Lani Daniels is sparring with past and future world boxing champions in preparation for her own world title. One world champion, in particular, is her former opponent.
On May 27th Lani Daniels will be taking on Alrie Meleisea for the first ever IBF World Heavyweight title at Eventfinda stadium in Auckland on Sky TV for the first event Maori vs Pasifika World title fight. Daniels has enlisted multiple boxers to prepare her for her world title fight including a former opponent she has fought twice. Retired WBO Light Heavyweight champion and currently WMC Muay Thai New Zealand Champion, Geovana Peres.
Daniels fought Peres twice in their professional boxing career, first for the New Zealand Light Heavyweight title and second being the first New Zealand citizen vs New Zealand citizen WBO Light Heavyweight title. Peres won both fights. Peres made her boxing retirement in January 2021, before Peres transitioned into Kickboxing and Muay Thai.
From the same gym as Peres at Mayhem Boxing, Daniels is also sparring with Eleanor Lilo who has herself a return ticket to the World Women Amateur Championships that’s being held in India. Lilo is a two-time New Zealand national amateur champion and multiple Golden Gloves champion. Alongside five other women boxers, she will be heading to the World Championships without the support of the New Zealand amateur body, Boxing NZ. This is due to the IBA who runs the organisation is still governed by Russian bodies. Due to this, Boxing NZ has said they won’t stop the boxer from going overseas, however, they won’t support them either.
The final boxer Daniels is sparring is four division New Zealand National Champion Mea Motu. Motu and Daniels have been sparring since Daniels’s World title negotiations in December. Motu recently announced that she will be fighting for the vacant IBO World Super Bantamweight title in April at Dean Lonergan’s next New Zealand event. If Motu wins, she will be the third Maori and second Northland boxer to win a World Boxing title. IBO has confirmed on their website, that Motu will be taking on Canadian boxer and WIBA World champion Tania Walters.
Both Lani Daniels and Mea Motu are nominated at the Census 2023 Ngā Tohu Tākaro Māori o Te Tai Tokerau (Northland Maori Sports Awards) for Te Tohu Tākaro Toa Wahine (Open Female Sportsperson of the Year). That event will happen on the 4th of March. Daniels is also nominated at the 2022 Conbrio Northland Sports Awards for Fireco Sportswoman of the Year. That event will happen on 22nd of March.
Daniels’s first boxing fight before her world title fight will happen on March 10th against Sequita Hemingway for the 100-year-old title, the ANBF Heavyweight title. That event will be streamed live on the New Zealand combat sports streaming service, CSN (which can be accessed internationally). If Daniels wins, she will take on Meleisea on 27th of May at Eventfinda stadium.
