Super 8 Cameron vs Meehan
#1
DUNCAN JOHNSTONE


Veteran heavyweight boxer Kali Meehan says his main focus in life now is to protect his promising son Willis from "the wolves" that chewed up his own true potential.

First he gets a chance to redefine his own legacy by taking on Shane Cameron for the WBA's Pan African title in Auckland on Saturday night, the feature bout on the Super 8 promotion.

The 44-year-old has had a storied career, wracking up 41 win with just five losses, fighting around the world and getting to be the WBA's No 1 contender and contesting world title eliminators and an actual world title fight in 2004.

But the cards didn't always fall his way and the Aucklander with island connections, who has based himself across the Tasman, has been unfairly lost in the Kiwi sporting consciousness.

He's happy to cash in on the sport's revival here, even if it is in his twilight years.

He impressively won the first Super 8 tournament in Auckland in June and didn't hesitate when offered a chance to return and take on Cameron.

With son Willis making his professional debut on the undercard against New Zealander Will Quarrie, it's a family affair that has Meehan excited.

Outrageously talented, super-heavyweight Willis won 28 of his 29 amateur fights in Australia, including the national title, and now juggles boxing with a league career at the Sydney Roosters where the comparisons with Sonny Bill Williams are obvious. He has size and athleticism.

"And he can fight," Kali said proudly of his 19-year-old monster.

"My main focus is on my son Willis and guiding his career and making sure that he doesn't make the same mistakes that I made, that he doesn't trust the wrong people . . . protect him from the wolves."

It's a game littered with carcasses and Meehan is a survivor, though he does have some bruises and a bit of bitterness.

"There were a lot of mishaps and politics in my career," he said.

It's why he's so excited about his current situation.

"I've gone all around the world to try to make things happen and now I've come back home and things have started to fall into place. I know it can't keep going forever but right now I'm hoping.

"I sort of gave up on planning things . . . if it happens it happens."

And it's happened. Now he's got a chance to come out of the shadows of the likes of David Tua, Jimmy Peau and even Cameron.

"It really is good to get recognised. I hold this as something dear to me, it's nice."

Beating Cameron, even at this late stage, will reinforce his claims and reputation. That's a done deal in his mind.

"I've got no doubt that I will win it. I'm not big-headed but I'm very confident in my ability, I'm very confident in my fitness," Meehan said.

"I believe I know Shane's style well enough to counter everything he does and try to make him do want I want him to do.

"It's do or die. One of us is going on and one of us is not. But I have a lot of edges . . . my height and reach, my speed and power.

"I've put in close to 80 rounds of sparring. I've done a lot of work. I do feel confident."

Also Quarrie vs Meehan:


http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/63339316/Quarrie-plans-to-give-Meehan-boxing-lesson
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#2
Boxing: It's make or break time for Meehan


WBA title fight against Cameron a must-win for both veterans.
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Kali Meehan fights Shane Cameron this weekend in a bout which will see the winner crowned WBA Oceania heavyweight champion.
This one's for Avondale.
It's been nearly 30 years since a teenage Kali Meehan stumbled into a West Auckland boxing gym to learn the sweet science.
At the time, Meehan was simply taking part in boxing to keep out of trouble, while his mates managed to find it.
But after nearly two decades as a professional, Meehan knows the end is in sight.
It looked like he was done a couple of years back when he lost to Travis Walker and his days of being a contender appeared to be behind him.
But he ended his dormancy with victory in June's inaugural Super 8 tournament in Auckland.
There was a curious sense of irony that Meehan (41-5) left New Zealand as a 28-year-old and travelled the world to box but his biggest payday came in his home city, nearly two decades after he moved to Australia.
The next chapter in the 44-year-old Meehan's book comes this Saturday night when he meets Shane Cameron on the North Shore in a bout that will likely spell the end of the line for the loser.

