by Julian Raethel

Joseph Parker is the one who grabs the boxing headlines but his cousin may soon enter the national conscience too.

Pelea Fruean, 15, is Parker's younger cousin and is continuing the family's journey into the ring.

"I love watching him fight. I see him fight and it inspires me," she says.

The Auckland secondary school student attends One Tree Hill College and first put on the gloves when she was 12. She used to work out with her towering cousin.

Three years on and Pelea is training every weekday at Box Fit Gym Panmure, both before and after school.

The most appealing thing about the sport is the hard work you have to put in, she says.

"It's the hunger to win, the hunger to get in the ring."

Pelea's trainer and former New Zealand champion Regan Foley says his young fighter had hardly thrown a punch before she walked into the world of boxing.

"She's got a lot of potential and natural ability," Foley says.

"If she sticks with it, she's got the flair...the way I want her to look at boxing is not just to win a medal every year, I want her to win everything."

Pelea's record of 7-0 made waves when she scored a points decision victory in New Caledonia against a local boxer on the undercard of a pro fight.

That day Pelea was far from the fan favourite, in what she can only describe as a "surreal" experience in front of a huge crowd.

"Pelea absolutely cleaned up the girl in New Caledonia and made tidy work of it," Foley says.

"She's quite a focused girl. I only really want to train the dedicated...if they don't want it, don't bother turning up to the gym.";

Team Fruean confidence is high heading to the Fifth Nations Cup tournament in Serbia in January where Pelea will compete in the junior 60kg division.

New Zealand fighters don't usually get invited to these events due to the high nature of competition already around the Adriatic states, Foley says.

"It's cool, she's having a lot of fun with it too."

Pelea's next fight is at Destiny Church, Manukau on November 28.

Visit givealittle.co.nz/cause/help4pelea to help Pelea get to Serbia