June 7, 2026 • 24 mins
Manu dominated the rugby league world for over a decade, cementing his place as the Vodafone Warriors' all-time leading try-scorer and a powerhouse for the Kiwis. But beyond the staggering stats, the massive hits, and the unforgettable tries, what has always made Manu a crowd favourite is his massive heart.
He has navigated the highest peaks of sporting stardom and faced some of life’s toughest, most vulnerable chapters with total honesty.
John sat down with Manu to chat about resilience, the power of reinventing yourself, and what it really means to lead with courage on and off the field. You don’t want to miss this raw, inspiring conversation.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talk SEDB. Follow
this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Real Conversation, Real Connection. It's Real life with John Cowan
on News Talk zed B.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Good Day. I'm John Cowen and this is real life.
And tonight a man who is living a really real
life manuver De hitting the heights with being the warriors
leading all time triscorer, Kiwi's all time leading triscorer, NRL
record holder. He's even a Dancing with the Stars champion,
and then Crash given a three year prison sentence for
(00:54):
importing the fanfare to mean and he was out after
about fifteen months on good behavior and as proving to
the world you can rebuild a life after hitting the bottom.
Mala la lame. It's great to have you. I'm proud
to have you on the show.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Thank you for wearing me.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
It's what's life look like for you? What are you?
What are the things that are keep that are occupying
you at the moment.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
At the moment, just working for BBM.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Which is Brown Butterbean Motivation.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Motivation, boxing boxing now, training hard for my boxing fights
now and and my family. Yeah, that's pretty much what
gives me busy, now kiss me.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Well we'll come back to all of those things, I think,
And but let's go back in your story. I mean,
we could fill up the night just talking about your
league success is amazing. Career. Did it all go wrong
for you when you left in twenty seventeen to go
to Salford Sulford or was it already coming unstuck for you?
Speaker 3 (01:55):
I was. I was kind of coming already coming unstuck.
I think during my career I had a point in
the twenty sixteen where things were going really bad for me,
had a real tough time of mental health, and just
kind of snowboard from there. But you know, I try
(02:16):
to get myself out of it.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
So what did you try that didn't work?
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Just doing it by myself, doing it on my own.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
I was.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
I was the type of person that I never used
to like to put my burden on other people, And
like you know, I was, I'll talk to people, but
I never listened. I just tried to solve it myself
and never accepted the help that people wanted to give me,
and just thought that everyone was wrong and I was
(02:45):
right all the time. So I was pretty stubborn.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I imagine on the on the playing field, if enough
people piled on you, it would take a lot, but
they'd get you down eventually. And it's the same as
the problems you had, not just one problem. You had
problem after problem after problem, didn't you, And I mean
your body? What was that you blew your achilles?
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Yeah? I blew my Akelees in England and that's what
kind of had that that little more of a downfall
for me because you know, that was kind of my
second chance to rebuild my life again and rebuild my
life with my family. But yeah, everything just went downhill
from there. When I ruptured my Akelles, the club wanted
(03:28):
to kind of let me go, but I was I
was still I still had that driving me that I
can still come back and play. But you know, through
through playing rugby league, it's a business and and if
you're not giving give me anything back towards l they
(03:49):
will they will try and give rid of you and
get someone else that can.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
So so you end up sitting on the sofa over
in England.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Over the sofa in England.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Any mates around you, Yeah, I had.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Had a few mate by I was kind of like
doing my own thing, just going out and partying and stuff,
and it kind of just went, didn't go go over well,
and I had to come back home with the family
and things didn't work there and kind of went my
own way.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Was that was that when your marriage fell over?
Speaker 3 (04:19):
To Yeah, my marriage fell over then too, but it
fell over before that. But then you know, going over
to England to try try to get my life back,
and then tried again with her and were with my
family again. But you know, I had too much, I
believe it on myself. I think I was. I had
too much things going in my head and I didn't
(04:42):
know what I was going to do next, and and
just yeah, it just went just just went, just drove
myself under like even more, going drinking and partying and
just got worse and worse every time. And you know
it was I wasn't I didn't think I was. I
was safe around my family was safe around me. So
I you know, I had to leave because I didn't
(05:05):
know what I was going to do to myself or
anything else.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
So boxing seemed like a good idea.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Yeah, boxing boxing. You know, I came back home and
started working and getting my life back again.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
And then you're doing construction work was the construction.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yeah, yeah, and I did a bit of construction and
then I left because of boxing. And then yeah, found
out about the system my brain, And.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I mean, you must have thought everything is going against me.
