Alrie Meleisea (born 22 November 1992) is a New Zealand

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

and MMA fighter. Meleisea is a world title contender where she fought for the IBF World Heavyweight title against Lani Daniels in 2023. Meleisea lost the fight by Unanimous decision. Despite the loss, she became the first female pasifika boxer to fight for a world boxing title. Meleisea is a two time New Zealand Heavyweight Champion and a former UBF Asia Pacific heavyweight champion.

Early life

Meleisea was born in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand on 22 November 1992. She trained under Vasco Kovačević at Red Line Combat Academy, who is the same person that trains Robert Berridge. Before turning pro, Meleisea had four corporate boxing bouts, winning all the bouts.

Professional boxing career

Beginning of Nailini Helu Rivalry, Debut 2016

On 28 October 2016, Meleisea took on Helu on the Robert Berridge vs Adrian Taihia undercard. Originally the bout was scheduled for Helu to take on Cheyenne Whaanga for the vacant NZPBA female light heavyweight title, however due to injury Whaanga pulled out a week before the fight. Meleisea took the fight on against Helu in 48 hour notice. Helu took the fight easy due to the last minute opponent, however due to this Meleisea won the bout by split decision. This was considered the biggest surprise of the year. On 5 November 2016, Meleisea took on Lupeamanu in

Hamilton, New Zealand Hamilton (, ) is an inland city in the North Island of New Zealand. Located on the banks of the Waikato River, it is the seat and most populous city of the Waikato, Waikato region. With a territorial population of , it is the country's List of c ...

. Meleisea took the fight on a weeks notice, almost immediately after defeating Helu in her pro debut. Meleisea won the bout by unanimous decision, surprising the New Zealand heavyweight division two weeks in a row. Four months after the bout, Lupeamanu announced that she was forced to retire due to a tumour, making her fight against Meleisea her last professional boxing fight.

New Zealand champion, Sarah Long rivalry 2017 - 2019

On 10 March 2017, Meleisea took on Hely for the vacant

NZPBA New Zealand Professional Boxing Association (NZPBA) is one of the four governing bodies for the sport of professional boxing in New Zealand. NZPBA is a non-profit organisation. History The body was founded as South Pacific Boxing Association, wi ...

and vacant UBF Asia pacific heavyweight titles. This bout was difficult to make happen, due to Helu had a rematch clause to fight Ange Davis for the vacant

title. Due to Davis getting injured, Meleisea was next in line for the title shot. Meleisea won the bout by Split decision however the reaction of the audience and social media was split 50/50, some believing it was a controversial decision. On 18 August 2017, it was announced that Meleisea

mandatory challenger In professional boxing and some other combat sports, a mandatory challenger is an opponent whom a champion must either fight (in a mandatory defence) or be forced to vacate their title as champion. The opposite of a mandatory defence is a ''volunt ...

was Kickboxer Sarah Long. Long at the time had nine fights in Kickboxing and four fights in professional boxing. The fight was originally going to happen in October, but it was postponed due to Promoter and Long's Trainer Terry Tuteru had a fight clash with one of his other boxers. On 6 October 2017, it was announced that the fight would take place at

ABA Stadium Auckland Boxing Association Stadium (also known as ABA Stadium) is a New Zealand venue for combat sports hosting over 150 events in boxing alone. ABA Stadium is also recognized for its grassroots of boxing. The earliest reported professional boxi ...

on 11 November. The fight itself was a really close with Long being knocked down in the second round. Meleisea retained her New Zealand National (

version) title by unanimous decision. On 18 May 2018, it was announced that Meleisea will have a rematch against Sarah Long, defending her New Zealand National (

version) title. This time Sarah Long's manager, Terry Tuteru, promoted the event, under their Ultimate rage event series "Ultimate Rage 5". The bout took place on 23 June 2018 in

Onehunga, New Zealand Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand and the location of the Port of Onehunga, the city's small port on the Manukau Harbour. It is south of the city centre, close to the volcanic cone of Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill. Onehunga is a ...

