Broadhurst declines boxing offer

Press, 15 October 1982, Page 36

Broadhurst declines boxing offer

Bv

JOHN COFFEY

Mark Broadhurst, the Kiwi test prop forward, has declined an invitation to make a return to boxing during his summer break from his professional rugby league career in Australia.

A promoter contacted Broadhurst and offered him a bout against a form,er Junior All Black and Auckland rugby union flanker, Steve Va'abtua. at the Auckland Health Centre later this month.

Va'aotua was originally to have fought Broadhurst's Kiwi front-row partner. Kevin Tamati, who had one winning amateur bout in Wellington earlier this year after attending a boxing

training school as part of his off-season fitness campaign. However. Tamati had to withdraw from his boxing agreement when he signed a three-year contract with the powerful British rugby league club. Widnes. Hi’s

main sporting commitment before leaving for England is the Wrangler Cup rugby league final in Wellington.

Keen to retain the drawing power of having combatants from the two rugby codes in the same ring, the promoters recalled Broadhurst's short and successful boxing career in 1978.

Broadhurst was unbeaten against four rivals. Three of them were counted out, and the other suffered a painful points defeat after having taken two mandatory eight counts.

But when the Canterbury boxing championship’s clashed with an important rugby league club match Broadhurst decided that football was still his first preference. He first gained New Zealand honours in 1979 and has now appeared in 15 tests. “I told the Auckland promoter that I had given boxing away years ago and was not interested in returning to

the ring." Broadhurst said yesterday. His main priority during his rugby league recess is to make extensions to his house in Bishopdale. Australians have not let Broadhurst forget his boxing reputation since he joined the Manly-Warrington club in Sydney in 1981. Some of the more exaggerated reports have credited him with having been a New Zealand professional heavyweight champion. Va’aotua. at 25. two years younger than Broadhurst, is better known as a rugby union player than a boxer. He has had about 20 appearances for Auckland since his debut against the Barbarians in 1977 and plaved five matches on the 1979 NewZealand Juniors internal tour.