(NOV 26)  IBO World Super Bantamweight Champion Mea Motu and IBF World Heavyweight Champion Lani Daniels were both honoured over the weekend at the Maori Sports Awards in Tauranga.

The annual Maori Sports Awards took place Saturday night at Mercury Baypark, Mt Maunganui, New Zealand. 10 different awards were up for grabs including Te Pikinga o Tawhāki Individual Māori World Champions. This award is given to all individual Māori sportspeople who achieve world champion status in their respective sport during 2023.

Mea Motu (Te Rarawa/Ngāpuhi) won her IBO World Super Bantamweight title on the 27th of April 2023 against Canadian Tania Walters. Motu would successfully defend her world title against Malawian Ellen Simwaka on the 26th of August 2023. Motu won the fight after dislocating her shoulder in the first round. Motu will now defend her world title on the 2nd of December when she will fight in her hometown of Northland for the first time in her boxing career. She will be taking on Indian Chandni Mehra.

Lani Daniels (Ngāpuhi/Ngāti Hine) won her IBF World Heavyweight title on the 27th of May 2023 against Samoan New Zealander Alrie Meleisea. She would successfully defend her title against South African Razel Mohammed, with Daniels achieving the first knockout win of her career. She will be going for the vacant IBF World Light Heavyweight title against Australian Desley Robinson. If Daniels wins, she will become the first New Zealand-born and first Maori to win multiple boxing world titles as well as world titles in multiple weight divisions.

Other world champions being honoured were:

Sam Gaze (Te Atiawa), Kemureti | Cambridge – mountain bike cross-country

Laquiesha Clifford (Ngāpuhi), Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland – 8 ball pool

Tuhoto Ariki Pene (Te Arawa), Rotorua – mountain biking

Hinekahukura Brooking (Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), Tūranganui-a-Kiwa | Gisborne – waka ama

Two other people from the sport of boxing have been attending other awards over the last couple of days. The 2023 Harbour Sports Excellence Awards was held on Friday night to celebrate Sportspeople in the north region of Auckland. Amateur boxer Kyan Hand was nominated for Junior Sportsman of the Year and Benjamin Watt (myself) was nominated for Volunteer of the Year. Unfortunately, both did not win the award.

New Zealand's next lot of awards will be coming up in February with the New Zealand National Sports Awards, also known as the Halberg Awards, Northland Sports Awards in March and Ngā Tohu Tākaro Māori o Te Tai Tokerau Maori Sports Awards (Northland Maori Sports Awards) also in March. It would be very interesting to see if Mea Motu and Lani Daniels will be nominated for any of these awards.

WBAN / IWBHF
WBAN Instagram
WBAN Facebook

WBAN / IWBHF WEBSITES
www.womensboxing.org
www.womenboxingrecords.com
www.wban2012.com
www.wbanmember.com
www.floridaboxing.com
www.iwbhf.com
www.wban.tv
WBAN's Group Facebook