Capacity crowd for Thames-Coro fight night

The biggest knock-out for the team behind Thames’ inaugural Chaos on the Coromandel boxing event was witnessing the locals who stepped in the ring for the very first time.
Held on September 23 and organised by Never Surrender, Chaos on the Coromandel was a one-night fight-fest in which amateur and professional boxers put on a show for a capacity crowd.
Spokesperson Andrew Connaughton said the highlight for him was watching locals such as Cody McGregor, Tim Berensend, Codi Priest, and Richard Tuailli – who all “set themselves such a bold challenge”.
“To watch people such as Tim Berensend, who set himself a goal to lose 40kg and box; to watch Codi Priest deal with that demon in his head and prove to himself that he has the ‘kahuna’s’… people like Richard Tuailli who has used boxing to completely transform his wife’s, his family’s and his life is truly inspirational.
“It was very fulfilling and an honour to be there and watch that human emotion, to see a dream realised, and to be able to share that moment with our fellow man,” he said.
With 190 people dining on the corporate tables, another 170 in general admission, plus the competitors and coaches, Andrew reckoned around 450 people were in attendance.
Feedback about the night had been “extremely positive”, he said.
“People have commented on how professional the event was – superb food, great staff, great entertainment. Lots of: ‘just what Thames needs’, ‘good to have a great night out in Thames’, ‘please do more events’ comments,” he said.
“We would actually like to do more, and involve more people from our region. We are currently working on some new concepts that we hope to bring to the whole of the Coromandel/Hauraki regions. But 100 per cent guaranteed… Chaos On The Coromandel will be back.”
Andrew said the biggest challenges were all within his own mind, but the support of the Thames Valley community quickly quashed his initial fears.
“Will people come? Will we put on an event and nobody’s there? Do people from the area want to come to a boxing event? The usual mind games,” he said.
“[But] it was a great evening. We are extremely grateful to all those in the community that bought a corporate table or ticket and supported our event.
“It was just nice to see people having a great time. As an event organiser, I don’t think we could ask for more.”