You got your legs hacking, then you get the cyst
on a brain, and you went ahead and and I
hope you remind David this really often that you knocked
Dave Lettelly out for eight seconds and so that was
a good start, but you couldn't take it anywhere after that.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, because I found out the night before
the before the fight. Yeah, but you know, the doctor
said that they'll be there if anything happens, but I
didn't care, Like if anything happened to me the ring,
I wasn't. I wasn't worried about it. So I went
ahead with the fight, and enoughter that I never told
my family about it, but eventually I did, and then
(06:17):
I was going to do a few more fights the
following year, and they kind of stopped me from doing
it because they were worried. And plus I didn't think
with the with the boxing thing, knowing about it, they
wouldn't they wouldn't risk in the ring, wouldn't hit me
in the ring, so I ended up stopping and didn't
do much.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
So everything was just pulled out from underneath you.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, So it was just one of those
just just unlucky every time. And then they're dancing with
the stars.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
That must have been a bit of a bit of
a bit of a buzz.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
I didn't want to do it, but you know, my
my girls thought it'll be it'll be cool for their
dad to go do dancing with the stars. So yeah,
so I gave it a go and it was good.
But then after that, yeah, nothing wasn't happening, had no job,
had nothing to fall back on, and then I went
(07:18):
into a bit of panel budding. Yeah, and yeah, that
was going pretty smoothly until everything else happened on the
side and.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Right and the court case, and you ended up on jail,
which we'll come back to in the second half because
we were racing through the half hour, which I wish
I had longer to talk to you about. But jail
has got to be the worst, worst place, and yet
I've heard you say it saved your life. It was
the best thing that ever happened to you. So we'll
(07:48):
be talking to you more about that in the second
half if you've just joined us. My guest is Manuva Devi,
incredible league champion and also a man who's rebuilding his
life and showing that you can turn things around. This
is real life on news talk ZB.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Intelligent interviews with interesting people.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
It's real life on news talk Zed.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Welcome back to real life. I'm John Cown and you
should see the grin on my guest's face when he
started to hear that music playing in his headphones. My
guest is Maneuver and what's the song?
Speaker 3 (08:37):
I remember? Being My luck? You do I remember the song?
Like back in my younger days, we used to three
parties and all that, but you know, mainly if my
parents used to play that, my think driving driving down
on our holidays to pick pick onions, and but that
(08:58):
was like the time movie. You know, my my family
needed more money. So you know, my dad and my
mom used to buy some lanes down to the farm
and we used to go cut onions and them just
to get stra money for us. So you know that
the song always reminds me every time, and you know,
it humbles me in and like to be grateful for
what I have at the moment, because you know, what
(09:19):
my parents did back in the days was yeah, just
to give us put food on our table.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Right, and their mum and dad are still are still alive.
I saw the one I've hung at the PACIFICA program
and they look lovely.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
Yeah yeah, yeah yeah. And da dad's eighty six now,
so it's getting to that age. But you know he
still still hanging shin.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Right when we finished in the first half, I brought
you right down into the basement. Now let's bring you
back up again. Because you got out of jail after
fifteen months. Not everybody that gets out of jail goes straight.
