PHOTO
Mountain Warrior
By Shane Cameron with Steve Kilgallon
Bateman Books
Reviewed by Hayden Meikle
It would be a great shame if Shane Cameron were to have his contribution to New Zealand boxing forever reduced to 200 seconds of pain.
The “Mountain Warrior”, whose nickname lends itself to the title of this story of his life in and out of the ring, was more than just a punching bag.
He was good enough to win 29 of his professional fights, went toe-to-toe with a couple of genuinely classy heavyweights and played a huge role in bringing some buzz back to boxing in this country.
Cameron also became a popular contestant on reality TV shows, coached and promoted boxing, opened a gym, started a business and used his life story to develop his skills as an inspiring public speaker.
Obviously, his battering at the hands of David Tua in the Fight of the Century in 2009 gets a fair play in the book, written with experienced New Zealand sports reporter Steve Kilgallon, and fans who got swept up in the hype will relish the retelling of, in particular, the story of how the fight was scheduled.
There are plenty of honest reflections on the rest of his boxing career.
Honestly, though, the best bits of the book are where Cameron’s story outside the ring is explored.
He had a fascinating, almost wild childhood in which he rode a horse to school in a rural East Coast community and developed a thirst for hunting and farming. (Also a thirst for a can of Coke in one of New Zealand sport’s great upbringing yarns.)
Cameron has never appeared to be anything less than an honest character, and he talks with a raw touch about his self-doubts, his battles to be seen as something more than just a block-headed pugilist — he reveals he was diagnosed late with dyslexia and ADHD — and his relationships and fatherhood.
Mostly, the dude just seems really likeable, and his story is a good read for those who admire a resilient Kiwi fighter.
Hayden Meikle is ODT sports editor