Niue Boxing Team for the Birmingham Games set and ready to go
Photo Credit: Boxing Team Manager Lorina Thompson
The boxing team for Niue has been confirmed for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham that will be held in July.
Team manager Lorina Thompson posted on the Niue Island Facebook page last Friday night stating that she has “been appointed to the role due to my son being part of the team and suited to the job because of an extensive management background in combat sports.”
Manager Thompson also revealed the four selected participants representing the Niue boxing team which include Xavier Mataafa-Ikinofo from the villages of Alofi and Mutalau who is a four-time New Zealand National Champion, Duken Williams from the village of Liku who recently won the new cruiserweight division, Travis Tapatuetoa from the villages of Mutalau and Alofi who is a Bronze medal winner for the South Pacific Games, and Deniro Armstrong Pao who is an upcoming boxer and strong contender.
According to Lorina Thompson, the four young boxers are coached by a five star International Boxing Association (IBA) coach in New Zealand Master Lolo Heimuli of Balmoral Lee Gar – internationally certified strength and conditioning coach as well as working with one of the World’s top Fight Dietitians.
“We have already begun our camp and have so far been funding this on our own, but to truly compete at this level and gain entry to Olympic qualifiers, we need support and we’d like to share our fundraising efforts with you in complete transparency,” says Lorina Thompson on the Niue Island Facebook page.
She also adds that “we are working very hard to make this year’s Commonwealth Games camp a success!”
A Zoom video call to introduce the boxing team will be happening tonight at 8:30PM Niue time, whereas 7:30PM New Zealand time. Lorina Thompson invites all the people of Niue near and far to join the call to learn more about their camp and to help progress the boxing arena for Niue.
Details of the call can be found on the Niue Island Facebook page which will also be live streamed through the page.
Is there a boxing or supporter group travel booking available, there are 4 people interested i travelling to support boxer Duken Williams ?
Fakaalofa atu Ben. If you want to inquire about a boxing supporter group travel it would be best to contact the General Manager of the Boxing team to Birmingham Lorina Thompson on her Facebook.