Alivereti Lagilagi Dodomo’s exuberance at claiming the Australian National Boxing Federation New South Wales light heavyweight title was tinged with a hint of sadness.
Despite being one of very few Fijian boxers to have fought for and successfully won an Australian belt, he wished his dad, former national boxer Temo Aliki Kolitapa had been there. Kolitapa lives in Fiji.
“I just wish my father was here so I could put this belt around his waist,” Dodomo said.
Dodomo won the vacant title after defeating Aboul Abdulrahnam at the Emporium Function Centre in Bankstown, Sydney on Sunday.
He dedicated his win to the very man that got him into boxing.
“I just want to dedicate this win to my father, because he introduced me to boxing from when I was very young.”
Dodomo’s father, Kolipata, represented Fiji in amateur boxing at the South Pacific Games and other international meets from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s.
Originally from the island of Moce in the Lau Group, Dodomo said he spent almost two months preparing for the fight.
“I trained very hard for this fight because Aboul Abdulrahnam is like one of the best boxers in Australia, and I knew the fight would be a very difficult one.”
Abdulrahnam entered the ring with 11 wins and zero defeats but his wealth of experience and unblemished record came up short against the Lauan youngster who sent him to the canvas in the second round.
“Coming into the fight, I was also looking for revenge because this same guy had knocked out my uncle last year, and I vowed I would knock him out one day.”
The 21-year-old said the training over the past few months had not been easy but he used it to motivate him to go out and perform and to make the necessary sacrifices.
“The training was very difficult, but I had every motivation I needed to pull me through and now it has all paid off.”
Dodomo said he was looking to improve his boxing record over the next few months.
“I just hope to keep growing and make my name known here in Australia.
“And through proper training and guidance, I will be able to achieve that.” Coming from a family of boxers, Dodomo said his only hope was to make his parents proud.
“I come from a family of boxers. My mother is a boxer, and so are my dad and my younger sister. So basically, I was born into boxing.”