Some people just boomerang around into trouble again. What happened
in jail that's changed your mind and changed your head,
changed the way you think and live.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Um, you know, just you know, when I went inside,
I kind of realized that my freedom was gone. The
first night. I was pretty exhausted when I got locked up,
so I was, I was, I didn't care. But when
I when I woke up the next day and realized
(10:26):
that I couldn't see my fare, that's uh, that's that's
what kind of worked me up. And just looking at
like where people see looking at the four wars. That's
what I was doing.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
And just just for an extra you got COVID at
that time too.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Yeah, I had COVID, so I got COVID. So I
was I was in isolation. Isolation, Yes, I was in
isolation for twelve days. Twelve days, so locked up in
your in yourself for five for twelve days, I had
no contact with anyone. And I got my first, my
(11:09):
first ever phone call a week later, and that was
talking under the door of the of my cell door.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
You had to talk under the door.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
We brought a put the ball phone and all the
number and they just put it there and put on
speaker and you just lay on the floor and talk
to try and talk to your family.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
And is that when you learned your baby was born?
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I learned my baby was born. Yeah,
my son. So I got locked up on the second
second of March two and then my birthday was on
the third, on the fourth, sorry, and then my son
was born on the fifth of March.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
So that's got to be pretty sobering. Yeah, yeah, yeah
kind of.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
I like, like, you know, it was hard for my
girls that when when I went inside and then you know,
just to hear that my son was born and I
wasn't there. You know, that was really hard, and that's
what kind of changed my perspective, and you know, I
had to deal with a few of my issues. And
(12:21):
I still remember one time when Monty when I was
doing my was when I was doing my boxing and
I was preparing for my fire, and I was telling, man,
I can't sleep in this because I've got so many
things in my head. He go, It's just whenever you
have those thoughts, always write it down on a piece
of paper and then I would just calm you down
and you just go and read and read over it
and then go sleep. And I did that, and that's
(12:41):
what I did for the for the next four days,
just started writing everything that was in my mind. And
then yeah, I just keep writing and I would think
after that, I had like a two two pieces of
a four papers already filled up, and yeah, I just
read through it and kind of just left it there.
(13:02):
And when I got out and went into the units,
and then I just started try and getting myself back
into shape, trying to get myself back into shape. I
was about almost sitting at one hundred and fifty kgs.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
One hundred and fifty gus. Yeah, you look, what about
one hundred now.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
I'm one hundred and one hundred and twelve, now.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
One hundred and twelve. Yeah, and so that's a fair
amount of weight to throw off. Getting your body right
it ties into your here today.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, get him my body right and get
my mind right. You know every time I trained, like
feel sense of relaxation and peace of my mind.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
When you got out, David Letelly, he's been big in
your world, hasn't he.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Yeah. So when I was in he came through to
do a chat there with one of the units and
now with one other in the hustling, And yeah, he
saw me there and I was training, and then I
just said hi, and he waved out, and then he
told one of the guards that he wanted to have
a chat with me after his talk, and then they
(14:08):
came and told me, and then I was I agreed
to it. He saw me and my brother. Me and
my brother were in there together, and then we came
out and saw him and we had a good chat
and he said, whenever you need anything, just give him
my call, give my leave my family, give him my call.
And yeah, he lived up to his word and when
I came out, it took me about two or three
(14:30):
weeks just to get out of the house and do
something and started training will Feel my mates. But then
I had to look for a job because he getting
no help, and I reached out to him and he
helped me a part time job there for for them
for an hour just to get used to it and
see see if I liked it.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
And and so the work you're doing that you're working
with Britain, you're not working with high high level athletes
with people that are sort of starting at the starting
at the bottom of there.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
Like real bad long term health issues. Yeah, you know, diabetes,
hope and all that stuff. So it's it's it's really
it was really hard for me to start because not
knowing what what I can what I can offer them.
But you know, I was lucky to be under one
of the brothers Phil where he's in he's in UH
(15:21):
Australia now, and and the other trainers James and that,
and kind of learns off them how to how I
can deal with them, and how I can approach and
talk to.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Them and how do you feel helping these people?
Speaker 3 (15:32):
It feels feels my copy every timement you know, it
gets me emotional every time once I cohort's finished and
we get to do the graduation and give them their
certificate and and you know, and me standing up there
and seeing my speech and seeing them talk. It gets
me really emotional when I talk and do my speech.
