Uncut Diamond Daniella
Daniella Smith – the most famous NZ sportswoman – that you’ve probably never heard of. A single mum from Kaikohe who rose to become boxing champion of the world.
Episodes
In a sports-mad country - why has no-one heard of Daniella Smith? One-time Welterweight Boxing Champion of the World. The single mother from Kaikohe overcame male prejudice and all the odds to become the very best. Daniella dreamed and won big, then lost herself. Taking the world title, then watching her own world fall apart.
So, who’s going to tell my story? Daniella dismisses all the other contenders and takes over the mic. Telling how she rocked up to the Maritime Boxing Gym – a male bastion in the late 90’s – welcomed in, she found whānau and her future as a fighting wahine.
Content warning: contains discussion of sensitive themes like suicide.
If you need help, you can free call or text 1737 to speak to a trained counsellor.
One fight and Daniella was hooked. 40 amateur bouts and five gold medals later she was ready to turn professional. Boxing experts were comparing her to one of the American greats – The Coalminers Daughter, but how would she go in the ring when the stakes got higher.
Two greats would inspire Daniella to greatness. The first, a household name – Sugar Ray Leonard, who told her to make boxing her life. The second – rugby league legend Monty Betham - chasing her around Auckland Domain like a man possessed. In this episode, Daniella describes sacrifices she had to make to achieve her dreams.
Daniella’s won the fight of her life against Jennifer Retzke for the IBF Welterweight World Championship. Her heroic arrival back to Auckland is overtaken by a deep sense of sadness. She struggles to accept her sudden fame and hard-won success. Then a moment of reckoning - Daniella, the world champ, has to get on a plane to South Africa to defend her title. One fighter will end up on the canvas.
Daniella Smith has poured everything into her dream of becoming the best boxer in the world. And made it. But what now? Retirement, one of her old boxing foes says, is to stop being a fighter and go back to being an ordinary woman. How will she cope? Working with women who've experienced domestic violence triggers some old memories. Then out of the blue - a trip to Las Vegas.
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.