On April 27, Mea Motu will be making history as the first woman to headline Fight for Life.
She will be boxing for an IBO Super Bantamweight World Title against Canadian Tania Walters.
But her journey to that bout has been rocky. In her own words, she has survived a nightmare.
"I constantly lived my life with fear," she told Sunday in a calm, steady voice as she recounted a relationship that, at one point, defined her life.
She was married at 17 years old and two babies quickly followed — as did the realisation of her situation.
"It was only mental abuse first, then after my daughter, it became physical abuse. And the first time getting hurt was like, I was in shock, what the heck?"
But her faith kept her there.
"I come from a strong faith and belief in the Lord so I didn't believe in divorce. I thought, 'OK, I'm stuck with this man for the rest of my life.'"
Despite her devotion, her husband's gang connections strengthened and he became increasingly violent.
Lashing out while he was intoxicated, she feared for her life.
"He had like a bat or something, and just started smashing me. My children were in the room so I grabbed them. I said to him, 'Stop, please just stop for a minute'. And he didn't stop."
Trapped in the relationship, she cut herself off from friends and family to hide the reality of what she was going through for as long as she could, but, eventually, her sister Sally Motu says it was noticed.
"It wasn't until the third child was born that I started to pick up that she was going through domestic violence 'cause I used to see her with bruises or in pain," she said.
When Mea's husband was imprisoned for aggravated robbery she left him, taking the kids with her.
But her fresh start really got underway when she walked back into a boxing gym after giving the sport up as a teenager.
Her long-time friend and coach Isaac Peach believes it was a turning point for Motu.
"Boxing saves lives and she needed boxing; boxing was the only way out she had," he said.
In just two short years, the mother of five has gone professional, winning all 15 of her fights, with six knockouts and four national titles to her name.
"Nothing phases Mea, like the horrible stuff she's had to go through and that, in a stupid way, it helped," he said.
"It's a total negative at times mentally but physically, it does help — she's not scared of nothing."
Sally said the family is proud of how far Mea has come.
"It is nice to see she has parted from that past for the benefit of herself and her children because we don't want that to carry on to the next," she said.
As for Mea, the favourite for the title fight, she sees it as her time to shine.
"I'm 100% confident and I'm not letting anyone take it away from me," she said.
"I'm doing this for me. I'm doing it for my kids and I'm doing it for my coach and my team.
"I've never felt so ready."
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