May 29, 2023
“Crazy” prep earns Daniels world title
Pipiwai’s newest world boxing champion says her win was all in the preparation.
Lani Daniels from Ngapuhi and Ngati Hine secured the IBF women’s world heavyweight title after dominating her Auckland-born Samoan opponent Alrie Meleisea on Saturday in Tāmaki Makaurau.
She says she felt she had the fight won by the later rounds, and dialed back in the last round to avoid beign knocked out by the hard-punching Meleisea.
Daniels set up camp with trainer John Conway in Auckland in January and treated the preparation as a full time job.
“I was training 15 trainings in a week, hundreds of ks banked in a week, it was crazy. I can’t even believe I did it to be honest but it’s all in the past now and I’m grateful I stuck to the process and came out with a good result on the weekend,” she says.