Manu Samoa 7s Success Inspires Samoa Pro Boxers

Manu Samoa 7s Success Inspires Samoa Pro Boxers
Source: eventpolynesia.com (1 April 2010)

As the Manu Samoa 7s team is welcomed home by a whole country after winning the IRB 7s at Las Vegas, Adelaide and Hong Kong back to back, another team from Samoa is on its way out to New Zealand inspired by their accomplishment.

Samoa based professional boxers Vaitele Soi (cruiserweight), Afakasi Pele Faumui (middleweight), Warren Fuiava (light heavyweight) and Leti Leti (welterweight) are confirmed in the fight cards of the Manukau Pro Am Fights on Tuesday 13th April 2010 in Auckland.

Vaitele Soi, Samoa cruiserweight champion, said, “What a proud moment it was for Samoans everywhere for the Manu to beat the best in the world. I hope that one day us local professional boxers can do the same and make our country proud.”

Other than the patriotic sentiments shared by Samoan athletes, the development of rugby and boxing in Samoa are years apart. With secured funding from the IRB, Samoa Government and attracting bigger sponsors, rugby in Samoa will continue to rub shoulders with the top teams in the world.

Unfortunately, boxing is the poor cousin of rugby despite being the only other sport where a local Samoan became a world champion in Maselino Masoe plus a string of world title contenders in overseas based Samoans Jimmy Thunder, Lawrence Tauasa, Alex Leapai and David Tua.

Teleiai Edwin Puni, managing director of Event Polynesia who is promoting the Manukau Pro Am Fights said, “To be a boxing promoter in New Zealand and the Pacific region, you need to be a marathon runner unless you can pull off a deal like Duco with a name fighter like David Tua to be profitable.”

“Staging four promotions in Samoa and two in New Zealand each year is a huge undertaking by Event Polynesia. To build boxing champions someone has to provide the much need tournaments.”

So while the Manu Samoa 7s take a well deserve rest before the last two legs of the IRB 7s 2010 circuit, Soi, Faumui, Fuiava and Leti will have to wait after the Manukau Pro Am Fights until another overseas promoter calls with an opportunity to take part in a tournament to further their boxing careers.

According to Teleiai, “I’ll be surprise if you don’t get to see Vaitele and Warren as undercards in the next David Tua or Shane Cameron promotion. Both promotions are running out of respectable match ups.”

Tickets to the Manukau Pro Am Fights now sold at Pacific Ezy Money Transfer at Otara and Otahuhu offices, Evelina’s Polynesia Food (Manurewa) and Ulutoa & Sons (Avondale). Group discounts available by contacting Jenkins on (021) 127-4286.

For more information on the fight cards visit website www.eventpolynesia.com.

ENDS

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