Boxers win Oceania bronze medals

Two Cook Islands boxers won bronze medals at the Oceana Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Brisbane last week.

Australian based boxer Nooroa Mokopuna won a bronze medal in the heavyweight division.

The 33-year-old fought well and expressed to Cook Islands boxing executives that he will box for another year before retiring.

Tahiti based youngster Jubilee Arama, who represented the Cook Islands at the Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010, also won a bronze medal.

The 19-year-old boxer fought in the super heavyweight division and the tournament has been an invaluable experience for the up and coming teen.

Fellow boxer at the tournament Eddie Daniel also had a good fight however lost to his South Pacific Games gold medalist opponent.

While the bronze medal wins by Mokopuna and Arama are worth celebrating – their success wasn’t enough to earn them a spot at the London Olympics.

Fighters that took out the gold medals are set to represent their respective countries at the games in July.

Tevita Vakalalabure of the Cook Islands Amateur Boxing Association says while the Cooks have a talented pool of fighters, they lack experience in the ring.

He says that exposing local boxers to regular regional tournaments will be valuable for local boxers and it’s something the association is working on.

The Cook Islands Amateur Boxing Association would like to thank sponsors Vonnia’s for the boxers’ uniforms and training gear. The association and boxers would also like to thank all those who have supported them for the tournament.

The local boxing association is planning a series of fight nights to prepare for the Cook Islands Games in August.