Anthony Pati Secures Bronze at World Boxing Futures Cup

Samoa’s Anthony Pati has taken another step forward in his burgeoning career after securing bronze in the men’s 90kg division at the 2026 World Boxing Futures Cup.

Pati’s achievement demonstrated that the South Auckland-based fighter has the talent to mix it up with the world’s best, and doing so while representing Samoa made the moment even sweeter.

“Stepping onto the podium was an honour for me. I was representing my family, my gym and all of Samoa. It was pride mixed with relief after all the hard training and sacrifices,” he explained.

The U19 event, held in Thailand, featured up-and-coming fighters from around the globe and served as a precursor to October’s U19 World Boxing Championships, set to be held in Budva, Montenegro.

Pati had put in hours of work ahead of the tournament under the watchful eye of his father and trainer, Junior Pati. The event was not just a chance to compete for a medal, but more importantly, it gave Pati an opportunity to test himself against his peers from around the world.

“Competing at the Youth World Cup was intense but unreal. The level was way higher than anything I’d faced before, and being around boxers from all over the world made me push my game,” he said.

“I learned that I’m tougher mentally than I thought. There were moments in fights where I could’ve shut down, but I didn’t want to let Samoa down. The World Cup showed me where I’m at and what I need to fix to go further.”

Pati was the not the only Samoan fighter to capture a medal with Kealey Perez capturing Gold in the women’s 80kg+ division.

The focus now turns to Montenegro, and his father is already working to get Anthony prepped for what will be the biggest tournament of his career.

“I’ve created a detailed plan for these high-level, world-class events. I make sure I keep him on his toes and staying active with four sessions a day, Monday to Friday,” Junior explained.

“I make sure I leave the dad stuff aside and put my coaching hat on during camp,” he added.

“As a dad, every second he is in that ring, I’m a proud father.”

Pati has already started getting approaches from overseas promoters and managers looking to work with him. However, for now, the aim is to keep his focus on developing as a fighter and preparing for October’s Championships.

After getting a taste of standing on the podium, Pati is keen to once more see the Samoan flag flying high for the world to see.