21 September 2001 Student boxer shows golden touch

Boxing has a long history at Lincoln University but few recent exponents and no national champions ... until now!

Ian Blair's centennial history of Lincoln, The Seed They Sowed, records that boxing "flourished" on the campus from 1910 to 1913 and again at the start of the 1930's when a professional instructor was engaged and an  annual tournament held.

Now, in 2001, third year Recreation Management student Brad Milner is again giving the sport prominence. He's the New Zealand light welter-weight amateur champion and recently brought home a gold medal from his first international contest, the Arafura Games in Darwin.

Brad has been boxing for three years and at Darwin his path to the gold medal saw him winning against boxers from Singapore, South Australia and Bougainville.

There were four boxers in the New Zealand team and they achieved 10 wins out of 11 fights for a tally of three gold medals and one bronze.

Now Brad, who boxes with the Salvation Army Academy, is lining up for the national tournament in Taupo in early October. Injury kept him out of selection for the Canterbury representative team, so he is paying his own way with the promise of reimbursement from the Canterbury Boxing Association if he makes the final.

Academy coach, Paul Fizsimons, who is also the new assistant New Zealand coach, says Brad has now come back from injury and is on target.

Brad, who was brought up in Christchurch and attended Papanui High School, believes a good result at the nationals could make him a strong contender for consideration for the Oceania tournament in Fiji. Ultimately, of course, the next Commonwealth Games also looms as an attractive goal.

The Community Diary is produced by Lincoln University's Strategic Communications Centre.