"She was still a novice to me. She was the fittest girl there, she was a really strong girl.
"Lucy every day and every week was getting stronger and fitter."
The first thing she said to him was "when can I fight?", Maka said.
"That was the first thing she wanted to do, she wanted to fight.
"She had bought some new gloves and some new boots and was asking when she could fight. She is a really keen boxer."
He told her they would keep training and when she was ready, and Maka had found the right opponent for her, she would fight.
Auckland Boxing Association president Paul McSharry said he had not met Brown in person but was aware she had recently started boxing with Maka.
"I am aware she boxed in Australia.
"There was probably some boxing opportunities for her here in New Zealand but unfortunately this will not come to pass."
Boxing had been a big part of Brown's life for the last four years after winning a silver medal at Australia's Queensland Golden Gloves in 2014.
Family friend Tim Griffin spoke to the Herald about the "positive" character that will be missed by many.
"She was a role-model for a lot of people. She was just a very positive person who would lift everyone around her up."
"We've all had ups and downs in our lives and she was always the one to pick us up. She was a magic girl," Griffin said.
According to the Townsville Bulletin Brown was diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer in 2011, and survived.
She started boxing shortly after that and halved her weight from 120kg to 60kg.
A gofundme page has been created to financially support her family and help cover impending bills.
The page has accrued more than $10,000 towards its $15,000 goal.