. Meleisea has had a big training camp for this bout, having sparing sessions with Robert Berridge and

Gunnar Jackson Gunnar Jackson (born 6 July 1986) is a New Zealand professional boxer. At regional level he held the NZPBA super middleweight title from 2012 to 2013; the NZPBA middleweight title in 2013; and the WBO Oriental middleweight title twice between 201 ...

. On 20 June, it was announced that the bout between Meleisea and Long was postponed due to a death of Meleisea's mother. On 19 September 2019, it was announced that the rematch between Long and Meliesea would happen on 28 September at ABA Stadium. The fight was very close, but the decision ended in controversy. The ending in a draw was adequate, but the scoring from the judges shocked people. Judge 1 Adrian Bently who was acting as Supervisor of the night and the more experienced judge on the panel, had the card 40–36 to Meleisea. Judge 2 Kendall Cooper had the card 38-38. And finally, Judge 3 Smita Tailor who is the least experienced judge out of the panel had the scores 40–36 to Long.

Return to boxing, Sequita Hemingway rivalry 2021 - 2022

In July 2021, Meleisea made her boxing return after being away from the ring for 19 months. Meleisea took on professional rugby player Sequita Hemingway. Due to Hemingway height and reach advantage, Meleisea struggled in the fight and received her first loss of her career. In October 2022, it was announced that a rematch would happen between Meleisea and Hemingway in December for the vacant Pro Box NZ New Zealand National heavyweight title. At this time Hemingway is ranked 3rd in the WBA. The winner of the Meleisea vs Hemingway fight would potentially lead to either a world title fight or at least a world title eliminator. Meleisea won the fight by unanimous decision, making her a two time New Zealand Heavyweight champion. After her fight, Meleisea asked if she would be interested in a world title fight against Lani Daniels. She replied “Anytime, anywhere, any place,” officially calling out Daniels.

World Title fight, Lani Daniels rivalry 2023

In January 2023, Meleisea receive a ranking of 5th on the ESPN Women's Boxing rankings. In January 2023, it was announced that Meleisea was in negotiations with Lani Daniels team for a potential world title fight in May. On 14 January, it was confirmed the fight between Daniels and Meleisea will happen on May 27 at eventfinda stadium for the first ever IBF Female heavyweight title. In February 2023, Meleisea received her highest world ranking of 2nd in the IBF. She also received the ranking of 2nd in the WBO in March 2023. Meleisea lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Personal life

Meleisea has tattoos on her legs called a

Malu is a word in the Samoan language for a female-specific tattoo of cultural significance. The covers the legs from just below the knee to the upper thighs just below the buttocks, and is typically finer and delicate in design compared to the , ...

as part of her Samoan heritage. The tattoo took 10 hours in over 5 days at a young age.

Professional boxing titles

New Zealand Professional Boxing Association New Zealand Professional Boxing Association (NZPBA) is one of the four Sport governing body, governing bodies for the sport of professional boxing in New Zealand. NZPBA is a non-profit organisation. History The body was founded as South Pacific B ...

**New Zealand National female heavyweight title (198 ''Ibs'') *Universal Boxing Federation **UBF Asia pacific female heavyweight title (198 ''Ibs'') * Pro Box NZ **New Zealand National female heavyweight title (216½ ''Ibs'')

Combat record

Boxing record

MMA record

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Auckland, New Zealand Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, , - , Win , style="text-align:center;" , 1–0 , Jade Snare , KO (Punches) , Princesses of Pain 46 , , style="text-align:center;" , 1 , style="text-align:center;" , 0:18 ,

Awards and recognitions

* New Zealand Boxing Awards **2019 Gladrap Boxing Awards Best looking female boxer of the year (Nominated) **2019 Gladrap Boxing Awards Female Boxer of the Year (Nominated) **2019 Gladrap Boxing Awards Returning Boxer of the Year (Won) ** 2023 New Zealand Fight of the year (Won)

References

External links

Alrie Meleisea Awakening Fighters Profile
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Alrie Meleisea Women Boxing Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meleisea, Alrie 1992 births Living people Martial artists from Auckland New Zealand women boxers Boxers from Auckland Heavyweight boxers New Zealand sportspeople of Samoan descent 21st-century New Zealand sportswomen