Whangaruru boxer Deanne Carpenter is on top of her world after bringing home gold from the 2012 New Zealand Boxing nationals in Auckland.
The Whangarei Boxing Gym fighter drew determined Otago boxer Siraya Wilson in the 69kg youth female final and was forced to show her talent and resilience during Saturday's bout.
Both boxers showed good technique and threw straight punches to keep the scores close after the halfway mark of the four round fight.
Although outreached by Carpenter, the Otago boxer proved evasive and fought a good round to edge ahead of the Northland boxer going into the final round. Carpenter left her best to last and proved faster than her opponent, outscoring her to finally seal the victory 23-19 on points.
The win gives Carpenter the opportunity to fight at next year's world championships and trainer Tim Bowman said the boxer, who turns 17 next month, deserved the win as a reward for the hard training she has put in the lead up to the tournament.
