Tongan Born New Zealand Boxer Receives World Rankings For First Time In Eight-year Professional Career

Tongan Born New Zealand boxer receives world rankings for first time in eight-year professional career

30-year-old Tongan-born boxer Auckland resident “The Tongan Goddess” Nailini Helu has received her first major world ranking in her eight-year professional boxing career.

Nailini Helu is now ranked 6th in the Light Heavyweight division in the IBF, receiving her first major world rankings in her professional boxing career. This comes after her successful win for the South Pacific (PBCNZ version) Super Middleweight title against Tinta Smith in Hamilton back in Auckland. Helu has also received rankings in the minor bodies, including 4th in the IBO and 5th on Boxrec.

Helu has fought some of the best female boxers from New Zealand, including World title contender Alrie Meleisea, World title contender Desley Robinson, retired WBO World Light Heavyweight champion Geovana Peres, and two-division IBF World champion Lani Daniels. Now, after eight years of her professional career, she finally has her own world rankings.

For those who don’t know what this means, it is now important for her to keep active to climb the ranks if she wants to receive a future world title shot. This also means she could be chosen for a volunteer world title defence. This could possibly be an option for a rematch against Lani Daniels, however, Daniels has won their last encounter and both are regular sparring partners when Daniels is preparing for a fight.

Coincidentally Helu has beaten Lani Daniels's sister Caroline Daniels, during their amateur boxing career. Helu had a successful amateur boxing career winning the New Zealand national amateur boxing championships on three different occasions.

She would later make her professional boxing debut in 2016 on the WBC World Middleweight title fight Kali Reis vs Maricela Cornejo undercard.

This is a big move for Tongan boxing as there are not many professional boxers currently in the world rankings, especially from New Zealand. Most well-known Tongan boxers in recent years Hemi Ahio and Junior Fa were the boxers climbing the rankings. Currently, Tonga Tongotongo is the next Tongan boxer from Australia to possibly reach the world rankings and world stage.

What's next for Nailini Helu?

She needs to keep busy, especially now she has reached a major world rankings. There are plenty of possible fighters in New Zealand including Alrie Meleisea rematch, Sequita Hemingway, Trish Vaka, Maria Hunt, Cheyenne Whaanga, Genah Fabian and that is just in New Zealand. There are still plenty of options in Australia as well.

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