Paula Mataele
Encyclopedia
Paula Mataele is a Tongan
-New Zealand
super heavyweight
kickboxer and heavyweight
boxer
fighting out of Mejiro Gym
in Amsterdam
, Netherlands
. He fighting was the K-1 Fighting Network Romania finalist in 2007 .
. He had an extensive amateur boxing
career before he turned pro in 2002, and was a part of Team Tua working as David Tua
's sparring partner.
Mataele had 4 pro boxing bouts in New Zealand
before moving to Las Vegas
in 2003 to train with Ray Sefo
at his Fighting Academy, a year later he moved back to Auckland
and started kickboxing
. Despite the fact that he had only four weeks of kickboxing training, he made his K-1
debut at K-1 Battle of Anzacs 2004 on 23 April 2004 and knocked out his opponent Darren Berry in 49 seconds.
After going 6-0, including a technical knockout win over Ricardo van den Bos
, Mataele tasted defeat for the first time at the hands of veteran fighter Jason Suttie
at K-1 Kings of Oceania 2005 Round 2 in August 2005. This would be the beginning of a five-fight losing streak. He bounced back at K-1 Fighting Network Romania 2007 on 4 May 2007 by reaching the final of the eight-man tournament. He had defeated Sebastian Chira and Adnan Redžović
, respectively, before being knocked out by Brecht Wallis
.
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
-New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
super heavyweight
Super heavyweight
In amateur boxing, the super heavyweight division is a weight class division for fighters weighing in excess of 91 kilograms . Introduced for the 1984 Summer Olympics, the division, despite its grandiose name, is merely the amateur equivalent of the professional heavyweight division...
kickboxer and heavyweight
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
fighting out of Mejiro Gym
Mejiro Gym
Mejiro Gym is a kickboxing gym headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The gym is considered the "birthplace" of Dutch kickboxing.-History:...
in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. He fighting was the K-1 Fighting Network Romania finalist in 2007 .
Biography and career
Paula was born in Auckland, New Zealand on 30 June 1977. His first name is pronounced Pola in the Tongan languageTongan language
Tongan is an Austronesian language spoken in Tonga. It has around 200,000 speakers and is a national language of Tonga. It is a VSO language.-Related languages:...
. He had an extensive amateur boxing
Amateur boxing
Amateur boxing is practised at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games, and in many other venues sponsored by amateur boxing associations. Amateur boxing bouts are short in duration and fighters wear head protection, so this type of competition prizes point-scoring rather...
career before he turned pro in 2002, and was a part of Team Tua working as David Tua
David Tua
David "Tuamanator" Tua is a New Zealand professional heavyweight boxer, fighting out of South Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.He is a former WBO Asia Pacific and WBO Oriental Heavyweight champion....
's sparring partner.
Mataele had 4 pro boxing bouts in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
before moving to Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
in 2003 to train with Ray Sefo
Ray Sefo
"Sugar" Ray Sefo is a New Zealand kickboxer, boxer and mixed martial artist. He is five time Muay Thai World champion and eight time K-1 World Grand Prix Finals tournament participant, currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada and training with Xtreme Couture.He holds notable wins in the K-1 over...
at his Fighting Academy, a year later he moved back to Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
and started kickboxing
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
. Despite the fact that he had only four weeks of kickboxing training, he made his K-1
K-1
K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...
debut at K-1 Battle of Anzacs 2004 on 23 April 2004 and knocked out his opponent Darren Berry in 49 seconds.
After going 6-0, including a technical knockout win over Ricardo van den Bos
Ricardo van den Bos
Ricardo van den Bos is a Dutch Muay Thai kickboxer from Zwolle. He fought for the WBC Muay Thai heavyweight title in 2007, but lost by TKO to Shane del Rosario. As of January 2011, he is currently the 20th ranked WBC Muay Thai heavyweight. -Kickboxing record:-External links:*...
, Mataele tasted defeat for the first time at the hands of veteran fighter Jason Suttie
Jason Suttie
Jason "Psycho" Suttie is a Samoan-born New Zealand former heavyweight kickboxer and 6 time Muay Thai World champion fighting out of Elite Thai Kickboxing Gym in Auckland, New Zealand.-Biography and career:...
at K-1 Kings of Oceania 2005 Round 2 in August 2005. This would be the beginning of a five-fight losing streak. He bounced back at K-1 Fighting Network Romania 2007 on 4 May 2007 by reaching the final of the eight-man tournament. He had defeated Sebastian Chira and Adnan Redžović
Adnan Redžović
Adnan "Bosnian Lion" Redžović is a Bosnian Super Heavyweight kickboxer, boxer, and WKA Thaiboxing European and world champion. He is trained by Jasmin Erović and fighting out of Sports Club Gladijator, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina...
, respectively, before being knocked out by Brecht Wallis
Brecht Wallis
Brecht "The Gentle Giant" Wallis is a Belgian retired kickboxer.-Career and biography:Brecht Wallis started training in judo at the age of 12 and a few years later moved on to Muay Thai...
.
Titles
- 2007 K-1 Fighting Network Romania Runner Up
- New Zealand Amateur Super Heavyweight Champion
Boxing record
| Boxing record | |
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Legend: |
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Kickboxing record
| Kickboxing record | |
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Legend: |
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See also
- List of kickboxing organizations
- List of male kickboxers
- List of K-1 Events