Couple make appearance in pro scene

The National Sports

By PARKER TAMBUA
COUPLE Richard Paul and Antonette Loga find it challenging juggling work, family responsibilities and boxing but their passion for the sport is what motivates them to fight.
The couple competed in their respective professional bouts during the Oceania Fight Promotions (OFP) fight night in Port Moresby recently.
It’s rare to see couples competing in the sport in Papua New Guinea at professional level.
Loga made her pro-boxing debut in the heavyweight against Liranda Kidu while for Paul, it was his third pro-boxing appearance where he faced Junior Kauko Raka in a lightweight bout.

Richard Paul (left) taking on Junior Kauko Raka during the Oceania Fight Promotions lightweight professional bout in Port Moresby recently. – Nationalpics by PARKER TAMBUA

Unfortunately, for both, it wasn’t their night as they lost their respective fights.
Loga lost on points in the three-minute by four rounds and her husband lost on a knockout in a six rounder.
Despite the results, Paul told The National that they both gained experience from the event and that it was a stepping stone for them. He said preparations leading up to the event had been tough for them.
The 31-year-old, Paul, and Loga, who is 23, are experienced at the amateur level and have been making a transition to professional boxing recently.
“I met my partner back in 2017 when we both represented Team NCD in the PNG Games in Kimbe,” Paul said.
“She’s a good boxer, she won a few medals in the PNG Games and we got married a few years later. We have a two-year-old son.
“It’s not easy for us to continue to stay in the sport, I am the bread winner so I go to work while Antonette stays home with the kid.
“When it comes to training and preparing for events, it’s tough. I had some trainers and coaches who wanted to help me prepare well but the job I have right now, it requires more time and commitment so I couldn’t find the right time to train.
“Sometimes the trainers would come wait for me at my house so that we can have sessions after work, but then I come home late at night due to responsibility I have at work. So to be honest, we don’t have trainers.
“Because of the situation, we improvised and we said ‘why not we train ourselves’. So Antonette and I have been training each other for quite a while now and leading up to the OFP fight night, that’s what we’ve been doing.

Antonette Loga delivers a right jab on the target during an Oceania Fight Promotions female heavyweight bout against Liranda Kidu at Hideaway Hotel in Port Moresby.

“Sometimes, while we are in training, the baby needs some attention and it interrupts our session. It’s a challenge but I’m proud that we’ve managed it well.
“I think the kind of preparations we had also contributed in some way in the results of our fights, but we see this as a stepping stone.
“We’ve only started at professional level and it was a great experience. For Antonette, it was her first pro-boxing fight and I think she learnt a lot.
“She was competitive and she fought well, she just needs better coaching and she will be better next time.
“For myself, it was a great experience facing Junior Kauko Raka in the ring. You know, in PNG pro-boxing we look up to boxers like Raka and he’s one of the best.
“So as the saying goes, ‘to be the best, you beat the best’ so I wanted to challenge myself and it was great experience. I didn’t win but there’s so much to learn from that experience and it would only motivate and help me get better.”
Paul said he and her partner were looking forward to more professional fights. Their goal is to prove their worth in local professional scene and secure opportunities to compete on the international stage.