Azzaoui aims to get career on track with comeback

Northland boxer Mohamed Azzaoui hits the comeback trail this weekend at the Oakura Boxing Gym's fundraiser at Kensington Stadium on Saturday night.
Azzaoui will add a little something extra to the fight night held annually to showcase the region's up-and-coming boxers.
The Kerikeri-based cruiserweight has fought in front of crowds numbering in the ten of thousands in his professional career but, after four straight losses, he must beat Auckland-based Samoan Junior Pati to get his career back on the rails.
"If we win that then we will have a crack at a WBO-sanctioned Pan African title fight in Auckland on August 28," Azzaoui's manager, Anthony Warren, said.
Ghanian Alori Mensah, who holds the belt, will accept a challenge from Azzaoui, who is a former Algerian national and is eligible to hold the belt.
For Azzaoui, this weekend's bout is a must win, because he must come off a win to be eligible for a title challenge.
"He's really fit and ready to make a comeback and his hand has healed," Warren said.
Azzaoui broke a bone in his hand in his most recent bout against up-and-coming Australian cruiserweight Daniel Amman.
"We've made a few bad choices in selecting opponents in the past - accepting fights against heavyweights and those are the ones we've lost but there's no one else to fight," Warren said.
Organiser Tim Bowman said it was always good to see a boxer like Azzaoui in action and they had jumped at the chance to add the bout to Saturday night's card.
The other headline bout is Bowman's son, Josh, defending his Peter Gilbert Trophy against Te Awamutu's Shamus Whalley.
Bowman senior said the night was all about raising the profile of the local boxers as well as fundraising for the gym. "It's great coverage for the kids and they don't often get the chance to fight in front of a home crowd because most of the events are held further down the line," he said.
* Confirmed bouts for Saturday:
57kg Reece Birmingham (United) v Brad Robinson (Revills); 36kg Te Wairua Hiku (Oakura) v Callum Farally (Te Awamutu); 69kg Neil Zimuaya (Revills) v Chen Hing (Oakura); women's 48kg Nikaiya Gerrard (Gisborne) v Reshene Whalley (Te Awamutu); women's 54kg Deanne Carpenter (Oakura) v Eisha Maka (ABA); 69kg Reese La Vavasour (Oakura) v Ryan Baxter (ABA); 62kg Harvey Groteza (Equal) v Don Robinson (Gisborne); 51kg Kevin Meak (Shamrock) v Hirini Wikaira (Kaikohe); 58kg Clarence Groteza
(Equal) v Sovantha Meak (Shamrock); 85kg Nat Cohen (Equal) v Vinnie Limbrick (Kaikohe); 70kg Luke La Vavasour (Oakura) v Kane McCulloch (Kaikohe); 75kg Daniel Johnson (United) v Cameron Armitage (Te Awamutu); 60kg Kaha Rosenbaum (United) v Tula Jefferies (Te Awamutu); 73kg Josh Bowman (United) v Shamus Whalley (Te Awamutu); professional bout: Mohamed Azzaoui v Junior Pati.