Hadlow has sights set on Games

Queenstown’s Richie Hadlow will be chasing a fourth consecutive national light welterweight title in Rotorua next week.

It would be a wonderful achievement for the inspirational boxer, but there is an even bigger prize motivating the 29-year-old.

Hadlow is desperate to represent his country at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast next year.

There are five slots available to Boxing New Zealand and Hadlow is mounting a strong case for selection.

He was one of three New Zealand boxers to claim gold at the Oceania Boxing Championship in Australia in June. It was a selection event and his strong performance should ensure he is firmly on the radar.

‘‘That [the Commonwealth Games] is the carrot,’’ Hadlow said.

‘‘I just want to get that opportunity to get on that stage.‘‘It would be the ultimate reward for putting in all the hard work. I was a very competitive gymnast when I was younger but I let opportunities pass me by being a rowdy teenager.

‘‘For me, it is about making up for lost time.’’

Hadlow has been boxing for five years and will consider turning professional if he misses out. ‘‘It is not the kind of sport you can dibble and dabble in. You spend so much time training and going to [tournaments] and not getting paid. To get some money out of it would be a bonus.’’Hadlow, who is is a youth support officer, spends his working day advocating for the region’s young people.

The Wakatipu Youth Trust runs a drop-in centre after school, which he helps with. He also does some mentoring and assists youths who have been released from prison or who ‘‘are on that pathway’’.

It is a demanding role and Hadlow felt his boxing background helped him forge relationships, particularly with the young men.

‘‘I use boxing every day, basically. All the lessons I have learnt in boxing help deal with the hard parts in life.

‘‘Sometimes you come away from sparring and you get beat up.

‘‘But to show up the next day, you have to pull the positives out of it. Maybe that is a punch that you landed or something that happened which was positive for you, even if you took a hiding.

‘‘I talk to the kids all the time about that. No matter what happens, you have to take something good from it.’’

Hadlow is one of nine boxers from the region who will contest the nationals. Fellow Queenstown fighter Callum Owen and Dunedin’s Kasib Murdoch will represent Otago, while Dunedin club Fight and Fitness is sending six boxers.

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