Boxing: Eligibility row over boxing hopefuls

A fight has erupted outside the ring over the eligibility of two Tongan boxers at the Oceania championships in Nukualofa.

And the row could have implications for New Zealand's Olympic Games contenders.

Two New Zealand-based fighters, John Argall and Doug Viney, have won first round contests at the championships - yet former professional boxer Argall is not registered to fight as an amateur, while the eligibility of former kickboxer Viney, fighting under the name Doug Hawke, is also under scrutiny.

Argall applied for reinstatement in 2002, but it was rejected by Boxing New Zealand, who followed International Amateur Boxing Association regulations banning pro fighters returning to amateur ranks. BNZ has no record of Viney registering as an amateur.

The problem for Australia and New Zealand, the Oceania region's two leading boxing nations, is that if their fighters are beaten by either Argall or Viney they could be eliminated from Olympic contention by a boxer who should not have been at the qualifying championship.

Letters were flying between BNZ and the Oceania association yesterday and BNZ chairman Keith Walker is unhappy with the situation.

"We informed them [Oceania] these two were in breach of their amateur status and they should be stood down forthwith," Walker said last night. Walker believes Oceania has been "lax" in overseeing the issue. Oceania had not withdrawn either fighter as of last night.

The New Zealand fighters at risk of losing their Olympic hopes are Timaru's Liam Hall, who is in Argall's heavyweight division, and Aucklanders Kerry Brooks and Angus Shelford, who are in the super heavyweight class alongside Viney.

In the ring, Aucklander Kahu Bentson gave New Zealand a strong start by demolishing Fiji's Vetala Latenacolo in their welterweight bout, winning in the first round.