Kitione Lave was born in Hunga, Tonga on April 14, 1934, and died at Beach Haven, North Shore city, May 31, 2006. He was 72 years old. The following article was originally published in two parts in Fight Times.
He hit New Zealand like a whirlwind, and soon had boxing fans forming long queue's outside the Auckland Town Hall. The young Tongan, who used to mow Queen Salote's lawns at her Auckland residence, caused quite a sensation here in the early 1950's, with his rugged boxing style and the will to win his contests in quick time.
I was a radio fan in those days, and didn't live near Auckland. but was always glued.to the radio on fight nights, and more especially when Kitione Lave was fighting. I recall his first fight in Auckland in 1953 when he slammed Peter Day out of action in about 65 seconds.
Then came Bluey Allen, the six foot five inch heavy, and Jim Hall, both of whom fell in two rounds. Next the rugged "new" Australian Rudy Crivac went in the seventh, which incidentally was the roughest, toughest fight seen in Auckland since the war.
Lave, five feet ten inches in height and around fourteen stone five pounds and
as strong a s a bull, came from the small island of Vava’u. Before coming to Auckland Lave had been fighting for three years and had only one loss in fourteen fights in Tonga and Fiji.
He won the South Pacific heavyweight title by knocking out the Fijian Miliano in Fiji in March 1953.
Lave's first match at Auckland saw the Australian Frank Farrington beaten in the first, and then the Auckland Boxing Association went for the big one. They matched their top draw-card with the New Zealand heavyweight champion Don Mullet. A points decision was awarded to Lave in the seventh round by referee Eric Armishaw, when the attendant medico ruled that it would have been dangerous for Mullett to carry on, with the deep cut he sustained in that round. Referee Armishaw claimed the cut was the result of an accidental head clash, and that the decision be given in favour of the boxer leading on points at the time of the stoppage. The large crowd was not impressed, and they believed the injury was the result of a punch, and that Lave was entitled to a TKO decision.
At the end of 1953 the sports magazines had the following headlines: "Kitione Lave and Barry Brown topped the 1953 fistic poll''; "More money in New Zealand boxing than ever before".
In early 1954, the newly formed Australian Boxing Club took all interest in the “Tongan Torpedo”, and went ahead with plans to match him with ageing American heavyweight Lee Savold.
I was at Stratford racecourse for Lave's next fight, a return with big Don Mullett. It was a hot summer's day, and the sun was streaming down for the big outdoor fight.
I was seated in the front row, right next to Brian F. O'Brien, as the Stratford Boxing Association had sent me a free press pass, as I was doing the Ring Magazine New Zealand notes at the time in 1954.
Don Mullett fought a great fight and appeared to be well ahead at the half way mark. However, with the heat front the sun, he began to tire about the ninth, and the young twenty year old Tongan seized his chance, and put Mullett down twice in the tenth. Don was counted out, and it was the case of youth versus age all over again, with the inevitable result. Don Mullett retired after this fight, and, at age Chilly two. had boxed as a professional since 1941.
Meantime, at Western Springs in Auckland the A.B.A. successfully matched Lave with Australian Ken Brady, before thirteen thousand attendance, which was the best since Pete Sarron and Tommy Donovan. Brady poked out the strong left jab, frequently heal Lave to the punch, and used the straight left to great advantage. By the end of the fight Brady was ahead on the scorecards of all the officials.
Kitione next headed across the Tasman and won his first in Australia at Leichhardt Stadium against Alan Williams, when the referee stopped the fight in the eighth in favour of Lave.
The fight with Lee Savold was still in the wind, but looking less likely to take place.
Kitione took on Ken Brady in Australia and lost interest, allowing Brady to knock him out in the seventh. The third Ken Brady fight looked to he going the way of the first two. A couple of days before Christmas in 1954 Kitione won by a knockout in the final round, after Brady was well ahead on points.
In 1955 Kitione beat Ross Jenkins in one round at Sydney's I.eichhardt Stadium, and then headed off to England to try his luck.
