Lolo: The Champion Maker — From a Church Storage Room to World Champions
A new documentary is coming to our screens this September, shining a light on one of New Zealand’s most influential figures in combat sports. Lolo: The Champion Maker tells the story of Lolo Heimuli, a fighter turned trainer who built a gym out of a church storage room and went on to produce world champions like Ray Sefo, Mark Hunt, Shane Cameron, and even mentor future coaching great Eugene Bareman.
He might not be a household name, but in fight circles Lolo is legendary. Known as the “champion maker”, he is a man of faith and discipline whose humble beginnings shaped a legacy that still echoes through New Zealand’s fight scene today.
For director Jeremiah Tauamiti, this was a story that had to be told.
“It was really important for me to make this documentary because Lolo is of a generation that we're doing things for the first time. They were truly breaking barriers and those kind of stories have always inspired me,” Tauamiti says.
Growing up, Tauamiti watched fighters like Sefo, Jason Suttie, and Hunt, but quickly realised that the list of Lolo’s protégés stretched far deeper.
“There were many guys that I wanted to feature like the Conway Brothers, Doug Viney, Jason Vemoa, the Farani brothers, but there was not enough time to cover all of Lolo's Champions.”
For Tauamiti, who also spent time in the ring as a boxer, the film was a chance to capture the unseen grind of gym life and the role of trainers who become second fathers to fighters.
And while the documentary celebrates Lolo, it also nods to those who came before.
“With the release of the documentary I just hope that Lolo gets the recognition that he deserves. Also too Lolo would want for his own trainer Sifu Philip Lam to be recognised through film or something similar. I want the stories of our everyday grandparents, parents, to be remembered and appreciated for what they've done for us.”
That is the heart of Lolo: The Champion Maker, a reminder that the big wins often grow out of the simplest dreams.
Tauamiti hopes other Pacific storytellers will pick up the baton.
“The advice that I would give to any Pacific creatives who want to tell the stories of our grandparents or of our people in general is just do it, just start. Don’t try and look for the big stories because often the simplest stories that are within our reach end up being like Lolo’s, a very, very simple dream that ended up creating world champions.”
For fight fans and Pacific communities alike, the film is more than just a sports documentary. It is a tribute to a man who built champions in and out of the ring, and to the generations who laid the foundation for today’s success.