According to royal Hawaiian historians around the latter half of the 18th century, a Kaua’i king got together with an O’ahu king and invaded the Big Island off the shores of Waipio Valley and engaged in a ferocious sea battle
According to royal Hawaiian historians around the latter half of the 18th century, a Kaua’i king got together with an O’ahu king and invaded the Big Island off the shores of Waipio Valley and engaged in a ferocious sea battle with the warriors of a 7-foot king named Kamehameha.
Cannons manned by haole seaman on both sides splintered canoes and after the smoke cleared, Kamehameha got the win.
Last week in the 21st century, Kameha Balmores of Lawai zipped to Keeau on the Big Island by jet instead of canoe and whipped a warrior from Kona named Troy Hartman.
It took Balmores just about 10 years to get from the boxing gym to a real match.
During the 10 years, he had at least two professions, built a house, had a shoulder operation and escaped marriage twice.
He was an active professional surfer, an occupation which had brought him to the shores of France and South Africa. He was ranked as high as the top 10 percent in surfing.
According to his boxing coach,” Kameha was a pleasure to train because of his natural ability and his professional work ethic. But it was hard to get him into an actual match. Something always came up. It was worth the wait though when he finally fought.”
Hartman emerged as the best of the novice welterweights at this year’s state tournament in January. He went 2-0.
He was slated to meet Alonzo Barajas of Barking Sands but Barajas couldn’t get off work.
Spectators at the fight thought Balmores gave Hartman a boxing lesson while winning the decision.
Now Balmores is the best of the novice welterweights.
His coach said, “Kameha is actually a junior welterweight and not a full fledged welterweight like Hartman. You could tell when the first short left hook Hartman connected with bounced Kameha on his okole and I thought it was all over.”
The coach added, “Kameha came back though and dug some good shots to the body setting up a great overhand right to the head in the third round. I noticed Troy didn’t have to suffer from punches to the body at all in his two victories and had Kameha practicing body shots after body shots.”
Before the decision was announced, Hartman put up a display of twisting backflips an cartwheels never before seen west of the Hamakua coast. Later Hartman seemed simply amazed that the home town decision this time went to the invader from Kaua’i as opposed to what happened slightly over two hundred years ago when the invading king of Kaua’i lost to Kamehameha.
Hartman might try and stay away from guys named Kameha or Kamehameha.
