Chinula tops card

New Zealand’s top-ranked heavyweight, Yamiko Chinula, heads the bill when a Canterbury invitation boxing team takes on fighters from Wellington, Auckland and Tauranga at the Hornby WMC tonight.

Chinula missed competing in the Oceania championships in April because of a shoulder reconstruction, but came back to win a gold medal at the Arafura Games in Darwin the following month.

Promoter and matchmaker Phil Shatford said Chinula from his Riverside Boxing Club would be taking on Wellington’s Michael Temo in the feature bout over four 2min rounds.

Shatford said Temo had been described as very experienced and ‘‘said he couldn’t pick the winner’’.

The 11-bout programme will begin at 7.30pm with four boxers coming down from Auckland, two from Wellington and one from Tauranga.

Other Canterbury team members fighting North Island opponents over 4 x 2min will be Arafura middleweight gold medallist Deacon Henry, lightheavyweight Reece Papuni (Christchurch ABC), and middleweight Luke Searle (A-Town),the New Zealand intermediate champion. Full list of fights (senior unless stated) for the tournament being run by the Riverside Boxing Club: Intermediate Rex Visare (Papanui) v Henry Philip (Ashburton), Dwayne Key (Papanui) v Jeremy Brook (Riverside, Chch), Intermediate Josh Petrios (Well) v Bradley Enright (Riverside), Marc Shand (Auck) v Billy Tyons (Queenstown), Simi Maanaima v Garry Waines (Bells’ gym), Tony Wong (Auck) v Ben Frickleton (Riverside), Enyat Najib (Crichton Cobbers) v Joel Broughton (A-Town); Luke Searle (A-Town) v Isaac Peach (Auck), James Emmerson (Tauranga) v Reece Papuni (CAB Chch), Robert Beveridge (Auck) v Deacon Henry (Riverside), Michael Temo (Well) v Yamiko Chinula (Riverside).