Sporting legend enjoys first visit to Rarotonga

The knee injury was real and so was the enthusiasm as former Auckland Warriors captain Monty Betham made a guest appearance on both sides of the square ring Saturday at the Telecom Sports Arena.
Fight Night, organized as both a showcase for local practitioners of the sweet science and a fund raiser, featured several bouts between club boxers and punchers from the Cook Islands Sports Association (CISA).
Betham, who also played for the New Zealand Kiwis, was convinced to enter the ring at the end of the night to demonstrate the skills that saw him also earn a living as a professional boxer.
“It was interesting to see how the night panned out,” Betham told the Cook Islands Herald. “It was a lot of fun. Even I got roped in there at the end being in the ring and doing a bit of work with some of the young boxers. I wasn’t faking that leg injury but it was a lot of fun.”
The event helped raise funds for Te Vaerua Rehabilitation Centre and to aid local boxers as they train to attend the Commonwealth Games, slated for Delhi, India in October.
Betham, a former world junior karate champion and the runner-up in Season 4 of Dancing with the Stars, was impressed by the pugilistic skills on display.
“The talent here is great,” he said. “Boxing could be on the up because there is a lot of natural talent here on the island, and a lot of athletes.”
He said it wouldn’t take much in the way of arm-twisting to convince him to return to Rarotonga to help out with future events.
“People have asked me how long has it been since I’ve come here,” he said. “I say it’s the first time and they say it’s the first of many. And they’re exactly right.”

By John Ireland

Herald Issue 463 10 June
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