News
Road to the top: Undefeated Morini inks BX-9 contract and targets world stage
2+ hour, 54+ min ago (418+ words) New Zealand (PBCNZ) welterweight champion Sonny Morini has signed a three-year contract with BX-9 as he starts his road to the world title. The news comes after fellow Waikato fighter Emile Richardson signed a contract with the promoter last month....
Boxing NZ appoints new leadership as investigation into head coach drags on
1+ week, 17+ hour ago (378+ words) Former Gisborne Deputy Mayor Josh Wharehinga has been appointed as the new president of Boxing New Zealand as the sport grapples with complaints about its head coach. The Sport Integrity Commission has been investigating Boxing NZ and its head coach…...
Boxer Emile Richardson inks three-year deal with BX-9
1+ week, 20+ hour ago (364+ words) Former Commonwealth Games Representative Emile Richardson won his professional boxing debut in November. The contract gives the two parties three years to work together and includes an annual review to see how Richardson progresses in the professional division. Richardson, originally…...
From nurse to knockout: Hamilton boxer’s surprising path to the world ranks
1+ mon, 6+ day ago (678+ words) Hamilton boxer Sheilla Yama had a whopper year. Hamilton boxer Sheilla Yama had a whopper year - clocking up four wins and rising in the international rankings. But looking back five years, becoming a boxer was not something that ever crossed…...
Return of the Stylebender: Adesanya back in UFC octagon in March
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (381+ words) At this point in his mixed martial arts career, Israel Adesanya is just looking for a good time. In the main event of UFC's card in Seattle on March 29, he's sure to find one. The UFC's only two-time middleweight champion…...
Ready for the next step: Waikato fighters chase big wins
3+ mon, 6+ day ago (439+ words) Three Waikato combat sports athletes are preparing for big competitions. Titus Proctor will next month fight for his second world title, while Alejandro Tellez and Isaac Tshikula will compete at the King in the Ring kickboxing event this weekend. Proctor,…...
Unbeaten run: Hamilton boxer struggles to find willing opponents
3+ mon, 4+ week ago (311+ words) Hamilton-based boxer Sheilla Yama won a gold medal at the Sol2023 Pacific Games. She is pictured with trainer Cairo George. Hamilton boxer Sheilla Yama will take on Rishon Harris, of Queenstown, in a "keep busy fight" in Auckland this weekend. Yama…...
Jiu-jitsu team’s Japan debut ends with 30 medals, five world titles
4+ mon, 5+ day ago (493+ words) A Rotorua martial arts club has returned home from Japan with 30 medals and five world titles. Fresh Jiu-Jitsu Rotorua sent a 20-strong team of 11 children, two teens and seven adults to Chiba for the Jiu-Jitsu World Championships - a four-day tournament…...
From Hamilton to the world: Rising fight star’s biggest test yet
4+ mon, 2+ week ago (441+ words) Hamilton world kickboxing champion Titus Proctor, 21, is scheduled to compete in an international fight series called ONE Lumpinee in Thailand next week. ONE Lumpinee is a key international pathway to ONE Championship, a multinational combat sports promotion founded in 2011, originally…...
Conor McGregor gets suspension for UFC anti-doping policy violation
4+ mon, 3+ week ago (399+ words) After three strikes, Conor McGregor has been ruled out of a return to the UFC octagon until at least March next year. The Irish superstar has been handed an 18-month suspension from competition by Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) for a…...