Mea Motu reveals coach ‘nearly pulled me out’ of title fight due to health concerns

Mea Motu fought Ellie Scotney in a super bantamweight world title unification bout in Nottingham. Photo / Photosport

Mea Motu has revealed illness left her team questioning whether she should compete in the world title unification boxing fight against Ellie Scotney in the UK last weekend.

Motu, who lost a unanimous decision to Scotney with the IBF, WBO, Ring Magazine and IBO super bantamweight belts on the line, was hospitalised on her return to New Zealand because of pneumonia and deep vein thrombosis.

Speaking to Newstalk ZB’s Elijah Fa’afiu, the 35-year-old said she wasn’t feeling well when she flew to the UK for the bout, and there were concerns over whether she should continue with the fight.

“I was already really sick over in the UK when I landed, that my coach was a bit concerned and nearly pulled me out but I refused,” Motu said. “I told him ‘Nah, I didn’t come here for nothing. I’m not pulling out of a fight.’

“It was very tough and my weight was really hard to make. I was breaking but still trying to hold it together. My physical body was fine but my internal body was struggling.

“When I boarded the plane to head back to New Zealand I didn’t feel well. I wasn’t very responsive to my coach. I just didn’t feel myself, I felt very cloudy, very off the edge and very hot and cold and sweaty. I just thought that’s me being exhausted from my fight, then on the plane I slept the whole way and really struggled to correspond with people.”

Motu returned to New Zealand on Tuesday and visited a doctor before heading north to visit her family.

The following day, family members insisted she go to the pharmacy and she was taken to Kaitaia Hospital and then Whangarei Hospital, being diagnosed with pneumonia and deep vein thrombosis –a condition caused by blood clots – in her legs.

“I was in the UK with medicine, but they said that pneumonia is very bad and that I need to be careful and that I really need to rest and have a good rest because my lungs aren’t looking good at all.”

Motu has a long history of severe asthma and respiratory issues and was forced to withdraw from the reality TV show Treasure Island last year after a severe asthma attack landed her in the hospital with pneumonia.

In the bout against Scotney, Motu had her moments, but ultimately Scotney was able to bank round after round on the back of her speed and movement, getting in and out of range to land punches without wearing too many.

Scored 99-91 – or nine rounds to one – by all three judges, it was the first loss of Motu’s 21-fight professional career and ended her reign as IBO world champion after just under two years and two successful defences.