Mea Motu: The World Champion Achieving Success In And Outside the Ring
Mea Motu is a boxing world champion but her work outside the ring is where she is achieving some of her greatest victories.
Last November, Mea Motu certified her credentials as one of the rising stars of the women's super bantamweight division with an impressive victory over Iran's Nastaran Fathi. In the sweltering heat of Dubai, Motu dominated her opponent with a ruthless display of power and speed.
The win propelled Motu into the upper echelon of her division, and in April, the 33-year-old fulfilled her dream of conquering the world when she captured the IBO Women's Super Bantamweight World Championship by defeating Canada's Tania Walters.
After overcoming Walters, Motu became a household name with interviews on TV, radio, magazines and newspapers throughout Aotearoa. Motu's undeniable talent and empowering story of overcoming domestic abuse won the newly crowned world champion a legion of new fans and supporters.
For some athletes, attention like this can be overwhelming; for Motu, however, she has embraced the public spotlight, channelling its power to spread her message of support to those going through their own internal battles and personal struggles.
"You know, the last 12 months, the growth in who I am has just totally changed my perspective of who I am and what I want to be and what I want to do. You know, like now all of a sudden, like if you asked me at the beginning of the year, I was just solely fixated on just being a professional boxer, but now I want to be the professional boxer but also be an advocate and an ambassador role model for our children's mental health, " Motu explains.
"I'm proud that I can help and be that role model and show people the authentic realness of me and that it doesn't matter what struggle you're going through. You can do it."
Since becoming a world champion, Motu has given talks to audiences nationwide and teamed up with Mike King to lend her support for Gumboot Friday. Far from being a distraction from her boxing, Motu's work in the community has provided her with further motivation to succeed.
"It's so encouraging. It only makes me more determined to be a great fighter and keep pushing to do what I do." Motu says.
"When I speak about my struggles, and I tell people my struggles, and then when I hear them, I feel it's so empowering because it's like, I'm not alone. You know, I'm a human being, too, and so our people, they all go through the same pain and struggle."
This Saturday, Motu will mount the second defence of her title when she takes on India's Chandni Mehra inside Whangarei's McKay Stadium. It will be the first time she has fought as a professional in Northland, her home region, and the event promises to be an occasion that will live long in the memory of those fortunate enough to secure a ticket.
"This feels different, a different vibe, and it's more excitement but proud because, you know, I'm going up to the North, it's where I'm from, and it's definitely my stomping ground. It's closest to home, but it's not quite home, but you know, my family get to witness it all."
"I'm just grateful that it can be held there because that's where I whakapapa back to; that's where my bloodline is. You know, I grew up there, so I grew up in the North, and that's home to me."
Mehra has shared the ring with some heavy hitters, including South Korea's Bo Mi Re Shin and Motu's old rival Fathi. The 22-year-old will be under no illusion of the task that awaits her in the ring come fight night, and Motu is expecting her challenger to bring her " A Game" on Saturday.
"I think she's going to bring a clever one [ game plan], and she's going to be very smart, but I'm going to say good luck. I know she'll give it her all, but I know the best fighter is going to come out on top."
Motu's boxing journey still has a long way to go, but this weekend, when she enters the ring, she will be backed with the support of all those lives her message has resonated with up and down the country and who feel that her fight is their fight.