Q&A with Mariah Turner

Born and raised in Papakura, Mariah “The Golden Girl” Turner will step into the biggest fight of her professional career later this month. HELENA O’NEILL chats with the Rosehill College alum about her boxing journey.

What’s this big fight that you have coming up?

I’ll be facing Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Olympian Skye Nicolson for the WBC Interim World Super Bantamweight Title. The winner of the contest earns a mandatory shot at the full WBC World Championship.

Nicolson has had 139 amateur bouts, a Commonwealth Games gold medal, an Olympic appearance, and a decorated international career before turning professional. Meanwhile, I’ve never fought as an amateur. My 13 professional contests comprise my entire competitive record, with a knockout ratio of six stoppages across 13 fights.

It’s a life-changing opportunity for more than just me and my family; it’s a chance to show other women how far you can come in the sport.

I want to prove to people where I come from that anything is possible. I want young girls from South Auckland to see someone who looks like them standing on a world stage.

How did you end up boxing?

I was raised in Papakura (although we also lived in Conifer Grove and Takanini) in a household steeped in combat sport — my father trained in boxing and kickboxing, my mother in karate, and my brother accumulated 30 professional bouts across kickboxing and boxing.

About seven years ago, while in Queensland, I started in Muay Thai. I had seven fights altogether at the amateur level, on and off. I really enjoyed Muay Thai. I wanted to originally do kickboxing, but in Queensland, kickboxing isn’t as popular. Whereas, compared to back home in New Zealand, kickboxing has a bit more of an audience.

I still love Muay Thai as an art. I think it’s a really beautiful sport. But for me, I fell out of love with Muay Thai because I was losing competitions. I kept training and was asked if I wanted to do a corporate boxing match about five years ago.

I now work with coach Luke Meldon at Fortitude Boxing in Brisbane, and it’s a great atmosphere there.

How was the transition from Muay Thai to boxing?

My body had had enough of Muay Thai training, and learning boxing gave me a different outlook, and I loved being back in the gym. I found it difficult at first, as Muay Thai has a wider stance and a wider guard. I had to unlearn a lot, actually.

I could never find the amateur matches, appropriate matches, because they still considered my Muay Thai record, although I hadn’t had any amateur boxing fights. I think it was difficult for me to get matched up accordingly in amateur boxing, because they knew of my Muay Thai.

I had my professional debut about six months after taking up boxing.

Can you tell me about your first professional bout?

It was against a strong girl from the Sunshine Coast, Callie Ryan. She was a Muay Thai fighter as well; it was her second fight and my first fight. I was really grateful that they found me a good quality opponent who had her debut against one of Australia’s top boxers. I really had nothing to lose.

Can you make a living as a female professional boxer?

I work full-time, managing Fortitude Gym’s day-to-day operations, coaching a mixed adult class, and coaching a few clients one-on-one.

To make a living, what I’m doing now requires a lot of sacrifices. I work full-time, and I really need to invest all that I can into what I’m doing, and the gym fits in with that. I was working in administration for a construction company, and in hospitality before that.

A lot of professional boxers also coach full-time … we still have to work as we can’t survive off sponsorships and collaborations. Last year, I was lucky enough to secure my own sponsor, Cappah Group.

What would you say to anyone, particularly young women, who want to take up boxing?

In New Zealand, we have some amazing female boxers like Lani Daniels and Mea Motu, who are great role models for me. Lani is a Northland-based world champion who has held both the IBF light heavyweight and IBF heavyweight titles, and Mea is a top-ranked super-bantamweight based in Kaitaia, who has held the IBO super-bantamweight world title and has a dominant, unbeaten record.

For any females, whether it’s boxing or not, whatever it is, if you really want to do something, then you have to trust yourself. Don’t let anyone talk you out of what you want to do. If I had let people talk me out of that, I wouldn’t be doing what I am right now. So have that drive.

I think if you look at all of the Polynesian fighters and Maori fighters, there are similarities. I think, within all of us, where we come from, our ancestors, and having that warrior blood in us. Really embrace it and give it a chance to shine.

• The WBC Interim World Super Bantamweight Title bout is scheduled for 10 2-minute rounds and takes place on April 29 at the Melbourne Pavilion, Australia.