Mountain warrior launches new boxing programme

Former amateur and professional boxing champion Shane Cameron chose Nelson to launch his latest training programme.

Encouraged by his longtime mate Paul Hampton from Victory Boxing, Shane debuted his new tailored “fight fit” regime over the weekend.

Twenty-two amateur boxers from round the region, ranging from 13 years of age to 22, and coaches, converged on Victory’s gym in Nelson South.

They fronted up on Friday night for an introductory talk from Shane, followed by sparring. They then hit the road at 6.30am Saturday for a 5km run and sprint work at nearby Victory Square. Sounds a bit like a boot camp, but Shane insists that was what he went through on his way to the top.

After a break for breakfast, Shane shared more of his philosophy ahead of some suitable sparring matchups.

While the ‘Mountain Warrior’ has worked with Paul’s young charges before, ‘Fight Fit’ is designed at getting them thinking about what they need to work on and establish their goals.

“I want them to develop the confidence that they can do it, take the pain, see how tough they need to be and survive.

“Having the right mindset before getting in the ring and polishing off stuff,” explains  the 47-year-old. “You have to make sacrifices to succeed.”

Paul reckons bringing Shane back to Nelson now was perfect timing.
“It is a great way for boxers to start the new season, looking at their own performance and how they can get better. Shane has great humility and fits right in as part of the Victory Boxing crew,” declares Paul.

The gym’s head coach Aimee Baker concurs. “Shane calls it how he sees it.”

The former shepherd from the East Coast says he was like a sponge, absorbing lots of different styles from spending time with world champions Mike Tyson, David Haye and, closer to home, Kostya Tszyu.

He retired from the ring a decade ago, having won 29 of his 34 fights, and went on to train boxers and promote fight nights.

Sipping his mocha almond milk extra hot coffee, in a takeaway cup to keep it warm, Shane points to his post-ring career to knock down stereotyping that boxers are “dumb thugs”. “They can be smart in the business space as well.”

He is involved with five businesses including his gym on Auckland’s North Shore and his Counterpunch equipment company. Paul hopes his friend’s advice will be heeded and put in to practice with the South Island Novice Championships and Golden Gloves coming up.

Boxing matches couple

Two of Nelson’s most promising boxers took plenty of positives out of Shane Cameron’s “fight fit” training camp at the weekend.

Sateki Abbot and Tegan Iorns, both 22, were relative latecomers to the sport.

“He brought a whole lot of clarity, especially around the basics in the ring,” enthuses Sateki of Shane’s camp.

“It was quite comforting when Shane said he didn’t take up boxing until he was 20 unlike most who start quite young,” says Tegan, who was 19 when she first laced up the gloves.

The personal trainer has had four fights, winning three of them.

“I had a pretty big weight loss, down to 63kgs, in the last one, which I lost,” explains Tegan.

Her coach Aimee Baker, a former national champion, reckons it should be four and 0.

“Tegan lost her last fight on a split decision. We think she won,” declares Aimee.

Fighting in the U66 kilogram division, Tegan describes her style as aggressive, saying she likes to push forward.

She met Sateki at Victory Boxing, and they are now a couple, sometimes sparring together.

“It is quite difficult finding matchups. When I first started, I couldn’t really get any, it was frustrating,” reveals Tegan.

Sateki, a rangy security guard has won four of his eight bouts and insists he was “pretty much robbed” in two of his losses.

He initially played rugby, following his two half-brothers David and Willi Havili to Nelson College.

But unlike his siblings, “Teeks” was a lock/six.

“I weighed 101kgs back then, now I am down to 80kgs. I like to jab, use my range and footwork, and find the angles,” says the light heavyweight, who is hoping to eventually turn professional.

“But first things first I have to chip away in the amateurs.”

The pair’s big goal is the New Zealand Championships in Wellington in September.

“And hopefully I come away with a national title,” declares Tegan.