BoxRec

Just a thought i had today,
Upon watching the nsw boxing titles in griffith a few weekends ago i saw a very talented young bloke weighing about 64kg called david rauluni boxing in them, as far as i can figure he is fijian and an excellent boxer, with a similar style to that of floyd mayweather, relying mainly on eyesight and reflexes for defence and attacking with small bursts of speed and precision punching.. Now it got me wondering that if he had grown up in fiji, which has basically no resources for boxing would he be as good? would he even be worth looking at? This is one very small example of an excellent amateur so i can only imagine how many other pacific islanders are wasting their talent doing nothing or playing rugby league(who can blame them the money is good).

What are your thoughts?

Bushboy wrote:Just a thought i had today,
Upon watching the nsw boxing titles in griffith a few weekends ago i saw a very talented young bloke weighing about 64kg called david rauluni boxing in them, as far as i can figure he is fijian and an excellent boxer, with a similar style to that of floyd mayweather, relying mainly on eyesight and reflexes for defence and attacking with small bursts of speed and precision punching.. Now it got me wondering that if he had grown up in fiji, which has basically no resources for boxing would he be as good? would he even be worth looking at? This is one very small example of an excellent amateur so i can only imagine how many other pacific islanders are wasting their talent doing nothing or playing rugby league(who can blame them the money is good).

What are your thoughts?

Pacific islanders are naturally very, very good boxers. It's just, as you say, they lack the resources to refine the natural talent. I'd say for purely raw athletic talent, they're every bit as good as Africans, but while the occasional African breaks through, it's even more difficult for an Oceanic boxer to get a break due not only to the lack of funding in their countries, but also the isolation. Nobody's going to do a scouting report to the Solomon Islands or Vanuatu or Kiribati.

64kgs? I did not know they made Pacific Islanders that small!

haha yeh he is a small guy for a pacific islander, bout 5" 8 or so but very athletic..

A lot of athletes from Fiji are making a good living in the Rugby codes. Fiji is a world leader in seven-a-side Rugby and had a promising World Cup in the 15 a side game.

In boxing Kali Meehan is Fiji born and has made a good impression in the heavyweights. Fijian boxers who are prepared to travel could do well.

There was a Fijian born middleweight/light heavyweight named Ben Valentine who fought in England between 1933 and 1949. He finished up with a 58-26-4 record, scoring only 12 KOs and being KOed 10 ties. However, before 1938 his record was an impressive 29-2-1. His age is not recorded but most boxers are at their best in their first 5 years. Some of his losses were against Dick Turpin, who held the Commonwealth Middleweight title for a while.

Wasted Talent:

Ben Cruz

Wasted Talent:

Ben Cruz

I agree, Im sure he had a good reason why he quit.

Think he is in the big house now. Something to do with selling drugs?

hey guys im a teenager who fights every month or so and one day i want to turn pro if i have the goods..

But it makes me wonder is the aussie scene as dirty as it seems from the outside? i know it has cleaned up in a major way since the 1970s and i appreciate that any sport which involves people getting knocked around will draw a few seedy characters but do you think ben cruz's career change which put him in the slammer would have something to do with contacts he met through the sport? obviously he was trying to be a fulltime pro which is hard to do in australia and saw this as a way for him to bankroll his dream.. any thoughts?

Good point Bushboy, But from what i remember Ben Cruz Had sponcers that would have looked after him, And the direction he was heading in boxing - he would have landed a major sponcer sooner or later to accomodate for fights over-seas etc.

convict wrote:Good point Bushboy, But from what i remember Ben Cruz Had sponcers that would have looked after him, And the direction he was heading in boxing - he would have landed a major sponcer sooner or later to accomodate for fights over-seas etc.

I agree I think Ben had a future.
I'd like to see him try again when he sorts his life out.

Best wishes Ben, If this ever gets to him.

its not a watse of talent he is on 21 and grew up in aus he is trying to make the 2008 games i am mate with him and he will turned pro later on .cheers

hey luke i wasnt saying that he was a waste of talent, i was just saying how good he is and how it makes me wonder if more pacific islanders could come over how good they could all be thats all