Mea Motu will fight anyone.
But her team has found many women were not as obliging.
Mea Motu, right, is attempting to win her third national title. Pictured she is fighting Michaela Jenkins. Photo: Supplied
The professional boxer could make history on Saturday by becoming the first female boxer to hold national titles in three different weight divisions.
Motu, who fights out of Peach Boxing, is already the New Zealand super lightweight and lightweight champion and will fight Ayisha Abied for the vacant NZPBC featherweight title.
Motu was naturally a super bantamweight but said the "only way" she could get a regular bout in New Zealand was to fight in heavier divisions.
"When I'm actually fighting I don't realise that they are bigger than me, it's not until after I finish fighting," Motu said.
"I always feel like I'm the bigger one because I'm so dominant.
"I'm expecting them to hurt me and I've never been hurt yet, I've only been hurt in sparring by my sparring partner."
Motu said her strength was both mental and physical.
"Me being the smaller one I've really got to be smart about it and the good thing is is I'm conditioned for that."
Motu has met Abied in the ring twice before.
Both fights were won by Motu by unanimous decision and she was wary of Abied coming out strong in their third encounter.
"I've been working overtime because I know 100 percent she will be coming with a different game plan and she'll be just as hungry as me."
The 32-year-old from Kaitaia reluctantly turned professional a year ago at coach Isaac Peach's prompting and said it was a decision she did not regret.
With a 10-0 record it could be hard for Peach to find Motu a fight.
"He just loves to keep me active and just wants me to keep growing to be a better fighter and it's hard when he's constantly calling out for girls to fight and they turn us down and he's just so gutted...it's so frustrating, it almost feels like they want to pick and choose their fighters whereas with me I'll fight anyone I just wanna fight, that's the only way to get better," Motu said.
Mea Motu warming up. Photo: Supplied
Drawn to boxing at a young age, after following her Mum into sport, Motu was not always as dedicated in the ring as an amateur as she was now.
"I was just in and out and never really took it seriously. I would take it seriously for a year and then I would just muck around.
"I had kids so that took a lot away from me so I focussed on going in and out of boxing when I felt like it."
But Peach's insistence that Motu was "born to be a pro fighter" made her switch her focus.
The mother of five, aged from teenagers to toddlers, was just getting started and believed 2022 would be a turning point for her professional career.
The likely opening up of international borders, especially with Australia, meant a bigger pool of boxers to challenge in her preferred weight division of super bantamweight and she hoped for more opportunities further abroad.
Before she can head overseas she has secured a fight against Baby Nansen on a main card event at Eden Park.
It will be the first time a professional boxing event will be held at the stadium.
The pair will face off in an eight-round bout for the vacant NZPBC women's super featherweight title.
Nansen is one of New Zealand's most experienced female fighters, having competed as a boxer, kickboxer, and mixed martial artist.
"This is the fight that me and my team have always wanted. This will definitely put me up in the rankings fighting her and this is what I wanted - to fight the best," Motu said.
