“I think I’m ready to go. Nerves will be high, I’m sure, but you get out what you put in, that’s what I’m learning.
“It’s for a great cause, and that’s one of the biggies as well. It [cancer] is something that affects a lot of families, and I’m more than happy to get a bop for something like that.”
She will enter the ring to the sound of People Everyday by Arrested Development.
“It’s all about the struggles people have, and that’s the reason I chose it.
“We are just everyday people. We’re getting up there and giving it a go.”
Her opponent across the ring, Munroe, said she had done boxing to keep fit for a number of years, but actually fighting was a different thing altogether.
“This isn’t just about turning up on the night and hoping for the best, there is strategy and commitment. It’s an absolute package,” she said.
Her husband, Craig Munroe, had beaten bowel cancer, and his experience was the reason she was fighting this year, she said.
“Dealing with cancer is a lot more than three two-minute rounds, that’s for sure.”
Munroe, who will be entering the ring to Thunder by Imagine Dragons, said boxing was a mental game as much as it was a physical one.
“I don’t know anything about my opponent and, at this stage, I don’t want to in case I really like her.
“After the fight, I’ll happily have a beer with her, but until then, nope, not interested. I’ve got to stay focused.”
One of the more experienced boxers on the card is Brendon Lawrence, a veteran of the boxing association’s corporate nights and a gold medallist at last year’s Pan Pacific Masters Games in Australia.
Tofa said an opponent (David Classen) had to be brought in from Palmerston North to face Lawrence.
“The first time Brendon fought [in 2021], no one knew he was such a hard nut. That’s not a secret anymore, though.
“I wanted someone from out of town for him, and David has already had a couple of corporate fights himself.
“The Palmerston North coach asked how tough Brendon was, and I just replied, ‘Very tough’. If he gets punched in the nose, he’s going to come back ten times harder.”
The first month of training camp was always a bit of a shock to new fighters and some needed a bit of reassurance, Tofa said.
“They are doing a bit of sparring and hitting the bag, and say, ‘But I don’t want to hurt anyone’.
“I have to tell them that it’s not a beauty contest. You’ve signed up for boxing and someone is going to hit you in the face.”
The main event features the return of Tofa’s son Viki Tofa, who has been out of the ring for a number of years.
“He’s training really hard down in Dunedin and wants to carry on after this and make his professional debut,” Tofa said.
“As his dad, I’ve pushed him over the years to get back into it, especially as he’s got so much talent, but it just wasn’t the right time. Now it is.”
Viki Tofa will be up against Corey Enoka, who is looking to avenge his loss in the pair’s last super-heavyweight fight in 2017.
“I called up Corey and told him his old mate wants to have another go,” Eddie Tofa said.
“When those two come together, neither of them wants to move backwards. It’ll be a real humdinger to close out the night.”
The Whanganui Boxing Association and the Cancer Society’s corporate fight night kicks off at 6pm on April 28 at Springvale Stadium.