Three young Kaitāia boxers about to step on to national stage

Kaitāia Boxing Club assistant coach Mark Harding (left) with young boxers Darius Taukilo, Sam Dunn-Leef, Trinity Minns, and coach Ron Monos, who are heading to an amateur boxing event in Auckland on August 31.

A trio of young Kaitāia boxers are heading to Auckland to compete in an Auckland Boxing Association amateur event, and they will be matched by the coach of their town’s greatest boxer — IBO super bantamweight world champion Mea Motu.

The team from Kaitāia Boxing Club are travelling to Auckland for Auckland Boxing Association’s amateur event on August 31 at the ABA boxing stadium in Eden Terrace.

The Kaitāia team include three young fighters hoping this will launch them into the national psyche as powerful, emerging boxers who can take their skills to the next level.

The team include Darius Taukilo, aged 16, at 59kg; Sam Dunn-Leef, 12, 46.4kg, and Trinity Minns, 12, 47.6kg. They will be matched by Issac Peach of Peach Boxing, which is based in Henderson, Auckland.

Kaitāia Boxing Club had been looking forward to this entry into amateur boxing events for several years, operations manager Shirley Williams said, after the Covid disruption held up its progress.

“Under the guidance of coach Ron Monos assisted by Coach Mark Harding, we are looking forward to the three’s performance as this takes their boxing experience to another personal level.”

Williams said the young fighters would have to be prepared for the event.

“It’s a very individual sport that’s totally different from team sports and they will be ready. We’re very pleased to be taking them down.”

Williams said a lot of people did not realise that boxing was a highly regulated sport, with only accredited coaches allowed to train fighters for competitions.

She said the club and town were lucky to have Monos, an ex-boxer and national representative, and an accredited coach.

The three young fighters couldn’t get a better person to learn from in Peach, who is Motu’s coach. Under his guidance, the Pukepoto “NightMea” has established herself as one of the best boxers in the world at her weight, and is keen to test herself on the world stage.

Coach Isaac Peach, of Auckland’s Peach Boxing stable, took Kaitāia boxer Mea Motu to a world title. Peach will run his eyes over three more promising Far North fighters on August 31.

After 20 matches and seven KOs, Motu — who won a dominant second-round stoppage victory over 20-year-old Thai Noppaket Srisawas in Auckland in her last bout in March — is now heading overseas to defend her crown and take on some of the biggest names in the sport with the aim of becoming an undisputed world champ.

After the March bout, Motu sent a stern warning to her fellow female fighters — including IBF and WBO super bantamweight champion, England’s Ellie Scotney (9-0).

“I’m coming Ellie Scott, you better watch it, you ain’t seen this Māori girl,” Motu said after the win.

Motu won her IBO super bantamweight crown in Whangārei in December against India’s Chandni Mehra. In 2022, Motu became the first, and still only, NZ woman to win titles in three weights.