Tonga vs Samoa 2! The big fight!

My options are: Stay home and listen to BBC reruns on the Peace Corps issued transistor radio... OR... Go watch the prize fight between Tonga and Samoa!

{Last Week}

I hang out in town and talk to the locals as I expand my community knowledge. There is a table set up outside a local pool hall were a group of Tongans promote their fights. Don King is nowhere to be seen. I usually chat with them, as they are a gregarious group, and they really want to see some palangis (foreigners) at their events. I commit to 'try' to make it.

The night comes (Saturday the 29th - yes it is already Sunday here in Tonga as I post this). It is pouring and the stadium is many miles away on the most dangerous road in the Kingdom. I leave my sparkling new bicycle at the campground and walk off into the rain. After perhaps a mile I spot a cab and $10 later I see the gates of the country's basketball arena. TOP$20 gets me into the the big event!

I buy a couple of bags of locally grown peanuts from a little kid (TOP$1 each). They are great.

The crowd is mostly men and a fair number of kids. We are all in a good mood and having a ball.

Since this is Tonga we start with a lengthy lotu (prayer), some hymns and musical entertainment. Then a bunch or amateur events. They are fun and we get one knock out.

I think I am the only white face in the place but I am wrong! They announce that a Palangi will referee the next fight. It turns out this is a joke. There is a Tongan referee who has sprayed his hair (afro style) with bright yellow hair dye and is masquerading as a palangi. What great fun!

The the professionals matches (2). The Samoans come out wrapped in a Samoan flag, the Tongans draped in theirs. We stand for the national anthems and the Samoan wipes up the Tongan in the first match.

Then for the title fight. The Tongan is the current heavyweight champion. I'm not sure of what, but I think some sort of South Pacific region. In an unanimous decision the Tongan retains his title!

So now it is about 10PM, dark, raining, and I am many miles from my campsite. I chat with some youth as I try to hitch a ride into town. They live here, but standing in the rain talking with a Peace Corps is good fun and beats walking home. They try to help, but no luck. Finally a car pulls up! Two women and their sleeping kids. I ask to be dropped at the bypass road (less than a mile from where I sleep) but they insist on taking me to my door. They are from a small village and their last Peace Corps Volunteer was also from Texas. She was 26 and left in August. Nice ladies.

We have boxing here on a regular basis. I'm gonna try to get a couple of the guys to join me next time. I will keep looking for Don King in the crowd!