A whole new fight

Lovely hula hands that pack a punch. Melika Souza brings a combination like no one else into the boxing ring.

The 26-year-old’s graceful footwork comes from years of dancing hula and Tahitian; her focus honed by wrestling, jiu jitsu and muay thai; and her mental strength steeled by a recent eight-month tour in Afghanistan.

The Air Force staff sergeant is headed to her first national boxing competition, armed not with the issued weapon she slept with every night of her deployment, but with a humble confidence that could carry her far at the Ringside World Championships that begin July 31 in Kansas City, Mo.

"I’m excited but nervous," said Souza, who fights out of Kawano Boxing Club at Kalakaua Gym. "I want to do well, go on to Golden Gloves and hopefully Armed Forces.

"I’ve only been boxing since 2010. I’m still learning."

The Aiea High graduate and current graduate student at Chaminade has been a quick learner, according to her coach. Stuart Okamura says Souza has the same drive and determination of Kawano’s other elite female boxers: national champions Lisa Ha and Haley Pasion.

"She is super smart, the smartest boxer I’ve ever trained," Okamura said of Souza. "She has excelled super fast. She is built for boxing, she’s long with long arms. Two things you cannot teach are height and reach. She has both.

"The only thing she lacks is experience."

Souza, raised on the Big Island until her sophomore year in high school, is 2-0 in her limited local featherweight (126 pounds) career. Her national debut was supposed to be last year but duty called: "I had to serve my country," said Souza, who works in military intelligence analysis at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

"I can tell you that she is tough, mentally and physically," Okamura said. "She trains super hard. I tell her, ‘Sistah, after months in Afghanistan where you almost get blown up, (boxing) is nothing.’

"This is a game, this is a piece of cake compared to what she’s seen and gone through."

Souza and Okamura have developed a special method of mental training and visualization. She honors her Hawaiian heritage by using chosen Hawaiian words as key instructions for drills, sparring and during a bout.

"It goes back to how my grandmother spoke to us growing up, half Hawaiian and half English," Souza said. "It takes me back to dancing with my grandmother’s halau where the commands are Hawaiian words. It helps me focus and remember more.

"When I suggested using Hawaiian words, Coach said it was a good idea. But that he’d have to learn Hawaiian."

Okamura said it should be an advantage in mainland competition.

"I tell her that if (opponents) are thinking about what words we’re using that it means they aren’t thinking about boxing," Okamura said.

Souza also had one other advantage when deciding to get in the ring.

"My mom told me about a good friend of the family who used to box with my uncle when they were all growing up in Nanakuli," she said. "My mom got in touch with my uncle and his friend. That’s how I got started."

The family friend? Former WBA super bantamweight champion Jesus Salud.