How boxing led me to my wife

Golden Gloves winner, Hirini Wikaira, said boxing became the bridge to eternal marriage

Reminiscing about his boxing career and how it led to temple marriage, Hirini Piikau Wikaira, a senior majoring in Pacific Island Studies from New Zealand, kept a recording of when he won against Auckland, New Zealand champion Andrew Lueii.

Listening to the final words from the commentator, “Wikaira dishes out powerful uppercuts and long right hands, which snap Lueii’s head back often. Wikaira seems to have all the skills to go far, and although Lueii is still firing in the third, he is clearly outgunned and is being clubbed by right hands.”

The commentator concluded saying, “In an eventful fight, Hirini Wikaira impresses enough to win a unanimous decision.”

Meeting his eternal companion

Wikaira recalled how the sport led him to marry his wife, Abish Wikaira, a junior from New Zealand majoring in TESOL education. He said being married to her is the most precious blessing, and she is someone he will fight for forever.

He said everything fell into place after he served a full-time mission in Brisbane, Australia. He was reunited with his former boxing coach, Herewini Jones, to resume training. Hirini Wikaira also said he found he had feelings for a girl he said he never liked before.

BY MARVIN LATCHUMANAN

Hirini Wikaira shared he was inspired to act on his impressions about his coach’s daughter, Abish. “Whilst being there, I became close to his daughter and felt impressed that she was my eternal companion.

“After spending time together, I could tell we got along very well, and my feelings weren’t just mine but ours. I remember telling her saying, ‘I think you’re my eternal companion.’ It just came out. She replied, ‘I know.’”

Abish Wikaira said after receiving inspiration, they decided to get married a week later week (on the second night of October 2016 General Conference), but he proposed properly the week after.

Hirini Wikaira said, “We prayed for confirmation, and from that night, we were pretty much together. A week later I proposed to her at the Hamilton New Zealand Temple, and one day later I flew here to Hawaii.

“We did long distance for one year. Then, when I returned for the holidays in summer break, we were sealed in the temple. Three years later, we are both here in Hawaii. Boxing helped me not only learn skills for life but also led me to my eternal companion.”

Abish Wikaira said she was also convinced her husband’s boxing journey had led to their journey in marriage. She said, “The way we came together was a really special experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. We still learn new things together every day, but with Heavenly Father as our guide, we keep our eyes forward and our heads up knowing everything’s going to be fine.”

Wikaira’s boxing career

Hirini Wikaira is from the Northland of New Zealand and said he started boxing when he was 13 years old. His father introduced him to the sport and encouraged him to “give it a try.” He said he had trouble finding matches because boxing was not popular where he lived.

He moved to Hamilton, New Zealand, when he was 15 and joined a local association called The Nawton Boxing Club.

With the move to Hamilton, it was easier for him to find boxing matches, and he said he would compete in tournaments at least once a month.

Hirini Wikaira said, “I had coach Rusty Porter, second coach Merrill Percell, and third [coach] Herewini Jones. I also would train with my dad, Shane Wikaira.”

He won the Waikato championship, qualifying him to go to the New Zealand Nationals in 2010. He placed second, and he said it made him determined to sharpen his skills in the sport.

In 2011, he placed second again, and he said, “I became hungrier. In 2012, I trained harder and had assistance with Herewini Jones.

Above: Hirini Wikaira declared the winner of Golden Gloves in 2016. Left: The awards Wikaira have amassed throughout the years in his boxing career. Graphics by Esther Insigne and photos provided by Hirini Wikaira

“He taught me the important stuff of boxing. Timing will always beat power and speed. I remembered that and applied it to my training.”

Hirini Wikaira said he was grateful for Jones as he played influential roles in his life. He said Jones was his boxing coach and his branch president in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who assisted him in preparation for serving a full-time mission for the Church.

He won the New Zealand national tournament and was the New Zealand middleweight champion in 2012. Wikaira said that same year he had won the Golden Gloves in New Zealand. The “Golden Gloves” is a wellrespected tradition in the boxing world where the title is given to amateur boxers who would go on to fight and claim victory in the National Golden Gloves tournament.

According to the Britannica.com, the history of the Golden Gloves can be traced back in the mid 1920s where the first competition was held between teams from Chicago and New York in 1927. The tournament’s symbolic award comes in a form of a small pair of gold boxing gloves and is awarded to the winner.

In boxing history, many Golden Gloves champions would take boxing to a professional level and become World Champions.

Hirini Wikaira won two other titles which were the “Waikato Championship” and the “Central North Island Championship.”

Winning approval from his coach

On speaking about Coach Herewini Jones’ influence, he said, “He was a wise teacher. He taught me the old school way. ‘I’ll show, and you copy.’ Something I loved about him was he was fussy right down to the smallest detail. He was a good teacher and scary at the same time.

“It was hard to tell him Abish was my eternal companion. I was scared, but I knew it was right. He cried and approved.”

Hirini Wikaira further acknowledged his boxing journey prepared him to serve a mission. “It added focus and drive to whatever work I pursued. My parents helped me so much to prepare for it. I went to the Australia Brisbane Mission. It was a blessing in my life.

“Just like my coach said timing is better than power and speed, I feel this is spiritual too ... The Lord’s timing is perfect.”

One of Hirini Wikaira’s friends, Liam Greening from New Zealand, said, “The cool thing is that I met Hirini on my mission. He was the first missionary to come up and introduce himself to me. He was so cool and relaxed. I just thought he was the man. And it turns out that I wasn’t wrong.

“He was an amazing missionary, and he was loved by everyone who served around him. I remember in the gym watching him shadow box and hitting the bag. It was just so much fun. His hands were so quick, and the bag would be flying.”

Greening said Hirini and Abish Wikaira are an amazing couple. “[They are] so dynamic with Hiri being the more outgoing jokester and Abish being reserved in most social settings but really opens up when she is comfortable and has a crack up laugh.” •