It has been encouraging to see the revival women's boxing in the last couple of seasons," Jenkins said.

Since the Golden Gloves kicked off in 1984, the very best pugilists in the country have taken centre stage. David Tua first made his mark as a 15-year-old in 1988, taking the jump into the senior ranks for the first time. Shane Cameron and Joseph Parker also boxed in the North Island premier boxing tournament.

The reason for the huge popularity of the Golden Gloves is twofold. The first is undoubtedly the central location with clubs attending from all corners of the North Island. A second important factor in the successful championships is the inclusion of boxers from mini-cadet (10-12 years) to the best elite male and female boxers in the North Island.