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A Kaipara Flats youth worker and mother of two who also happens to be a professional boxer was due to fly to Australia late last week for a shot at the WBC Australasian Super Lightweight title.
Karena Te Ruki-Pasene’s Friday night bout at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast was against Muay Thai and kickboxing specialist Brooke Cooper, who recently took up conventional boxing.
The match was Te Ruki-Pasene’s first international fixture and her first fight at all since May last year, when Covid temporarily put a stop to the boxer’s career for the second time in two years. That final bout was against two-time New Zealand amateur national champion, Golden Gloves Champion and 2019 Arafura Games gold medallist Ariane Nicholson, which Te Ruki-Pasene won on a majority split decision.
“During the first lockdown, I’d just had a fight, but then it was really hard,” she says. “Every other event was cancelled and my weight and trainings would get pushed out. But last lockdown, I just had a break and I’ve come back stronger mentally.”
Te Ruki-Pasene moved to Kaipara Flats from the North Shore a year ago for a better lifestyle for herself and her two sons, who go to Warkworth Primary and Mahurangi College. She trains at Snap Fitness in Warkworth whenever she can, as well as at Boxing Alley in Parnell, The Combat Centre in Whenuapai and on her own equipment at home.
She started boxing in 2014 in a bid to lose her “baby weight” before returning to her career with the Navy, but she quickly became addicted to the sport and turned professional four years later.
In addition to her boxing career, Ruki-Pasene is about to start working with local youth and family support group Springboard, based at Sheepworld.
“In my last four years with the military I was working with the Army and Air Force on youth development,” she says.
“I’ve always been passionate about youth, especially now I have my boys.”
She says her sons take her boxing career in their stride, but are impressed when they see her competing on-screen.
“They get dragged around to gyms a lot, but when they see me on TV they’re like ‘That’s my Mum!’,” she says.
The winner of last weekend’s fight will be ranked in the next WBC women’s rankings, which she says will be a good start in her bid for a world title and getting more opportunities to fight overseas.
