Soulan Pownceby
Encyclopedia
Soulan James Pownceby is a New Zealand
boxer
, rated by TVNZ in 2004 as one of New Zealand's most exciting talents since David Tua
. He is also notable for convictions for assault and manslaughter.
light-heavyweight title, Pownceby also holds the World Boxing Organisation light-heavyweight title. He fought Togasilamai Letoa in what was an epic 12 round fight. He is ranked 5 in New Zealand's pound for pound record.
Pownceby was charged with murder, however the jury at his murder trial ruled that he was not guilty of murder
but was guilty of manslaughter
. Powceby was sentenced to four years in jail.
Following his release in 1998, Pownceby converted to Catholicism
. During the period 1998 to 2000, Pownceby was convicted of four violent assaults. One of these assaults was committed against an unnamed woman.
with a Bachelor of Sport - Coaching and is currently half way through sociology studies at Auckland University. Pownceby also donated his first professional boxing purse to child cancer.
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...
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...
, rated by TVNZ in 2004 as one of New Zealand's most exciting talents since 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....
. He is also notable for convictions for assault and manslaughter.
Amateur success
As an amateur, Pownceby's power skill and determination made him one of the Kiwi's main hopes for a boxing medal in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth games. Pownceby has an impressive amateur record having won numerous New Zealand gold medals as a middle weight, light-heavy weight and heavy weight. He was also selected for the 2004 Athens Olympics and was the only boxer to represent New Zealand.Professional career
As a professional Pownceby has already made history, being the first Kiwi to win a World Title in New Zealand, fighting Joel Casey. Soulan Pownceby, who is ranked 9th in the July 2010 WBO light heavyweight rankings, was in superb form and won well over 12 rounds. Along with the World Boxing FoundationWorld Boxing Foundation
The World Boxing Foundation was formed in 2004 to sanction championship boxing contests but has a history dating back to 1988 via its predecessor the World Boxing Federation...
light-heavyweight title, Pownceby also holds the World Boxing Organisation light-heavyweight title. He fought Togasilamai Letoa in what was an epic 12 round fight. He is ranked 5 in New Zealand's pound for pound record.
Convictions
On 19 October 1994, Pownceby killed his five month old daughter Jeanette Rikihana. Despite claiming to Police that he had dropped her in the shower, the post-mortem revealed "horrendous injuries - severe bruising to the head, including a cracked skull, and internal bruising."Pownceby was charged with murder, however the jury at his murder trial ruled that he was not guilty of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
but was guilty of manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
. Powceby was sentenced to four years in jail.
Following his release in 1998, Pownceby converted to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
. During the period 1998 to 2000, Pownceby was convicted of four violent assaults. One of these assaults was committed against an unnamed woman.
New path
Pownceby has faced numerous difficulties throughout his life. His father, a United States Navy serviceman, has never acknowledged him, his sister was murdered by her partner in 1990, and his mother died of cancer in 1993. Pownceby was jailed in 1995 for four years for the manslaughter of his 5-month-old daughter. He was later convicted of four separate assaults committed after his release from prison, including one on a woman. In 2004 Pownceby said he could not change the past, but that he was "trying to be the best person I can be". Since then Pownceby has graduated from UnitecUnitec
Unitec may refer to:*Unitec Institute of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand*Universidad Tecnológica de México, Mexico City, Mexico*Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, Honduras...
with a Bachelor of Sport - Coaching and is currently half way through sociology studies at Auckland University. Pownceby also donated his first professional boxing purse to child cancer.