Boxing from the heart
Connor Campbell has his sights firmly set on a place in the Commonwealth Games boxing team. Photo: Dan Hutchinson
Connor Campbell is just 18 but already New Zealand's top-ranked amateur boxer in the 65kg lightweight division.
By Dan Hutchinson
He now faces the biggest challenge of his nine-year boxing career with an overseas campaign that will determine if he can box in the Commonwealth Games in July this year.
The third-year engineering apprentice is one of 12 New Zealand boxers selected to compete internationally. Their performances will determine who will be part of New Zealand’s six-strong Commonwealth Games boxing team.
Connor has been training at Nuki’s Boxing Gym with his coach Powell Marshall since he was 9.
They are now busy raising the $6,000 needed for the upcoming trip to Australia and Brazil.
"The whole 12 are going overseas and it's about the results that they gain over there. Then it's out of Boxing New Zealand's hands and it's the New Zealand Olympic Committee and they choose the six that they think are capable of gaining a top six placing at the Commonwealth Games," Powell says.
Connor is well used to fighting older boxers because age groups are determined by which year you were born in, and he was born in December.
"The person that has their birthday in January gets to box as a youth all year, but Connor gets 11 days where he can box as an 18-year-old youth, then straight away he's up to elites.”
He has compiled an impressive record of 52 fights with only eight losses over nine years of boxing.
His achievements include six consecutive New Zealand titles across different age categories and an Oceania gold medal in the junior division.
The path to the Commonwealth Games squad required defeating the reigning elite champion in his weight division.
Next month he begins his campaign with a trip to Sydney for the King of the Ring tournament, followed by 12 nights in Brazil for the World Games.
A trip to China in June will provide the final opportunity for boxers to prove their Commonwealth Games credentials.
The financial burden falls entirely on Connor and his family, with Boxing New Zealand only funding the Commonwealth Games itself for successful qualifiers.
His employer Mainland Engineering supports his boxing ambitions by granting time off, though the time commitment creates practical difficulties for both parties.
"They're suffering because he's like a main man in all the cowshed rebuilds,” Powell says.
That means picking and choosing which tournaments to compete in, factoring in the huge training commitment before big tournaments.
Last year he chose the Australian Golden Gloves, where he won a bronze medal that contributed to his current Commonwealth Games qualification pathway.
"I'm here (at Nuki’s) every Tuesday and Thursday and then I do all my own (training) Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I try to have a little break over the weekend to regenerate a bit," Connor says.
Marshall says they have many boxers to support at the gym, but they are committed to getting Connor overseas to have a shot at the Commonwealth Games. If they can find a sponsor for him, that would be ideal.
Connor is targeting the Commonwealth Games with an eye to a professional career at some stage.
"Commonwealth Games would be a massive achievement and I’d be able to say I've done it, and what's next after that.”
While speed and a high work rate are key to his success so far, Connor says it has always been “my heart” that has got him through to the end of the fights.
Those interested in supporting Campbell's Commonwealth Games campaign can contact his family on 027 253 7099.