Sideline Sid Sports correspondent & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

The selection of a Western Bay of Plenty boxer to compete at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham is further testament to the coaching qualities of the Tauranga Boxing Club Head Coach, Chris Walker.

Ariane Nicholson has risen from a novice corporate boxer to fighting in an event that ranks just below the Olympics and World Championships in stature.

Along the way the TBC fighter has won three successive Boxing New Zealand National titles along with international titles in Darwin and Adelaide in Australia.

In early 2020 Ariane had a shot at qualifying for the Olympics held at the Asia/Oceania Olympic qualifying tournament in Amman, Jordan.

Boxing against a Mongolian opponent, the Kiwi Welterweight went within a whisker of progressing into contention for an Olympic berth but lost with a 3-2 split decision.

Standing in Nicholson's corner every step of the way in her eight year boxing journey is Coach Walker who, since hanging up his competition gloves in the early 1990's, has fashioned a stunning training record.

Ariane Nicholson has become the fourth of Chris Walker's charges to earn Commonwealth Games selection.

Chris Walker's first Commonwealth Games representative could have been straight out of one of the Tui 'Yeah Right' ads.

In 1996 Walker's older brother Robbie' walked into the Walker family boxing gym in Rotorua and said he wanted to make a comeback and box at the Commonwealth Games in two years' time.

Robbie Walker's proposed comeback was on the back of a solitary senior season in the ring (during 1991) after a successful junior career that ended in the early 1980's.

Hard work under the tutelage of Chris Walker and a dogged determination saw Robbie Walker earn a berth at the 1998 Commonwealth Games held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

On the way Robbie Walker was awarded the National Championships' big prize of the Jameson Belt and the best boxer award at a Trans-Tasman tournament.

Fast forward ten years and Coach Walker is well established at his Tauranga Boxing Club headquarters with Dave Aloua and Anthony Taylor- two promising pugilists in his stable of boxers.

Aloua would go on to win the glamour Heavyweight National title in 2009 and 2010 with Taylor and earned the Light Welterweight crown in 2008 and 2010.

On the back of their impressive run of form the Tauranga Boxing Club pair were selected for the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi, India.

In addition to his four Commonwealth Games representatives, Chris Walker has trained Kelly Woolrich, Katie Flyger, and Michelle Nuku to senior national titles.

He also trained Hannah Walker, Michael Crossa and Te Kehu Kerr to age-group crowns.

International success has come with Justin Potter and Kelly Woolrich winning Oceania titles, Ariane Nicholson's Arafura Games and Trans-Tasman Super Eight crowns, and Dave Aloua receiving a Commonwealth Championships Bronze Medal.

The good news is that the Tauranga Boxing Club currently has a solid complement of promising talent, and junior boxing classes are bulging at the seams.

It would seem that the Tauranga Boxing Club journey of success is poised to continue well into the future.