The winner will claim the vacant WBA Oceania heavyweight title.
Their bout is the headline attraction alongside the cruiserweight Super 8 tournament. Kiwi cruiserweight David Aloua will also meet Australian Anthony McCracken during a huge night of boxing.
Meehan said this fight was about securing his legacy alongside David Tua as New Zealand's best heavyweight, while Cameron (29-4) has confirmed he won't continue in the sport if he doesn't have his hand raised at the North Shore Events Centre.
"I've always dedicated every fight to somewhere; it gives me motivation when I train," Meehan said.
"And, this fight here I'm dedicating to Avondale."
You can sense that Meehan needed that Super 8 victory a few months back for many reasons.
The $200,000 winner's purse was a nice boost: "Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick," he grinned.
But, more importantly, for a man who values honour and respect, it was a night where he could prove to those who knew him when he was younger that he had made something of himself.
"It was good for everyone to see it; my family and friends. It was awesome."
People in New Zealand probably don't realise how good Meehan was. He did fight for the WBO title in 2004 but was edged in a split decision by American Lamon Brewster.
He spent 2008-2009 as the No 1 contender in the WBA but never got a shot at the belt held by 2.13m Russian Nikolai Valuev as boxing's politics played their part.
The 1.96m Meehan has also worked many jobs in between climbing in the ring such as a painter and a garbage man while there was also a stint in the mines in Queensland. Meehan has three boys and he is fiercely proud of all of them. The middle one, Willis, has played a game for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL and at 19 will fight on this weekend's undercard against Will Quarrie in his professional boxing debut.
It remains to be seen how long Meehan can stay active in the fight game for but he will be there to provide advice for Willis.
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#3
Can wait for this fight, what are the chances of Tua fighting the winner?
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#4
Meehan too powerful for Cameron - Fenech  

 
DUNCAN JOHNSTONE  

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TOO GOOD: Australian boxing legend Jeff Fenech believes Kali Meehan will have too much power for Shane Cameron this weekend.
 
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TOUGH TASK: Kiwi heavyweight Shane Cameron will square off against Kali Meehan in Auckland on Saturday night.
     
Australian boxing legend Jeff Fenech believes Kali Meehan will have too much power for Shane Cameron in Saturday night's heavyweight showdown in Auckland.
The bout is attracting big interest across the Tasman with Meehan's links to the New South Wales central coast and his son, budding NRL star Willis, featuring on the undercard for his professional debut.
Fenech, a three-time world champion, doesn't believe Meehan's age of 44 will be as much of a factor in his fight as his sheer power.
``Kali can still punch even at 44," Fenech told the Courier Mail ahead of the Super 8 card that is headlined by this heavyweight clash.
"He's always been a dangerous guy and with his power and his reach advantage over Shane I think he can score another big win.
``It's great for boxing that Australia and New Zealand are producing so many top heavyweights at the moment."
Cameron backs his own punching power to get the job done.
No one expected Cameron to get past David Tua's 2011 conqueror Monte Barrett the following year, but he produced arguably the sweetest punch of his career for a fourth-round knockout.
"It's the heavyweights," Cameron declared of the grunt in his gloves.
"One punch can do it. I've got 22 knockouts of my own."
The victory over Barrett was Cameron's last. He has suffered two losses since then – to Australian Danny Green and American Brian Minto.
He desperately wants a win to allow him to dictate the end of his career.
Meehan is back in New Zealand five months after winning the inaugural Super 8 contest where h used his height, reach and power to scythe through the field, winning the final with an impressive first-round knockout of durable English fighter Michael Sprott.
Meehan is expected to throw some early bombs at Cameron on Saturday, looking for a quick finish.
If Cameron can weather the onslaught, his chances appear better the longer the fight goes.
It looms as a defining fight for both aging warriors, each agreeing that defeat would probably bring down the curtain on their long careers.
Fenech is training Australia's top-rated heavyweight, world No 5 Lucas Browne.
Browne is unbeaten in 22 fights with 19 KOs and making waves with his punching ability, although there have been suggestions he's had a carefully manufactured career in terms of opponents.
Browne has been called out to no avail by the camp of Joseph Parker, New Zealand's top-ranked heavyweight who has risen to No 10 with the WBA.
But there are suggestions Meehan might look to have a crack at Browne if he can negotiate his way past Cameron.
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#5
Cameron has proved it before against big men, he can decide it with one punch.
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#6
True, Sham.  But I think it's Meehan with the big punch, and Shane who will work him into exhaustion and possible stoppage.  So I think it'll end early with a Meehan KO, or late with a Cameron stoppage.  The Quarrie vs Meehan Jr. should be a doozie.
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#7
Agree Die , just put the reminder there. All things are possible in a heavyweight bout..
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#8
Kali has a long range game and Shane can bang. Kali can too. The good old fashioned one two down the middle will end this fight for one of them. Id like to see Shane go for the Body. Id like to see Kali take Shanes shots and come back with fire in his belly. Im leaning towards a Kali win. Wether its by a stoppage i dunno cos i dont know the gameplans. but i can see it stinking out the house after a explosive start. The end ;-)
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#9
Im hoping Kali takes the win
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#10
Nup, despite yr glamorous words and pen style stormy and how much I tink yr right, I'm hopin game Shane will get the win by hooker by crook... Head butt, low blow, a kidney shot or whack on the back of the head......LETS GET IT ON
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