Papuni Boxing Ōtautahi recently held the Rangatahi Toa boxing event to introduce a new generation of boxers. The man at the heart of this kaupapa, Reece Papuni, is a highly accomplished boxing coach and athlete with over 25 years of experience in the sport. Reece shares his skills, passion, and knowledge for boxing through his own gym based in Ōtautahi.

Reece was recently supported by Tama Ora to host the Rangatahi Toa event that invited boxing clubs from around Te Waipounamu to participate. The event included rangatahi and tamariki aged 8 to 18 years old from around the motu to step into the ring and put their talents on display. The day was made up of 51 bouts, including 34 competitive sparring matches and 17 quality amateur boxing bouts!

We also caught up with Randall Dixon from Dixon’s Boxing who was supported through Tama Ora. Randall has been able to remove financial barriers for rangatahi to participate in competitions and boxing events within his rohe in both Whakatū and Motueka.