The Beast has answered. Peato vs Vatuvei is on.

Charlie Peato picked up his phone, pointed it at himself and called out Manu Vatuvei. The Beast answered in 4 words. Peato vs Vatuvei is the main event at BOTC4, Mercury Baypark, Saturday 14 November, presented by BBM Ultimate Fitness.

The call out

Peato plays his league for the Ngongotaha Chiefs, 1 of the 10 Bay of Plenty clubs fighting for the $10,000 on the BOTC4 card. He is not a footy player trying boxing for a laugh. He has 11 professional kickboxing fights behind him.

The video was raw, filmed on a phone and posted by his club with a simple instruction to the rest of the Bay: tag him up so he sees this, and get The Beast to the Bay.

The answer

It got to him. Vatuvei put up his reply and tagged us in it.

"Send me the contract."

So we did. The fight is signed and locked in.

The Beast

Vatuvei needs no introduction to anyone who watched league in this country. He played 226 games for the Warriors between 2004 and 2017 and scored 152 tries, more than anyone in the club's history. He came through the Otara Scorpions and played 29 tests for the Kiwis.

In the ring he is 3 wins and 1 loss. That loss was on our card. Matt Matich beat him on points at BOTC Northland in Whangarei in August, in front of a sold-out McKay Stadium. Baypark is his first fight since, and he has been back in the gym with a point to prove.

Why this fight

Peato is fighting for his club, in his own region, in front of a crowd that will have driven over from Rotorua to see him do it. He called the biggest name available and the biggest name said yes. Vatuvei comes to the Bay off his first loss, against a man with real time in a ring and nothing to lose by taking him on.

That is what the main event at a BOTC show is for. The club fights carry the night. The main event is the one the whole room stops for.

General admission is $80 and ringside tables of 10 start at $2,100. Tickets are on sale now.