(DEC 19) Three New Zealand women are ranked in the top two in the world who are in the position for a world title fight. Who are they? What title will they fight for? And who could they fight?

Mea Motu 2nd IBF (15 - 0 - 0 6 wins by KO)

Mea Motu (Te Rarawa and Ngāpuhi) only debuted in 2020 and already she has made big moves in boxing in New Zealand. This year she broke a 14-year record winning the more New Zealand title than any other women boxer. Better yet in four different weight divisions. A record that was set in 2008 by Daniella Smith.

Motu has had a busy year this year with 5 fights total, 4 of them in New Zealand, 3 of them against international opponents, 2 of those opponents against Thai boxers and 1 fight in Dubai. In her last fight of the year she won her biggest title so far, the WBC (ABCO) Asia Continental Super Bantamweight title.

After her most recently won, she jumped up in the IBF ranking significantly, now ranked 2nd in the Super Bantamweight division, putting her in line for a world title. The current IBF World Super Bantamweight champion is a New Zealand-born boxer from Australia Cherneka Johnson who won her title in April this year and successfully defended it in October.

This would be an epic fight to be made between Mea Motu and Cherneka Johnson for the IBF World Super Bantamweight title this would back history, not only for the indigenous Maori communities of New Zealand but for all indigenous people across the world as this would be the first time ever a Maori vs Maori for a World title. Now Mea Motu is 2nd in IBF, the next thing to do is to make it happen.

Lani Daniels 1st WBC, 2nd WBA (6 - 2 - 2)

Lani Daniels (Te Tai Tokerau, Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi, Te Orewai) made her massive return to boxing this year after a three-year hiatus from the ring. She fought WBA ranked 3rd Sequita Hemingway in her first fight back, and Tinta Smith for her Third New Zealand title in her second fight for the year. After those wins, she received a massive rankings increase, being on top across the board.

Daniels is already a World title challenger when she lost against Brazilian-born New Zealand citizen Geovana Peres for the WBO Light Heavyweight title back in 2019 in their rematch. But who would she fight for the world title?

Realistically Daniels has two options. She could fight for the current unified WBA & WBC World Heavyweight Champion Hanna Gabriels. However, there is another and better option that would suit better for New Zealand. Currently, the IBF and the WBO World heavyweight titles are vacant, but who would she fight?

Well, we may have an answer with the most recent New Zealand Heavyweight Champion. On the 9th of December, Alrie Meleisea defeated WBA ranked 3rd boxer Sequita Hemingway for the New Zealand title, taking her place in the rankings when the next updated ranking will eventually get published. This fight would be big for New Zealand as this would be the first-ever Maori vs Pasifika World title fight in history.

Michelle Preston 2nd WBA

Before this year, we last saw Michelle Preston in a boxing ring in December 2016 when she was for the IBF World Super Flyweight title in Argentina against Debora Anahi Dionicius in their rematch. After that, in November 2017 she fought in Muay Thai for the Women's World WBC Muay Thai Super Flyweight Title against Greek fighter Fani Peloumpi in New Zealand. After that fight, she announced her retirement from Combat Sports.

This year she made her return winning the WBA Oceania and WBA Internationa Super Flyweight titles after having three big wins this year. With these wins she jumped in the rankings, becoming 2nd in the WBA.

Currently, the WBA World Super Flyweight champion is held by Argentina boxer Clara Lescurat. Historically when Preston fought in Argentina for the world title she lost both fights. But I feel something in the air that could make this potential fight different. But lets hope we can have this world title fight in New Zealand.

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