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<\/p>\nON the outskirts of Vunavutu Village in Nadroga, a humble verandah echoes with the rhythmic thud of fists on worn-out punching bags.<\/p>\n
The equipment is patched. The gym improvised, and the resources scarce. But the dreams forged here are anything but small.<\/p>\n
At the heart of this humble sports establishment stands Aliki Temo Kolitapa, a man who lost sight in one eye but never lost his vision for the future.<\/p>\n
From Nasau, Moce in Lau, with maternal links to Tubou in Lakeba, Temo\u2019s journey through boxing is not solely about sport.<\/p>\n
It is a story of redemption and belief in the fact that even the most unlikely places can spawn champions.<\/p>\n
A childhood spark<\/p>\n
Temo\u2019s love for boxing began long before he stepped into a ring.<\/p>\n
Growing up, he would watch his father train at home. The sight of boxing gloves fascinated him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to sit there and watch my dad,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething about those gloves caught my attention. I didn\u2019t know it then, but that was where my journey started.\u201d<\/p>\n
His passion deepened during his school days at Lelean Memorial School in Nausori.<\/p>\n
After school, boxing soon became more than just curiosity. It became purpose.<\/p>\n
The night that changed everything<\/p>\n
At 24, Temo\u2019s life took a devastating turn.<\/p>\n
He lost the sight in his right eye following a brawl in a nightclub, a moment he now openly shares with young people as a cautionary tale.<\/p>\n
\u201cI speak from a place of vulnerability,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat one decision changed my life. I tell the youths I train today to make wise choices. Don\u2019t waste the talents God has given you.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the time, Temo was active in both volleyball and boxing. The injury ended his volleyball career almost immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t receive the ball properly or do my killer spikes anymore,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoxing too became dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unable to see fully, every fight carried the risk of further injury. Still, the fighter in him refused to quit.<\/p>\n
Fighting with one eye<\/p>\n
After taking a 12-month break, Temo returned to the ring.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor years I boxed with one eye,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my heart I knew I still wanted to pursue my dreams. My blind eye wasn\u2019t not going to stop me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The decision to continue with the sport was risky, but it paid off. He travelled around Fiji and the Pacific, competing and earning medals along the way.<\/p>\n
But when he eventually turned professional, doctors had to intervene.<\/p>\n
They warned him that continuing with the sport could cost him his remaining good eye.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I had to retire,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was heartbreaking because I never reached the level I wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a moment, it seemed the sport that shaped his life had been taken away.<\/p>\n
But God had another plan.<\/p>\n
A new calling: Butterfly Boxing Club<\/p>\n
Instead of leaving boxing behind, Temo decided to pass it on.<\/p>\n
He established the Butterfly Boxing Club (BBC) in Nadroga in 2014, a grassroots initiative aimed at mentoring young people through sport.<\/p>\n
The club operates on a simple principle: all classes are free.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur motto is simple,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWork very hard and God will reward you.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Temo, the gym is about far more than teaching boxing skills.<\/p>\n
It is about guiding young people away from destructive paths.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrugs are destroying the lives of our young people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI use my own failures to teach them. I tell them I didn\u2019t reach my dream \u2014 but they still can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Training with almost nothing<\/p>\n
The BBC gym is as humble as it gets.<\/p>\n
Students train with torn punching bags stitched together multiple times. Skipping ropes are sometimes the same ropes used to tether animals. Cement blocks double as dumbbells.<\/p>\n
Yet inside this makeshift gym lives fierce determination.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have much,\u201d Temo admitted.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we have passion, raw talent and lots of hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sometimes people mock the setup.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe become the laughing stock,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople see our gym and the struggles we face and they try to discourage us.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Temo refuses to focus on what they lack.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tell my members not to focus on what we don\u2019t have but what we can achieve with the little we have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Producing champions<\/p>\n
Against the odds, the club has already produced results.<\/p>\n
Boxers from Butterfly Boxing Club have represented Fiji and competed at the Pacific and Oceania Games. Members have also fought internationally and even won a NSW State boxing title.<\/p>\n
For Temo, these achievements prove that determination can overcome limited resources.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we don\u2019t put in the hard yards, even the best gym in the world is useless,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if we give 100 percent, we can achieve the same results as those with the best facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The role of faith and family Behind Temo stands another important figure \u2014 his wife Visila, who is also a boxer.<\/p>\n
Together they run the club and support the young athletes who come through their doors.<\/p>\n
\u201cCoaching young people is not easy,\u201d Temo said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes I get angry and chase them away from the verandah that we use as a gym.\u201d<\/p>\n
But they always return.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of them are rejected at home or disowned by their families,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cI promised God that my club would remain free to help disadvantaged children.\u201d<\/p>\n
A dream passed on<\/p>\n
These days, Temo\u2019s biggest hope rests with the next generation, including his own daughter, Merewalesi.<\/p>\n
She is now training with hopes of one day competing at the Olympics.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf she qualifies, she\u2019ll be the first in my family to reach that level,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat would be a notch up.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a man whose own boxing career was cut short, it would represent something even bigger \u2014 the continuation of a dream.<\/p>\n
Fighting forward<\/p>\n
Temo often reminds his students that greatness does not come from comfort.<\/p>\n
He points to one of boxing\u2019s greatest champions for inspiration.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Manny Pacquiao can eat rice and one glass of water once a day and still win gold,\u201d he said, \u201cthen members of Butterfly Boxing Club in Vunavutu can do it too.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Temo, success is not about expensive gyms or fancy equipment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all in the hand, the heart and the head,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Not just boxers but better lives too!<\/p>\n
A family of boxers\u2026.the Kolitapa family at their makeshift gym in Vunavutu, Nadroga. Picture: JOHN KAMEA<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/box4_91418.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Temo Kolitapa talks to The Sunday Times. Picture: JOHN KAMEA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ON the outskirts of Vunavutu Village in Nadroga, a humble verandah echoes with the rhythmic thud of fists…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":526090,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[571],"tags":[64,63,802,85],"class_list":["post-526089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-boxing","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=526089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526089\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/526090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}