World title opportunity still sinking in for NZ boxer David Light

They say third time’s a charm – and it certainly has been for the latest New Zealand fighter to earn a shot at a world title.

David Light
Photo: Photosport

Auckland boxer David Light is potentially one punch away from realising a dream after a big win in Florida last weekend.

Fighting out of the red-hot Peach Boxing stable, the unbeaten cruiserweight showed class and guts in equal measure in his split decision win over highly-touted American Brandon Glanton.

A week may have passed since Light took his record to a perfect 20-0 but it still hasn’t sunk in this latest win has catapulted him into a world title fight against WBO belt holder Lawrence Okolie.

“I’ve got really good at just separating myself from any emotion,” the 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallist told RNZ.

“Probably too good. I haven’t really had any reaction to it. Excitement or anything else … it almost hasn’t hit me yet.

“It’s just like, ‘oh yeah, I did my job and I’m happy to have done my job’. Like, if a plumber fixes a toilet he doesn’t go jumping round the house does he?”

It’s easy to see one reason Light has become so good at removing any emotion he viewed as unnecessary.

Not once, but twice he has been adamant his boxing career has been over.

The first came more than seven years ago, when his 41st and final amateur bout ended in a knockout loss to fellow New Zealand pro cruiserweight David Nyika.

“I completely quit boxing after that fight … I thought, ‘well that’s it for me, there’s nowhere to go’.

“I wasn’t interested in pro boxing and I took two years off. I was drinking and not doing a lot with my life.

“Then Isaac [Peach], who I trained with when I was an amateur, said I should come and do some boxing out there. I had just quit my job, so I thought may as well.

“Now we’re here and fighting for a world title. It couldn’t be more unexpected or more of a rollercoaster.”

An up and down ride which has also included a devastating achilles injury midway through last year.

Another moment Light was sure his days in the ring we’re done.

“I thought yeah it’s over now. Even if it does heal I’ll never be the same because I need that snappiness that I get out of that step with my right foot.

“But I just stayed in the gym and stayed positive. The big thing was just being in the gym. If all I could do was just sit on the edge of the ring or on a box and punch pads then that’s what I was doing…

“That lead to a quick recovery, and learning to bounce off the foot again almost made it more effective. I felt like I came out of the whole injury process way better.”

David Light celebrates a win at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where he claimed a silver medal.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The proof of that has very much been in the pudding, with Light racking up three impressive wins this year to secure his shot at world title glory.

He knows successfully achieving that will require another step up again but insists he’s not daunted by English star Okolie, who holds an 18-0 record.

“I’ve known about him since before he was world champ. He’s a six-foot-six guy knocking people out, so it’s hard not to notice.

“But it’s definitely a winnable fight. With taller guys who rely on one or two things and maybe don’t have the full range of boxing acumen, I kind of like those fights.

“This was the one I was picking out and hoping to get for a world title shot, so I’m pretty happy with it.”

Okolie is happy, too, having not stepped in the ring since February this year.

But the 29-year-old Brit has also made it clear he’s wary of his Kiwi opponent, who he saw as a “savage”, despite his “unassuming” nature.

An assessment Light agreed with.

“I’d love to be able to talk a big game and say a bunch of funny stuff, be a bit of a Tyson Fury.

“It’d probably make me more money, but if I tried it it would just be cringe, I’m just not that guy…

“[But] yeah, I think people have underestimated me to their own detriment going into the ring.

“Being the youngest of eight kids I had to fight for what I wanted, so when it comes to actually fighting, I’m not afraid to fight.”

That included against an opponent of Okolie’s calibre, in a fight likely to take place in the UK.

And whether or not got the small break he was ideally looking for after a jam-packed 2022.

“We’re thinking probably end of March or start of April but it depends what the WBO orders and how the negotiations go … if it’s earlier then so be it, we’ll be ready.

“When we’re over there, there’s just one job and that’s to conquer.”

The man known as “The Great White” is more than ready to grasp his opportunity for a piece of boxing greatness.

– RNZ