Boxing promoters Dean Lonergan and son, Liam Lonergan. 28 January 2021 New Zealand Herald photograph by Michael Craig.
Dean Lonergan is back, and so is his famous Fight for Life project.
Not that the promoter extraordinaire ever really went away, but the breakup of the original Duco Events saw the former Kiwi league forward head to Australia where he is making major waves as a boxing promoter.
The pandemic has brought the Westie back to Auckland for now although he is still arranging big fights in Australia.
Lonergan and son Liam - his new business partner - have resurrected Fight for Life, with proceeds going to Mike King's mental health initiatives.
It has been a rocky return of sorts, with the Omicron red traffic light leading Lonergan to reschedule the celebrity boxing card at Eventfinda Stadium from March to July.
But when we caught up with Lonergan he was happily juggling balls in the air, calmly rearranging Fight for Life while also putting the final touches to Sydney cruiserweight Jai Opetaia's shot at IBF world champ Mairis Briedis of Latvia.
What led to the Fight for Life comeback?
It was Liam's idea. It's been around his whole life. We've got photographs of me fighting in it, with Liam holding a sign 'Go Dad'.
Delaying Fight for Life for four months must be tricky yet you seem so calm?
Shit happens is the short answer. I've been doing this for 25 years. I've been through all this before.
When you stay calm people feel reassured and will come along for the ride. What you don't do is cancel events. You delay them. Of course we get frustrated. But you need flexibility and enough money in the bank to survive. Fortunately we've got both.
You've been dancing around the pandemic in Australia…
There was one period where we had about three months to operate - we managed to jam in the Jeff Horn-Tim Tszyu fight and two or three smaller ones.
Two days after we did Paul Gallen-Justis Huni, New South Wales went into lockdown again. Liam came home, I got a plane to Queensland to get away from the virus then came back here just before the borders shut. We thought 'heck, we should do something', which led to Fight for Life.
Joseph Parker was a massive part of your Duco days - do you keep in touch, and will he get another shot at the world heavyweight crown?
I follow him 100 per cent. I usually text Joe before each fight. We catch up. His mum and dad came over for the Gallen-Huni fight, and I go out to dinner with them now and then.
He's going really well under Andy Lee and I'd love to see him win the heavyweight championship of the world again.
The biggest problem is that he and Tyson Fury are great mates, and I don't think Tyson would ever fight him. Joe needs someone else to be the champ.
But he is 100 per cent in the mix, to get back to the top.
How has Parker changed as a fighter under Andy Lee and how did former trainer Kevin Barry - who you've known a long time - cope with his departure?
Joe seems far more active, his punches are far more punishing, and he's putting his extra weight to good use. At 30, he is absolutely in his prime and Eddie Hearn is keeping him very active - three fights a year is quite a lot.
Kevin has been in boxing a long time, and people come and go.
Joe and Kevin achieved everything they set out to achieve. (Brit promoter) Frank Warren always says "don't fall in love with your boxers". Things change quickly in this business.
Paul Gallen has become a big box office success since retiring from the NRL - will his anticipated fight with Sonny Bill Williams ever happen?
No. Paul has only got a couple more fights left in him. He moved from the entertainment game to the hurting game when he fought Justis Huni and took a tremendous beating. SBW will only be ready in 18 months, and Paul will be finished by then. If they fought at their best, Gallen would win in my opinion.
Can Sonny Bill really make it in the ring?
He's getting ready to fight (former AFL star) Barry Hall by training with Tyson Fury and Joseph Parker in England, which is about the best environment you could be in to learn the craft.
The word is he (SBW) got dropped in the first or second round in a non-televised fight in Townsville, which can happen to anybody. But only time will tell how good he can be. He's got a very tough fight against Hall - he's a big bugger.
Has there ever been a Kiwi with SBW's profile in Australia?
He would be one of the biggest stars in New South Wales - but another Kiwi who is huge there is Benji Marshall.
It's a combination of things with Benji - a magnetic personality they really like, a style of football they absolutely love, and his longevity. Australians have a real respect for people who have long careers.
