Emma Nesbitt Targets WBA Oceania Light Flyweight Strap

Photo Credit: CSN

New Zealand’s Emma Nesbitt, one of the women’s light flyweight division’s most exciting new prospects, returns this on Friday May 2, with the 20-year-old getting a chance to cement her reputation as a rising talent when she competes for the vacant Oceania WBA strap and the WIBA world title.

Nesbitt will go head-to-head with Thailand’s Natthanan Sangiamchit in a ten-round clash headlining Peach Boxing’s The BrutaList card, which takes place inside Auckland ABA Stadium.

The hard hitting Auckland-based fighter is coming into this contest riding a wave of four straight stoppage victories, which has helped her secure the No.37 in Boxrec’s light flyweight rankings. It will be the first time Nesbitt has headlined a professional boxing card, and she is embracing what this moment means for her.

“The message I am trying to put out in this fight is that any young girl if you have a dream, you can do it. I am headlining a big show in Auckland, and I came from nowhere, and now I am here, ” Nesbitt said in an interview with Tolmiemedia.

Nesbitt knows what it takes to climb the world boxing rankings, having witnessed firsthand the inspiring journey of former IBO world super bantamweight champion Mea Motu.

Peach Boxing has always punched above its weight, having seen three of its fighters compete for world titles over the past two years, an impressive achievement for a gym at the bottom of the world, where boxing struggles for press coverage and sponsorship dollars.

Nesbitt is one of the new generations of fighters emerging from the gym, and she is quick to credit the environment that the owners, Issac and Alina Peach, have created to help foster a culture of success.

“Training at Peach is different because we really are a family, and everything is centred around what’s best for us fighters and our careers,” Nesbitt explains.

Nesbitt will not be the only one of Peach Boxing’s up-and-coming stars to compete this weekend. Nineteen-year-old Sonny Moroni is also due to step in between the ropes. Moroni, who turned pro in 2024 after an impressive amateur career, is already 6-0 and is considered one of New Zealand’s most exciting new talents. The 19-year-old is set to lock horns with Cody Sione, and he knows that even at this early stage of his career there is no room for error.

“I think every fight is more than just a fight for me; I feel like every fight is preparing me for world title shots later on in my career,” Moroni says.

“When I get in the ring, I know that I have done everything in my power to get the win.”

Over the past few years Peach Boxing has earned itself a reputation as one of the Southern Hemisphere’s top boxing stables , and both Nesbitt and Moroni will look to continuing building this reputation when they compete this week.

Moroni, like Nesbitt, is also coming into this weekend’s event on the back of a string of stoppage wins, so fans can expect that there is a good chance ‘The Brutalist’ will live up to its namesake.