And and it's been it's been a blessing being there.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
It's it's it's got to be one of the secrets
of life. When you help others, you're helping yourself.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Yeah, definitely, because you you tend to share your story,
and you feel comfortable sharing your story, and it makes
it easier because I'm not the type of person that
likes you open up. And but ever since I've been
breaking there, I've been opening up to these people and
it's making it easier. And that's why I can do
things like this and talk at interviews and and talk freely.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
I think you've gone into schools too, haven't you you?
Speaker 1 (16:25):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Yeah, what do you say to the kids to help
them avoid trouble and get their life right? Is there
anything that you gave with them?
Speaker 3 (16:34):
Yeah? I just share with them like my like what
I've done, and you know how everything can just disappear
just like that. And I ended up in prison. They
watched TV. They know what prison is, and then they like,
you know, just what what Like that's just the stories
of like how hard it was, and you know, just
(16:54):
being open with them but not too much and you know,
just for them to understand and and and hopefully it
takes something out of it.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
I was watching the You Have to Mention interview after
after you thought, Michael, your first fight did really well
and the first thing you did though, was you thank
to God. And then I saw another interview and you're
talking about that you that you're just following God's plan.
So you think that God has a plan for you.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Yeah, he does.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Something new for you as your faith something new.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
Now.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
I've always my my my family is really really strong
in their faith, and I've always grown up in that
in that faith. My household, my parents, my dad's a
minnesot our church and he's been one of the original
ones in oats a free church or Tonga, and he's
he's still the one that's still still keeping its strong.
(17:52):
And my mom too. They always remind us and in
our family chat to always you know, thank our aveny
Father for everything, and always make sure you pray to
him every day.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Has God been part of your rebuilding of your life?
Speaker 3 (18:06):
He's always, He's always, He's always been there through my life.
I think I just I just fell off the boat
and not look look for help through him. But like
I said, I'm not a type of person that likes
to put my burden up on anyone else. And people
say to put them up on Christ. But I'm not
that type of a person. So you know, I try
(18:26):
and think of myself. But I think I think there
was the wrong thing to do. And I always pray
and always you know, thank him. I don't ask him
for anything. I'm just thankful for like everything that I
have right now, and you know, just hopefully I can
do everything that I do through his name.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
Well, the things that you're doing now, they sound like
they're sort of the right things. Working with these people,
working with you, hanging in there with your kids and
and things are coming right. I was delighted you you
you know, you lost your house and everything when everything
fell through. You got to you don't have a house.
That must feel like that must be a blessing.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
Yeah, definitely. And you know, like I said, was all
I was playing. He doesn't put me in a situation
where I can't handle it. And you know, I think
it's the situation of me going to prison as a
wake up call for myself and I just give me
a little kickstart again and just realize everything that I
have and just being grateful for it and just never
(19:28):
underestimate the power of, like you know, just pushing through
when everything falls off. There's always something there that you
can work towards and just keep keep fighting towards it.
And now I like know whenever I have something wrong,
if anything goes wrong, I know I know who to
fall back on. I know who to call upon to
give me the strength to keep going.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Yeah, of course things will go wrong. I mean you're
still you're a human. I mean you've determined to hit
in the right direction everything, but that you're a human
and things will come unstuck from time to time. But
it's that idea of of not letting it get you down, yea,
and turning your back.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
Ye But sometimes you're like, you know, I've learned from
my lesson before. Is everything. I like, if I get
knocked down, just knowing how to deal with it and
and and like you know, reach out for their help
instead of trying to do it yourself. And you know,
now like whenever I'm feeling down or anything, I always
always talk about it to someone, and you know, I
always have that conversation and and and then all that
(20:29):
all that's off my shoulders and and now I can
just keep moving forward.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Have did you consult professionals? Did you go to a
psychologist or anything like that?
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Yeah? I did. I did when I first went through
what I was going through, But I didn't think that
kind of worked for me. Help, isn't there There's one
guy that I like always fall back to and as
Boating and Thompson, and we kind of had like you know,
we've always had different situations, but we had the same
(21:00):
mindset of how to deal with and as a person
I always talked to and a few other boys that
that that I have on the side to that you
know that I reach out to if I go through
for anything.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Right, And is it the fact that you that they
give you good advice or the fact that you just
can talk it.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Out They give good advice, and well, and I can
talk it out, you know sometimes I just sometimes you
just need that person there just to listen and you know,
be that be there for you, and sometimes you do
when whenever I ask for for advice, I do ask
for it. Sometimes whenever someone talks to me about stuff,
(21:40):
I just I just sit there and listen.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
Now, your story is inspiring, and I'm glad to hear
that you've written it down. Will help being outwritten to
write it down. So it is there's a book coming out?
