Today’s Wild West Boxing Promotion is deemed as the way forward for the sport.

After many years in the doldrums boxing in Fiji is now taking shape and tonight’s heavyweight title fight signifies that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Despite copping a barrage of criticisms from past promotions the Boxing Commission of Fiji (BCF) directors have stood tall as they continue to look for ways to try and lift the image of the sport.

BCF acting chairman Malakai Veisamasama said for this promotion it was made possible through the hard work of  promoter Abdul Khan and his Wild West team.

“The promotion is well-put together right down to the match-making,” he said.

“Wild West has put together a number of fights which we all want to watch and they have got a proven record in doing such promotions.”

FAST RISE

For so long, the country has never had a legitimate heavyweight title fight. Challenger Napoleon Taumoepeau’s fast rise to fame came after he scored early knockout wins over top contender Alipate Nagata and former champion Mosese Kavika.

Those wins shook the heavyweight ranks and he was taken abroad for sparring sessions with Sonny Bill Williams.

When he returned, the tough Tongan from the Warriors Boxing Club in Suva was seen as the man who could be the next heavyweight champion of Fiji.

REAL COURAGE

All the hype surrounding Taumoepeau’s success, however, failed to deter champion Petero Qica Jnr. The tough Yadrana native from Lakeba in Lau had no intention of dodging Taumoepeau, as he quickly signed the contract. This shocked many boxing followers as Qica has not fought for the past four years.

Early this week, Qica earned Taumoepeau’s respect and hailed him as a true Fijian champion.

“I give him so much credit though because I have wanted this fight and he is coming off a long lay-off to fight me which is very dangerous. I thank him because he is doing what a real champion should be doing which is to defend the title,” Taumoepeau told SUNsports.

RIGHT ATTITUDE

Even before stepping into the ring tonight Qica and Taumoepeau have shown that they are committed for the betterment of the sport. They have put their promising careers on the line for the sake of Fiji boxing. And in doing so they have imparted an important lesson which upcoming boxers should learn from.

That is the importance of fighting the best boxer in your weight category instead of handpicking them. For Qica, this was something that was passed on to him by his late trainer and former Fiji heavyweight champion Sunia Cama.

Cama strongly believed that to become the best you’ve got to fight the best.

This, he says, is what separates the champions from legends.

“Champions are known for some time and later are forgotten but for legends, their stories will always remain,” Cama once said in an interview when asked why he had moved up to the heavyweight division when he was more a light heavyweight boxer. 

For boxing in the country, we need to have boxers with such attitude.

This is what fans and corporate companies want.

Fans pay big money to go and watch the fights while companies throw in their cheques to make it happen.

Tonight’s fight is only the start and if we continue on this trend we should be expecting more bigger and better fights come 2016 and beyond. Edited by Osea Bola