The "That was Then – This is Now" put on a top show at their headquarters in Marua Road, Ellerslie (Auckland suburb) on Saturday May 5th.
The venue is known more simply as the Eastern Clubrooms of the Headhunters Motorcycle Club.
The big crowd that packed the venue was treated to amateur boxing, kickboxing bouts, a top class singer, a great meal, hip hop dancing, three semi-pro fights and then three pro contests.
Best fight of the night saw Fili Malaita (69.7kg) and Steve Heremaia (72kg) go head-to-head for four rounds, with Malaita using his height and reach well and landing some stinging uppercuts as his shorter opponent bored in.
Heremaia fought with his trade-mark mini-Tyson style, slipping inside, banging to the body and coming over the top with big right hands to take a deserved decision.
Anthony Nansen (88kgs) proved himself one to watch in the fistic ranks in his semi-pro encounter with Shane Olds (84.5kg). Nansen was hustling Olds out of it, scoring well with straight lefts and rights, when Olds suddenly turned away in the second round and draped over the ropes. Referee Lance Revill gave him an eight count and then stopped it.
In what was the most action-packed fight of the evening, Shane Davies (97kg) drew with Rob Britten (98kg) over three rounds. Though a nightmare for boxing purists (an amateur official was seen walking out in disgust), it did produce excitement and plenty of action. It was tit-for-tat all the way and the draw result was fair enough.
In another three-rounder, Moriki Henare (100kg) and Boogs Mohi (87kg) produced an abundance of endeavor which saw Henare take the points.
Worse fight of the night saw Tyrone Brunson (75kg) of Philadelphia USA, score a far too easy win when he crushed late sub Tony Watson (95kg) in the first of a bout scheduled for four rounds. Watson had not fought since 1996 while Brunson was supposedly going for his 16th straight first-round knockout win.
The main event featured heavyweights Daniel Tai (106.2kgs) and Richard Tutaki (114.5kgs) – with neither looking in top condition. But they banged away at each other and mauled and brawled in an entertaining contest won on points over four rounds by Tutaki.
Best of the amateurs was a female contest between Hurricane Doyle (East Side 73kgs) and Ranoipata Wallace (Te Awamutu 72kgs), won by Doyle although she was made to work hard throughout.
Talking of amateurs, New Zealand boxers won six gold medals at the Oceania Championships at Apia Samoa last month.
Welterweight Joe Blackbourn (Hutt Valley) demolished Samoan Hugo Fata, 27-3 in the final. He had earlier beaten strong Aussie campaigner Gerald O’Mahoney 11-9 with a late burst.
Auckland super heavyweight Isikeli Maama also put on a late spurt against Australian Daniel Beahan, scraping in 32-28. Facing a seven point deficit at the start of the last round, Maama threw everything he had at Beahan and was duly rewarded by the judges.
Promising West Coast middleweight Nathan McEwen, was stopped on the 20-point differential rule on the third round of his finals bout against top Aussie, Jarrod Fletcher.
In the women’s section, bantamweight Marehau Bentson, featherweight Alexis Pritchard, light welterweight Kelly Woorichand, welterweight Dawn Chalmers all won Gold.
