By Dan Parker
With the ‘H’ in Whanganui on the line, 700 interested locals paid for the privilege of watching the 'River King' bout between former mayor Michael Laws and Maori activist Ken Mair last night.
Mr Mair had predicted big things for himself before the fight but Mr Laws proved to be a tough opponent to break down.
Mr Laws had played the good guy before the fight, but as soon as he entered the Whanganui War Memorial Hall he went back to being the villain.
Both fighters quickly got into their work with the crowd cheering on Maori Party vice-president Mair, who had predicted a first round knock out.
With his plan failing to succeed, however, Mr Mair appeared to show frustration in the second round as he wrestled Mr Laws to the ground and landed a cheap shot.
The third and final two minute round saw both fighters land some telling blows, with Mr Mair using his power and Mr Laws exploiting his height and reach.
With no knock out coming the match went down to points and the bout was scored as a draw.
The fight raised $50,000 for the Earthquake relief.
3 News