// Fight Night!
- RNZAF Boxers Fight For Charity
By CPL Damos Marr
The evening of Saturday 28 November 2009, saw six RNZAF boxers—AC Aaron Goh, AC Richard Graham, CPL Damos Marr, AC Drew Walker, CPL Michael Jones, and CPL Aaron Oxenham—put their bodies on the line for charity. CPL Damos Marr recalls the event…
AC Aaron ‘The Sleeper’ Goh
We waited in excited anticipation of the night ahead. A night where 12 weeks of intensive training, nutrition and discipline would culminate in three, two-minute rounds against an equally motivated opponent.
The event was Fight Night V Fight for Youth—a corporate boxing event run by the Ringside New Zealand Boxing Gym in conjunction with the Youthline Charitable Trust—held in Auckland’s Skycity Events Centre. The scene was set. Pre-event photo shoots and rehearsals were over. Twenty two corporate fighters were about to go toe-to-toe in front of six hundred members of the public, friends, family and David Tua! You could cut the tension with a knife. Once pre-fight formalities were over, it was all focus as each boxer tried their best to relax. Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for; the first bell. From that point on the night became a blur as fights came and went—exhausted but relieved bodies slumped to the changing room floor, and the crowd grew ever louder and more excited!
By the end of proceedings, four of the six RNZAF boxers had prevailed over their corporate opponents, with the other two falling short by the slimmest of margins. Whatever the outcome in the ring, we had all surpassed our own expectations and could be justifiably proud of our achievements.
Huge thanks must go to:
- Air CIS Command for allowing us time to train during work hours
- Base Auckland’s Welfare Committee, whose financial support allowed us to compete
- RNZAF supporters who showed up on the night, and whose parochial support was unmatched by any other group in the building
- Corporal Nick Clarke for his outstanding photography of the event, and
- the five RNZAF boxers alongside me, whose continued perseverance was inspirational.
In total, over $15,000 was raised for Youthline as a result of Fight Night.
Bring on the next round!