We end season one of THE CANVAS with another chapter from the life of the same fighter we began our journey with: DAVID ‘THE GREAT WHITE’ LIGHT.

Following a world title shot against England’s Lawrence Okolie, Light had a stroke that unfortunately put him out of boxing for good. In a poignant tribute to the GREAT WHITE, we present his penultimate fight against U.S. based BRANDON ‘BULLETPROOF’ GLANTON, in David’s words offering listeners a fascinating insight into what goes through a top-level fighter’s mind, not just while they are training, but round by round in what turned out to be a brutal, defining encounter.

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Combat sports is a system - that attracts people wanting to make flesh the war already raging within them, so they can better understand this war, and what it may take to win it.

In round 7 of THE CANVAS, we will walk the battlefield, join this quest, through the story of AYISHA ABIED - the 23-year-old Palestinian/ Kiwi, who, after being bullied as a schoolkid, transformed herself into a kickboxer and pro-boxer. And we meet three of her toughest opponents, IBO super bantamweight World Champion Mea Motu, street-brawler Wendy Talbot, and Indigenous Australian boxer and songbird, Shanell Dargan.

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CHRIS EASLEY is UK born British, European and World Jujitsu champion, and a pioneer of Mixed Martial Arts in Aotearoa. To pioneer anything in the fight game you need to inflict pain, fight through pain, render people unconscious, be rendered unconscious, and draw blood, though normally not your own. Chris was left bloody and bruised by unquestionably his toughest opponent on a cold morning at Muriwai beach: himself. At his lowest point, Chris would go on to learn that a fight can turn on a single punch, and in a moving episode of THE CANVAS, we hear how an old warrior put to bed the demons of his past to create a bright new future.

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We continue the story of Lolo Heimuli, through the next generation: Lolo’s students, JASON SUTTIE, NEIL WAKA, and RAY ‘SUGARFOOT’ SEFO, who took the wisdom imparted to them in a crumbling, former church storeroom in Balmoral (Balmoral Lee Gar), and used it to bring their distinctive flavor of carnage to the unrivalled kickboxing competition in the mid 90’s: the star making K1.  

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In the first of a spirited two-parter, we dig deep into New Zealand fight history, exploring the earliest days of kickboxing and the establishment of Muay Thai in  Aotearoa through the fight careers of trainer of champions LOLO HEIMULI and training-partner, friend and master-coach in his own right, WAYNE VAEGA who, along with their mentor, SIFU PHILIP LAM, actively encouraged a fusion of  styles that sowed the seeds for the dynamic fight scene we have today.  

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Manchester-raised MICHELLE PRESTON, is a 5x Muay Thai world champion, who is now electrifying audiences in the world of female boxing. A fearless combatant who for a time would fight anyone, we trace her meteoric rise in the world of Muay Thai and her special bond with coach, 6x Muay Thai world champion JASON ‘PSYCHO’ SUTTIE, before diving into the dark tale of the identity crises that gripped her in retirement - a challenge some boxers do not survive - and one that, in Michelle’s case, sent her back into the ring.

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Ever wondered what it truly takes to command the stage as a fight night MC? An attention to detail, the uncanny ability to recall and pronounce names, and presence enough to avert catastrophe after an unpopular decision sees all Hell break loose! Luckily for Christchurch raised former Muay Thai fighter ISAAC SAVAGE, he can boast the hat-trick, plus a colourful history to boot, which includes a gothic life-or-death showdown in an isolated Kiwi shearing shed.   

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THE CANVAS podcast gloves up for a blow-by-blow account of the early career of DAVID 'THE GREAT WHITE' LIGHT, a cruiserweight who clinched a Commonwealth silver medal, and fought his way into world title contention. Unlike many of his peers, David was the heir to a millionaire’s fortune, a blueblood in a world of streetfighters. So, what drove this young man to exchange a silver spoon for a mouth guard, and get hit in the face for a living?

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At The Canvas we're not so interested in records, stats, analysis of a fighter's technique. There are plenty of shows out there that do that and could no doubt do it better. We want to get inside the heads of fighters - the battle behind the battle - to understand both what sets them apart and what links them to you and I. 

The Canvas launches May the 1st