Two of our best men's amateur boxers won't be at the London Olympics after superheavyweight Joseph Parker and middleweight Joseph Blackbourn both lost their bouts at the Oceania Boxing Championships in Canberra.
Aucklander Parker was upset on points by New Zealand-based Tongan rival Uaine "Junior" Fa in their quarter-final at the Olympic qualifying event, while two-time Oceania winner Blackbourn of Wellington also lost his quarter on points to tough Australian Jesse Ross.
Local heavyweight David Light did go through to the semi-finals, after his Tongan opponent Filipe Kava was disqualified.
The other four New Zealand boxers had byes into the semi-finals, doing them no favours in preparations for their bids to become the first boxers from this country to compete at the Games since Athens in 2004.
