Shortland Street (New Zealand TV's top ranking soap) actor Xavier Horan was taken to hospital with a brain injury after his first professional boxing bout – but will not quit the fight game writes Finbarr Bunting from Auckland.
The 28-year-old who played bad boy Tai Scott in the long running TV series, took a battering during three back-to-back bouts. He was taken away by ambulance after his last bout on Thursday, December 17, 2009 and received hospital treatment for a brain bleed.
Asked if he would give up boxing Horan replied: "Not at this stage, I think I'll have a good rest and probably won't do anything until February or March of next year.
I'll have a rest and have a good break and let the body rest, then slowly get back into training." (incidentally Horan appears to have recovered fully).
Horan, from South Auckland, started training a few months before the Tua vs Cameron fight last October.
He had been scheduled to fight fellow Shortland Street star Ben Mitchell, who fought as Ben de la Hoya in the now defunct semi-pro bouts. The fight fell through but Horan was hooked. His wife Nicole said he had enjoyed training and continued under his father's supervision.
He made his debut as a boxer before a main event featuring professional light-heavyweight champion Soulan Pownceby. Horan scored a third round knockout over his opponent Dean "The Bouncer" Allen.
Actor Horan then took part in an eight-man heavyweight elimination tournament at the Auckland Boxing Association Stadium in Eden Terrace on December 17.
Weighing 97.2kg he knocked out first-round opponent Nathan Reader (99kg) within seconds of the opening bell. But his second bout proved much tougher.
After he went down twice to opponent Sean Morris (106.5kg), the second time in his own corner, Morris also put his knee on the canvas at the opposite side of the ring. Horan regained his feet while Morris' corner threw in the towel after discovering one of Horan's punches had broken Morris' jaw.
In the finals fight against John Argall (120.6kg), Horan was knocked down in the first, second and third rounds, before the bout was called off by referee Reg Williams. Argall had come into the final via first round knockout of Paul Baker (109.8kg) and third-round retirement from Monty Fauea (97.1kg).
After the fight and with his face covered in blood, he went to the changing rooms where his condition deteriorated before he was taken to Auckland Hospital. He has no regrets about taking part in the tournament despite some of his opponents having previously been in professional contests.
"No," he said. "I just think that for my own body I did take a lot in the second fight and then the last fight just took its toll."
Auckland Boxing Association president Tui Gallagher has no regrets about letting Horan fight. "Not at all," she said. "The criteria was set by matchmaker and vice-president Johnny Lloyd and we discussed it an executive meeting.
"We made the criteria clear – they weren't allowed to have had a professional bout in the last five years."
Horan's final opponent John Argall, had three professional fights for one win, the last in 2001. He also had two amateur contests prior to that for a win and a loss.
Gallagher said: "They were all well aware of the criteria, which are well within the rules of professional boxing. All contestants fought in 16oz gloves rather than the usual 10oz.
We made sure we stuck to the rules."
At one stage Horan had been scheduled to fight promising Aussie heavyweight Adam Forsyth in Sydney and had challenged former Canberra Raiders prop turned boxer Jason Williams to fight him in New Zealand.