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Yeah, yeah, the idea in that process. I'm in the
process of writing a book. And yeah, hopefully by next year, hopefully.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
We'll keep an eye out for that and might get
you back in to talk about that. No problem. And
you mentioned and your brother and he's in jail as well,
You're going to be there for him when he comes out.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
Yeah, I want the best for him now he's he's
he's at age where he's got grandkids now, and you
know they need a may home. My parents need a
my home, and we all need a my home. So no,
everything that that the family needs, I'm the one that's
falling falling it back on. So now I need my
(22:37):
brother there to help and support me make their decisions
for a family.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Man, you're an inspiration. You're a fantastic champion on the field.
You're proving to be a champion in life. Matu My,
it's been great talking with you and I wish you
all the best. My little better. This is real life.
I'm John Cowen, looking forward to being back with you
again next Sunday night. We're going to go out on
another soul that what What's this? Last one?
Speaker 5 (23:01):
You've picked us from Eddie's at Baya Cool.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
For more from News Talks at b Listen live on
air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to a podcast from News Talk SEDB. Follow
this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Real Conversation, Real Connection. It's Real life with John Cowan
on News Talk zed B.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Good Day. I'm John Cowen and this is real life.
And tonight a man who is living a really real
life manuver De hitting the heights with being the warriors
leading all time triscorer, Kiwi's all time leading triscorer, NRL
record holder. He's even a Dancing with the Stars champion,
and then Crash given a three year prison sentence for
(00:54):
importing the fanfare to mean and he was out after
about fifteen months on good behavior and as proving to
the world you can rebuild a life after hitting the bottom.
Mala la lame. It's great to have you. I'm proud
to have you on the show.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Thank you for wearing me.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
It's what's life look like for you? What are you?
What are the things that are keep that are occupying
you at the moment.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
At the moment, just working for BBM.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Which is Brown Butterbean Motivation.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Motivation, boxing boxing now, training hard for my boxing fights
now and and my family. Yeah, that's pretty much what
gives me busy, now kiss me.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Well we'll come back to all of those things, I think,
And but let's go back in your story. I mean,
we could fill up the night just talking about your
league success is amazing. Career. Did it all go wrong
for you when you left in twenty seventeen to go
to Salford Sulford or was it already coming unstuck for you?
Speaker 3 (01:55):
I was. I was kind of coming already coming unstuck.
I think during my career I had a point in
the twenty sixteen where things were going really bad for me,
had a real tough time of mental health, and just
kind of snowboard from there. But you know, I try
(02:16):
to get myself out of it.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
So what did you try that didn't work?
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Just doing it by myself, doing it on my own.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
I was.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
I was the type of person that I never used
to like to put my burden on other people, And
like you know, I was, I'll talk to people, but
I never listened. I just tried to solve it myself
and never accepted the help that people wanted to give me,
and just thought that everyone was wrong and I was
(02:45):
right all the time. So I was pretty stubborn.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I imagine on the on the playing field, if enough
people piled on you, it would take a lot, but
they'd get you down eventually. And it's the same as
the problems you had, not just one problem. You had
problem after problem after problem, didn't you, And I mean
your body? What was that you blew your achilles?
Speaker 3 (03:07):
Yeah? I blew my Akelees in England and that's what
kind of had that that little more of a downfall
for me because you know, that was kind of my
second chance to rebuild my life again and rebuild my
life with my family. But yeah, everything just went downhill
from there. When I ruptured my Akelles, the club wanted
(03:28):
to kind of let me go, but I was I
was still I still had that driving me that I
can still come back and play. But you know, through
through playing rugby league, it's a business and and if
you're not giving give me anything back towards l they
(03:49):
will they will try and give rid of you and
get someone else that can.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
So so you end up sitting on the sofa over
in England.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Over the sofa in England.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Any mates around you, Yeah, I had.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Had a few mate by I was kind of like
doing my own thing, just going out and partying and stuff,
and it kind of just went, didn't go go over well,
and I had to come back home with the family
and things didn't work there and kind of went my
own way.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Was that was that when your marriage fell over?
