The 41st North Island Golden Gloves will hit Tauranga this King’s Birthday weekend in what is being described as one of the biggest boxing tournaments in New Zealand.

Boxers, coaches, team managers, referee and judges, along with a myriad of supporters, will converge on the Bay of Plenty Youth Development Trust in 13th Ave.

The North Island Golden Gloves is a regional amateur boxing tournament in New Zealand, considered the second-most prestigious event after the national championships, according to Sporty.co.nz

It is a major event for amateur boxers to showcase their skills and compete for a title.

The tournament features various weight classes and age divisions, including elite male and female categories, according to Boxing New Zealand.

Nuki Johnson, known as Central North Island’s Mr Boxing, came up with the concept of a North Island Golden Gloves with the South Island quickly following the same pathway, in the mid 1980s, said a statement released on behalf of the Central North Island Boxing Association.

“From humble beginnings at the Wairakei Village Hall in 1984, the North Island Golden Gloves, has progressed to the biggest tournament in New Zealand,” said a Central North Island Boxing Association spokesperson.

“The Wairakei Village Hall was quickly outgrown, with a short tenure at the Country Music Hall of Fame, before a shift to the Taupō Town Hall in the late 1980’s.

The demolition of the Taupō Town Hall, saw the Golden Gloves make the new Great Lakes Centre its headquarters, with just a couple of shifts away from Taupō in the intervening years.

In 2023, the Golden Gloves made a shift to the Western Bay of Plenty.

Golden Gloves competition is open to the full spectrum of boxing levels, from Elite national title holders and national representatives to Mini-Cadets (10-13 years of age) who have had limited fighting experience, said the spokesperson.

“For many of the age-group novice competitors this will be their first big step on the Boxing New Zealand pathway.”

At the other end of the spectrum, some of the best-known names in New Zealand boxing have fought at the North Island Golden gloves on their boxing journey.

A 15-year-old David Tua fought at the 1988 event in one of his early stepping stone years on his boxing journey.

Fellow Olympic bronze medallist David Nyika also entered the golden gloves on the pathway to Olympic success.

Competitors and coaches are required to check-in on Friday, May 30, before preliminary competition begins at 11am on Saturday, May 31, with an evening session beginning at 5pm.

Sunday, June 1, will see a repeat of the previous day’s start times, with senior and youth semi-finals and other age-group finals taking centre stage.

Monday will see the best of the best North Island elite male and female boxers chasing titles, and looking to establish a significant BNZ ranking in their weight division.