LANI D ANIELS Warrior woman

The world champion boxer from a tiny Northland village opens up about the childhood tragedy that led her to drink and drugs, and the sport that saved her life.

- JUDY BAILEY

They call her “the Smiling Assassin”, this beautiful Ngāti Hine athlete from the tiny Northland settlement of Pipiwai, deep in the Te Horo Valley.

I suspect the title doesn’t sit well with her. Lani Daniels is, without a doubt, a wahine toa, a strong, brave female warrior. She is also the world light heavyweight boxing champion – a title she gained late last year after a sizzler of a fight with Australia’s Desley Robinson, a woman taller and heavier than her, with a longer reach.

Commentators marvelled at 35-year-old Lani’s meticulous boxing, her resilience, her toughness and her stamina. She was, they said, fighting out of her skin. Out of the ring, though, the other side of her is there for all to see. She is humble, empathetic and genuinely concerned about the welfare of others. There’s no pretence about Lani. She’s remarkably open and honest during our chat.

She confides that in her first big fight, her opponent looked intimidating and even owned her own gym. But Lani was surprised to find that when she jabbed her rival, she managed to turn her around and quickly get the better of her.

“I felt mean,” she confesses. “I didn’t want to hit her. I felt bad.”

Lani says she’s had to work hard to find the aggression needed in the ring. And while she’s a naturally gifted boxer, success hasn’t come easy. In fact, it’s been a tough ride.

Born Te Arani Moana Daniels, Lani is the sixth of Agnes and Mike Daniels’ nine children. She’s lived in Pipiwai pretty much her whole life. The family land is covered in fruit trees, and there are sheep, cattle and pigs, plus paddocks of potatoes. As children, she and her many cousins roamed the valley.