Speaker 3 (04:19):
To Yeah, my marriage fell over then too, but it
fell over before that. But then you know, going over
to England to try try to get my life back,
and then tried again with her and were with my
family again. But you know, I had too much, I
believe it on myself. I think I was. I had
too much things going in my head and I didn't
(04:42):
know what I was going to do next, and and
just yeah, it just went just just went, just drove
myself under like even more, going drinking and partying and
just got worse and worse every time. And you know
it was I wasn't I didn't think I was. I
was safe around my family was safe around me. So
I you know, I had to leave because I didn't
(05:05):
know what I was going to do to myself or
anything else.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
So boxing seemed like a good idea.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Yeah, boxing boxing. You know, I came back home and
started working and getting my life back again.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
And then you're doing construction work was the construction.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yeah, yeah, and I did a bit of construction and
then I left because of boxing. And then yeah, found
out about the system my brain, And.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I mean, you must have thought everything is going against me.
You got your legs hacking, then you get the cyst
on a brain, and you went ahead and and I
hope you remind David this really often that you knocked
Dave Lettelly out for eight seconds and so that was
a good start, but you couldn't take it anywhere after that.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, because I found out the night before
the before the fight. Yeah, but you know, the doctor
said that they'll be there if anything happens, but I
didn't care, Like if anything happened to me the ring,
I wasn't. I wasn't worried about it. So I went
ahead with the fight, and enoughter that I never told
my family about it, but eventually I did, and then
(06:17):
I was going to do a few more fights the
following year, and they kind of stopped me from doing
it because they were worried. And plus I didn't think
with the with the boxing thing, knowing about it, they
wouldn't they wouldn't risk in the ring, wouldn't hit me
in the ring, so I ended up stopping and didn't
do much.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
So everything was just pulled out from underneath you.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, So it was just one of those
just just unlucky every time. And then they're dancing with
the stars.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
That must have been a bit of a bit of
a bit of a buzz.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
I didn't want to do it, but you know, my
my girls thought it'll be it'll be cool for their
dad to go do dancing with the stars. So yeah,
so I gave it a go and it was good.
But then after that, yeah, nothing wasn't happening, had no job,
had nothing to fall back on, and then I went
(07:18):
into a bit of panel budding. Yeah, and yeah, that
was going pretty smoothly until everything else happened on the
side and.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Right and the court case, and you ended up on jail,
which we'll come back to in the second half because
we were racing through the half hour, which I wish
I had longer to talk to you about. But jail
has got to be the worst, worst place, and yet
I've heard you say it saved your life. It was
the best thing that ever happened to you. So we'll
(07:48):
be talking to you more about that in the second
half if you've just joined us. My guest is Manuva Devi,
incredible league champion and also a man who's rebuilding his
life and showing that you can turn things around. This
is real life on news talk ZB.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Intelligent interviews with interesting people.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
It's real life on news talk Zed.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Welcome back to real life. I'm John Cown and you
should see the grin on my guest's face when he
started to hear that music playing in his headphones. My
guest is Maneuver and what's the song?
Speaker 3 (08:37):
I remember? Being My luck? You do I remember the song?
Like back in my younger days, we used to three
parties and all that, but you know, mainly if my
parents used to play that, my think driving driving down
on our holidays to pick pick onions, and but that
(08:58):
was like the time movie. You know, my my family
needed more money. So you know, my dad and my
mom used to buy some lanes down to the farm
and we used to go cut onions and them just
to get stra money for us. So you know that
the song always reminds me every time, and you know,
it humbles me in and like to be grateful for
what I have at the moment, because you know, what
(09:19):
my parents did back in the days was yeah, just
to give us put food on our table.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Right, and their mum and dad are still are still alive.
