Boxing: Pownceby weighs giving up Olympics

David Aloua-Rogers of Bay of Plenty takes a hit from Soulan Pownceby of Canterbury

Newly crowned national heavyweight boxing champion Soulan Pownceby is giving himself a month to decide whether to turn professional.

An impressive winner of his third New Zealand title in Rotorua on Saturday night, Pownceby admits he's torn between another Olympic campaign and ending the financial struggle in the amateur ranks.

The 31-year-old Athens Olympian already has a pro offer on the table, as star under-card to Shane Cameron's WBA Pan-African title defence in Christchurch on November 24.

If he does fight for cash, Pownceby plans to donate the proceeds to child cancer, honouring a pledge he made to a close friend.

"Nothing beats the Olympic Games but I'm seriously considering a professional career now," said Pownceby after a points dispatch of promising rookie David Aloua-Rogers at the weekend.

"If I can't get the sponsorship and support I need to perform to the best of my ability in Beijing, then it's time to move on.

"I've got nothing left to prove to myself; I'd go with no regrets and no second thoughts."

Pownceby said his three Oceania light-heavyweight gold medals top his amateur highlights. But interrupting the final few weeks of his bachelor of sports studies to win for his Canterbury province in Rotorua at the weekend is a close second.

With his national titles in the middleweight and light-heavyweight divisions, Pownceby joins an elite club with his heavyweight victory over Aloua-Rogers.

Only 1950s star Eddie Morrison also has national medals across three divisions.

"Heavyweight champion of New Zealand has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" said Pownceby, who beefed up by nearly 10kg to achieve the feat.

None of Pownceby's three fights at the Rotorua championships went the distance.

He knocked out Wellington-Hutt Valley's Nimilo Halifini in the first round and raced out to a bout-winning 20-point break over Otago's Glen Craig in the third round of his semifinal.

Finalist Aloua-Rogers tested him the most, inflicting a standing count on Pownceby in the third round. But that was only a minor stutter for Pownceby who recovered quickly to pile on the gold-medal points break before the final bell.

"He didn't perform at Athens or Melbourne [Commonwealth Games] but if he boxed like he can, and did this week, it would be a different story," said Canterbury and national coach Phil Shatford.

"If Soul turns pro I'll still coach him, but I'd like him to have a crack at Beijing because I know we haven't seen his true potential at that level."