Five boxers from Canterbury

Press, 14 September 1989, Page 44

Five boxers from Canterbury

By

JOHN COFFEY

Canterbury’s premier position in New Zealand amateur boxing is vividly reflected by the composition of a national squad to compete in Fiji late this month. Five of the nine representatives are from Canterbury. No other province provides more than one boxer. The team is — Super heavyweight, Michael Kenny (Canterbury); light heavyweight, Nigel Anderson (Wellington); . middleweight, Michael Bell (Canterbury); light middleweight, Andy Creery (Waikato); welterweight, Danny Morris (Canterbury); light welterweight, Dean Calvert (Canterbury); lightweight, David Wick-

enden (Auckland); featherweight, Billy Meehan (Manawatu); bantamweight, Colin Adamson (Canterbury). The team trainer is John McKay, of Auckland, who will be assisted by Michael Tracey, from Southland. All nine selected fighters won titles at the recent national championships at Karaka, near Auckland, and firmed in favouritism for important international contests over the next few months. The team travels to Fiji on September 23 for two tournaments, both in Suva, before returning on September 29. “This trip is part of our build-up for the Oceania tournament and the

Commonwealth Games,” said the chairman of the boxing council, Brian Tobin, from Martinborough yesterday. “A full programme has been mapped out to include the Oceania event in Auckland from November 8 to 18, when we expect to have eight countries competing, through to the Commonwealth Games in late January. Full details will be released in a few days,” he said.

Mr Tobin said New Zealand would have two teams in the Oceania tournament It is expected trials will be held to decide the composition of the second squad in some of the weight divisions.