Mea Motu is New Zealand’s newest world champion boxer, the super bantamweight comfortably out-pointing Canadian Tania Walters in the historic headline bout of the Fight for Live event in Auckland late last night.
Motu, 33, began crying as soon as the result was announced after 10 tough rounds at the Eventfinda Stadium on Auckland’s North Shore.
Two judges scored it widely in Motu’s favour; 99-91 and 98-92 and the third 96-94.
Most rounds were close, with both women fighting on the inside, but Motu appeared to have the edge with her aggression and power.
She sank to her knees and sobbed before being comforted by her trainer Isaac Peach, the owner of Peach Boxing in west Auckland, a man and gym Motu, a victim of domestic violence, credits with saving her life.
“I wanted to give up on life but Peach Boxing saved my life and brought me back,” she said immediately afterwards.
The mother of five children aged between three and nearly 16 was welcomed to the ring with a rousing haka by friends and whānau and her emotional victory was celebrated in the same way inside the ropes.
After she dragged herself away from her many well-wishers, Motu said she quickly became frustrated during the fight because of Walters’ short stature.
“I was getting very frustrated, I think my emotions were getting the better of me but I got the win,” Motu said.
“I’m used to being the shorter one, so her being shorter was very frustrating and I think I was over-thinking instead of being calm and relaxed. I was putting too much pressure on myself.”
Peach said: “Mea got herself in a bit of a twist but she got out of it and I thought she won the fight clearly, easily. But she had to really grind for it. She had to earn her world title.”
Motu, who is now 16-0 as a professional, said she was now going for all the world title belts and would be happy to defend her IBO title as early as next week. A July date is probably more realistic.
She said fighting in New Zealand in front of her friends and family would be preferable.
On a night when Peach Boxing stablemates Andrei Mikhailovich and Jerome Pampellone scored highly impressive victories on the undercard, Motu said her belt would be displayed in the gym.
“I want my teammates to look at it and know that they could get there too.”
She said she was unlikely to get a sleep in after a night of celebration.
“No, because all I want to do is get up to my babies,” she said. “I haven’t seen them all week so I miss them. I want to celebrate with my kids, that’s all I could ask for.”
Walters, who impressed with her durability, told 1News she wasn’t surprised by the decision, saying: “It’s kind of expected. For me to win I felt I had to knock her out. The 99-91 or whatever the score was, was crazy but it is what it is.
“I want up a weight class. I’m not a super bantam, I’m a bantam but that’s not an excuse. It was a good fight. She did what she had to do, and on to the next.”
Asked about Motu’s power, Walters said: “I felt some punches but my name’s Tank so you hit me and still going to come forward. Nothing rocked me.”
She'll be boxing for an IBO Super Bantamweight World Title against Canadian Tania Walters, but she had to survive a nightmare to get there. (Source: Sunday)
On the undercard, former All Blacks and Blues midfielder Sam Tuitupou scored a spectacular knockout against former Kiwis league prop Roy Asotasi early in the first round.
In front of a large contingent of fans – he paid for more than 170 tickets – Tuitupou, based in Manchester, began aggressively and scored with two powerful right crosses, the second of which sent Asotasi crashing to the canvas.
Asotasi beat the count but stumbled to the floor again and the fight was called off.
“All respect to Sammy, he came out and put on a good show,” said Asotasi.
Rising Kiwi middleweight Mikhailovich stopped Edisson Saltarin, of Venezuela, in the fourth round after Mikhailovich was put down in the first round by a shock left hand from the southpaw.
“On the floor looking up at the lights, I thought what the hell was that, this must be a bad dream or some s***,” Mikhailovich said in the ring afterwards.
Former Kiwis league international Sione Faumuina beat former New Zealand sevens player DJ Forbes by unanimous decision before Pampellone shocked the crowd by stopping Mose Auimatagi after a little over 60 seconds of the first round.
The hugely promising light heavyweight caught Auimatagi with at least six power punches and sent his opponent to the floor.
Auimatagi, cut near his right eye, beat the count but the referee rightly called the bout off.
In the other fight, former All Blacks loose forward Liam Messam looked sharp in beating former Kangaroo Justin Hodges by unanimous decision after four rounds.
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