It is hard to believe in our (mostly) equal rights society of 2025, that New Zealand amateur boxing was a male-only sport for 95 years, from when the New Zealand Boxing Association was established in 1902.

There were a myriad of excuses of why women weren't allowed to box.

A world-wide push to allow women to be given the right to choose boxing as a sport, saw Kiwi women licensed for combat in the ring, in 1997.

Initially, women were relatively slow to embrace boxing. The 1997 National Championships, saw just light middleweight, Karen Ellis (CNI), and light welterweight Caroline Sayle (Auckland) earn titles in combat.

The introduction of girl’s age-group competition, at the 1999 Nationals, resulted in a pathway which would see a number of Kiwi women's boxers perform with distinction on the really big stage.

It didn't take long for New Zealand to make their mark in women's world boxing. Auckland pugilist, Melanie Horne, returned from the 1st AIBA World Women's Championships in the USA during 2001, with a bronze medal in the welterweight division.

Odette Van der Meer, also boxed with distinction in defeating a Chinese boxer before losing to the Russian gold medalist in quarter final action.

The Kiwi role of honour that started with Melanie Horn and Odette Van der Meer, continued with Auckland heavyweight Nicky Ryburn who won her first round bout in Turkey during 2002.

Bridgetown Barbados, brought triple success in 2010, when Siona Fernandez, Eske Dost and Dawn Chalmers all had their hand raised in victory in their first visit to the West Indies ring.

However it took until 2012, before Women’s Boxing made its Olympic entrance at the London Games.

Auckland Lightweight Alexis Pritchard and Flyweight Siona Fernandez wore the Black tracksuit of New Zealand, with absolute pride. 

Alexis Pritchard wrote her name into New Zealand Olympic history, becoming just the sixth Kiwi boxer (from 29 representatives) to win an Olympic bout (or better), when she dispatched Rim Jouini from Bulgaria before losing to a Russian boxer.

Just a year prior to the 2012 Olympics, Thea Awhitu, shone the spotlight on the BNZ age-group pathway, at the World Junior Women's Boxing Championships in Antalya, Turkey.

 The young Taranaki fighter, defeated Russian and German opponents, before becoming our countries only boxer to make a World Boxing championship final.

Thea used all her boxing ammunition, before having to concede defeat inflicted by Reyhan Cahir from the home nation, by way of a point’s decision loss.

This meant that New Zealand women’s boxers had outperformed their male counterparts at World Championship tournaments. Thea Awhitu’s silver medal and Melanie Horne’s bronze medallions, outranked the men’s contribution, of the David Tua bronze medal at the 1991 World Men’s Boxing Championships.

Adding to her 2012 Olympic first round victory, Alexis Pritchard, had her hand raised in triumph on three occasions at the AIBA Women's World Championships.

The 2012 Qinhuangdao Championships in China, saw Pritchard get past an Uzbekistan opponent, before dropping a relatively close decision to Queen Underwood from Team USA. Light welterweight, Laura Mathews, and Middleweight, Hurricane Doyle also experienced the thrill of a world championship victory.

Four years later in faraway Kazakhstan, Alexis defeated Moldova and Japanese opposition, before tasting defeat administered by Yana Alexeyevna from Azerbaijan.

New Delhi, India in 2018 provided featherweight, Amy Andrews, with a lifetime memory after she beat an Algerian boxer before losing to Sky Nicholson from Australia.

The last ABA World Women's World Championships that New Zealand attended (in 2023) saw  Celine Lee-lo also earn a world championship fight decision when she got past a Trinidad &Tobago boxer.

Pelea Fruean will be well remembered for her grit in winning a contest apiece at the 2017 and 2018 World Women's Youth Championships held in India and Hungary respectively.

Article added: Tuesday 01 July 2025