Whangarei boxer Josh Bowman is hopeful of bidding his Tahitian rival Heiarii Ai an early au revoir when he faces him in the feature bout tomorrow night.
Tomorrow's Tahiti versus New Zealand fight night at Hora Hora Rugby Club, hosted by Whangarei Boxing Gym, is the first tournament of the year for Bowman and three clubmates Kaylah Munday, Ross Malthus and Jeff Hesley who are also fighting.
Three Tahitian boxers flew in yesterday for the event, including 25-year-old Bowman's 21-year-old opponent, Ai.
"Our guys are all in really good form and the fight between Josh and the Tahitian should be really competitive. I haven't seen him fight but I've heard good things... and he has represented his country before," Whangarei coach Tim Bowman said.
While the Bowman versus Ai middleweight bout is the main attraction on the 16-fight card, Munday's rematch with Tahitian Zamora Nena in the 70kg plus class will be a noted match, the coach said.