Josh Haenga is in a race against time to recover for the national light heavyweight title challenge at the Roundhouse Kickboxing studio's Woodstock Fight Night on June 25.
Haenga rates his chances of making the fight night - headlined the "Rise of the Champions" night - as only 50-50 after dislocating
his shoulder training.
"I haven't been able to train as hard as I would normally, so that's a real worry going into a major title fight like this, but I have to see how I feel next week," he said.
If the Whangarei 19-year-old can get clearance to fight, he will take on Auckland-based Mike Diamond, the national NZIKBF title holder. With a competitor with the nickname "Blood Diamond", Haenga will need to be at the top of his game.
The other national title on the line next Saturday is when Hayley Cassidy defends her women's super lightweight title against Lian Whitefield.
Cassidy is the first national kickboxing champion Northland has seen since Sandra Walters more than 15 year ago, after she beat Rotorua's Moitoi Jonathon in May to win the title. Roundhouse Kickboxing Studio's Simon Haenga said Cassidy was unlikely to surrender the title to challenger Whitefield without a major struggle.
The Whangarei 28-year-old has faced her challenger before - beating her in May last year - but Simon Haenga said Whitefield had improved since then and would be a handful for the Whangarei kickboxer.
"She's a tough nut all right and it's going to be a hard fight for Hayley, but there's nothing better than putting your title on the line to bring out the best in you," he said.
Another major title to be decided on the night is for the vacant North Island Mutai title - battled for by Whangarei's Jason Kake and Auckland's Sonny Saddler. The Roundhouse studio will put up 16 fighters for bouts, with 8-year-old Trezhan Kaipo the youngest.
He is fighting a Rotorua opponent in what will be a very tightly refereed match.
There are also three MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) bouts on the fight card. The increasingly popular form of fighting is likely to draw the biggest cheers at the Stadium, particularly when Whangarei Boys' High School students Ryan "Axe" Toki and John Wallace take on a Rotorua duo from the Ngakaunui Club in a tag-team event.
