Kitione Lave [SEP] date of death
Kitione Lave
Lavemai Kitione Takitau (16 April 1934 – 2 June 2006), who fought under the name Kitione Lave, was a Tongan heavyweight boxer. At the age of 18 he became the South Pacific heavyweight champion and in 1956 he unsuccessfully challenged Joe Bygraves for the vacant Commonwealth title. A heavy hitting fighter, with the vast majority of his victories ending in knockouts, he was known as The Tongan Torpedo. After retiring from boxing he had a brief career as a professional wrestler.
Personal history.
Lave
retiring from boxing, whilst in Britain and Singapore, he took up professional wrestling. Once he had completed his time with the RAF, Lave became a successful nightclub owner running an establishment in Sheffield. He and Patricia moved to New Zealand in 1971 where he attempted to run a casino, but with little success. Lave died after a long illness at a rest home in Beach Haven in 2006.
Boxing career.
Boxing career Early career.
Kitione Lave began his boxing career as a teenager on the island of Vava'u