Your promotion of the Jeff Horn-Manny Pacquiao fight put you on the map. What was Pacquiao like?
At his own fight at Suncorp, he purchased over $800,000 worth of tickets for his mates. He had probably 200 people he looked after in the hotel. He gives people enormous amounts of money. I've never seen a man more generous in my life - with his time as well. He's quite an incredible character.
Characters you have met over there…
One is my boxer Issac Hardman, who just loves causing dramas for opponents. I think he is going to become a mega star. On the night he fought Robert Berridge, he asked his coach to be the best man at this wedding, in front of everyone there. That is what he's like.
Another fascinating bloke is Jim Bannigan, an agent from my rugby league playing days. He helped me immensely on the Horn-Pacquiao fight.
Jim doesn't keep the best of health - he eats and drinks too much. We were in a little bus one day and Pacquiao makes the mistake of bagging Jim about his weight, so Jim gives it back to him. I doubt Manny Pacquiao has ever been told to 'get f*****' before. Manny looks at this overweight, red-faced bloke and just cracked up laughing. They are both men of faith, and got on so well.
How hard has it been to succeed in Australia - how different is it to New Zealand?
We're doing very well, on the verge of going really big.
We've got a stable of fighters who are going to excel - I think Justis Huni will become the world heavyweight champion. He is an incredible talent, a very special fighter.
But Australia is a very hard market to crack.
The New Zealand business culture and media market are pretty simple to understand and work with.
The Queensland business culture is a bit similar to ours, but New South Wales is incredibly brutal and hard, and same in Victoria.
Competitors there look at what you've done and think 'we won't do our own thing; we'll try and take what you've got'.
But having a league background has definitely helped - it has given me connections.
You are a former Warriors board member - any thoughts on how to right that ship?
Rugby league comes down to the right CEO, the right coach, and a serious amount of cash.
They have the cash, but the coach and CEO are up for discussion because neither has won a premiership or made the finals on a regular basis.
I would have paid whatever it took to get Craig Bellamy from Melbourne because he is the best coach in the business.
To be fair, Mark Robinson has only owned the club for a couple of years. It takes time to get the right people, players and culture in place.
Do you keep in contact with old league comrades?
I keep in regular contact with (former Kiwis) Mark Bourneville and Mike Patton, and on a semi-regular basis with Peter Brown. Being in Australia, I talk with Mal Meninga every two or three months. Because Laurie Daley is in the media, we talk now and then. I've also reconnected with Steve Jackson from my days at Canberra.
How does a business partnership affect your father-son relationship?
I think we go pretty well. It does test your relationship but we debate, not argue. Liam has other interests - he's very keen on the comedy scene and does stand-up. I'd love to watch him but I'm banned - he thinks it would put too much pressure on him.
How has your particular business field changed?
The migration of entertainment from the big screen TV to mobile phones. Twenty years ago, people went to a ticket office. Now they push a button on their phone.
For us, they can also subscribe to pay-per-view through Kayo, which is Fox's digital arm. We've seen massive growth through that. Previously, we might have been limited to say two million set boxes. All of a sudden you can sell to an audience of 26 million.
And you've got to be on social media - predominantly Facebook and Instagram.
What's fascinating to me is that my mum, who is 75, consumes most of her media on Facebook. Once they get an iPad and work it out it's like 'this is quite cool'.
What's changed in how you do business?
I've made a lot of business mistakes along the way which can be very expensive. That brings a lot of pain, stress and anxiety.
Once I have a new plan in place these days I ask "How do I take the risk out of this?" because the huge stress and anxiety just isn't worth it.
Sometimes it's best to give some upside away, try to get revenue guaranteed before we go to market.
What's changed with you over the years?
I'm 56 now, and the older you get, the more you appreciate the important things in life -spending time with friends and particularly family.
You get more mellow. Once upon a time it was about charging around the world, trying to be the best at what you do, making lots of money. And that can bring a certain amount of satisfaction.
But the most fun involves sitting around a table having a coffee with mates and family, having a laugh and a giggle.
Usyk won the fight by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 116-112.