He lost his first bout to Johnny Williams by a one round knockout. Kitione won his next one over unbeaten Manuel Burgo, top prospect in the heavyweight division. After seventy-one seconds the "Tongan Torpedo" ended the contest.
Next came Eddie Heam, former A.B.A heavyweight champion and 1952 Olympic representative, and he lasted four rounds.
Lave next came up against Joe Bygraves, and looked to have the fight for the taking, but Joe eventually took control and won the eight-rounder. Kitione had by now teamed up with ex-British champion Bruce Woodcock as his manager. At Earls Court in London Kitione hit winning form by knocking out Fred Powell in one round, then went on to meet Jack Gardner, one time world rated heavy, British Empire and European title-holder.
Lave did not receive the decision, but in the first round sat Jack down for the first time in his career. The English papers were in an uproar when Gardner was given the decision. The decision so incensed the British that the referee was called to account by the British board of control.
In 1956, Kitione made headlines around the world, when, after beating the German Brendemhl, and the Italian champion Uber Bacilieri, he knocked out the former World title contender Don Cockell in the second round. Don was ex-British champion, and was expected to be too tough for the Tongan.
He again lost to Joe Bygraves, for the vacant Empire crown, and then beat American Harry Wills, and top German prospect Gunther Nuernherg, by a one round knockout. 1957 saw Lave facing Brian London in his home territory of West Hartlepool. Kitione once told me it was hard to beat London in his own territory, even though he though he had beaten the British boy. Brian London got the decision on points and went on to fight the great Cassius Clay.
Another loss to the coloured boy Joe Bygraves on points, and a loss to Hans Friedrich. saw Kitione return to Auckland in 1955.
On Feb. 25th at Auckland, the fourth ranked Empire heavyweight faced up to Mormon Missionary Chuck Woodworth, of the United States, who came here after doing missionary work in the Pacific.
Lave's last New Zealand fight was his twelve round knockout of Australian Ken Brady at Auckland on December 23rd 1954. At Auckland's Carlaw Park, the travelling missionary upset the pundits by raking a handy points decision from the one time “Tongan Terror”. The American's supreme fitness surprised many, and after nearly three years out of the ring, was the deciding factor. He built up a handy lead over the one time Auckland sensation, and the decision was never in doubt.
The 15,000 crowd came away thinking that the once world champion prospect, had developed into a "trial horse."
Returning to England Kitione was suspended for his part in a bare-knuckle fight. With many great scalps under his belt, it worried Lave that he was not a titleholder. “I beat all the champions, but I never held a title,” he said, after he knocked out Don Cockell. “I beat Cockell in two rounds and it took Rocky Marciano nine.”
Kitione's career began to slide, but he went on fighting in 1960, around England and Europe. He was not the force he once was, but he was still winning against Jim Cooper (Henry’s twin brother) and Dave Rent, former A.B.A. champion and several others.
In 1961 he was ill advised to do a brief but disastrous campaign to the United States. He met Tom McNeeley (a Floyd Patterson opponent) in Boston, and was stopped in the third round.
Kitione served in the Royal Air Force and did some wrestling around Sheffield, where he had a successful nightclub. He did a stint in Singapore with the R.A.F. and his great competitive urge drove him back into the ring. He wrestled for the late "King Kong", legendary wrestler and promoter in Singapore. When he returned to New Zealand in the early seventies Kitione did some wrestling, but his main ambition was to get casinos into New Zealand. He was in the casino business in England, but the Government of the day drastically reduced the number of casinos in Britain.
He tried to open a casino in Tonga, but the Government wouldn't allow that, and he met similar refusals when he arrived in Auckland.
Kitione was always proud of the fact that he never smoked or drank during his long career. In summarising Lave's great career I would say he never quite made it as the world-beater he at first looked, but with his crunching power of punch, superb muscle development, jet-black hair and wide smile, Lave was a fight promoters dream when he first hit New Zealand. Today Kitione leads a quiet, private life in Auckland, far from the boxing world, but is not forgotten by his many fans round the world.