I saw the one I've hung at the PACIFICA program
and they look lovely.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
Yeah yeah, yeah yeah. And da dad's eighty six now,
so it's getting to that age. But you know he
still still hanging shin.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Right when we finished in the first half, I brought
you right down into the basement. Now let's bring you
back up again. Because you got out of jail after
fifteen months. Not everybody that gets out of jail goes straight.
Some people just boomerang around into trouble again. What happened
in jail that's changed your mind and changed your head,
changed the way you think and live.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Um, you know, just you know, when I went inside,
I kind of realized that my freedom was gone. The
first night. I was pretty exhausted when I got locked up,
so I was, I was, I didn't care. But when
I when I woke up the next day and realized
(10:26):
that I couldn't see my fare, that's uh, that's that's
what kind of worked me up. And just looking at
like where people see looking at the four wars. That's
what I was doing.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
And just just for an extra you got COVID at
that time too.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Yeah, I had COVID, so I got COVID. So I
was I was in isolation. Isolation, Yes, I was in
isolation for twelve days. Twelve days, so locked up in
your in yourself for five for twelve days, I had
no contact with anyone. And I got my first, my
(11:09):
first ever phone call a week later, and that was
talking under the door of the of my cell door.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
You had to talk under the door.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
We brought a put the ball phone and all the
number and they just put it there and put on
speaker and you just lay on the floor and talk
to try and talk to your family.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
And is that when you learned your baby was born?
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I learned my baby was born. Yeah,
my son. So I got locked up on the second
second of March two and then my birthday was on
the third, on the fourth, sorry, and then my son
was born on the fifth of March.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
So that's got to be pretty sobering. Yeah, yeah, yeah
kind of.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
I like, like, you know, it was hard for my
girls that when when I went inside and then you know,
just to hear that my son was born and I
wasn't there. You know, that was really hard, and that's
what kind of changed my perspective, and you know, I
had to deal with a few of my issues. And
(12:21):
I still remember one time when Monty when I was
doing my was when I was doing my boxing and
I was preparing for my fire, and I was telling, man,
I can't sleep in this because I've got so many
things in my head. He go, It's just whenever you
have those thoughts, always write it down on a piece
of paper and then I would just calm you down
and you just go and read and read over it
and then go sleep. And I did that, and that's
(12:41):
what I did for the for the next four days,
just started writing everything that was in my mind. And
then yeah, I just keep writing and I would think
after that, I had like a two two pieces of
a four papers already filled up, and yeah, I just
read through it and kind of just left it there.
(13:02):
And when I got out and went into the units,
and then I just started try and getting myself back
into shape, trying to get myself back into shape. I
was about almost sitting at one hundred and fifty kgs.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
One hundred and fifty gus. Yeah, you look, what about
one hundred now.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
I'm one hundred and one hundred and twelve, now.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
One hundred and twelve. Yeah, and so that's a fair
amount of weight to throw off. Getting your body right
it ties into your here today.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, get him my body right and get
my mind right. You know every time I trained, like
feel sense of relaxation and peace of my mind.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
When you got out, David Letelly, he's been big in
your world, hasn't he.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Yeah. So when I was in he came through to
do a chat there with one of the units and
now with one other in the hustling, And yeah, he
saw me there and I was training, and then I
just said hi, and he waved out, and then he
told one of the guards that he wanted to have
a chat with me after his talk, and then they
(14:08):
came and told me, and then I was I agreed
to it. He saw me and my brother. Me and
my brother were in there together, and then we came
out and saw him and we had a good chat
and he said, whenever you need anything, just give him
my call, give my leave my family, give him my call.
And yeah, he lived up to his word and when
I came out, it took me about two or three
(14:30):
weeks just to get out of the house and do
something and started training will Feel my mates. But then
I had to look for a job because he getting
no help, and I reached out to him and he
helped me a part time job there for for them
for an hour just to get used to it and
see see if I liked it.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
And and so the work you're doing that you're working
with Britain, you're not working with high high level athletes
with people that are sort of starting at the starting
at the bottom of there.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
Like real bad long term health issues. Yeah, you know, diabetes,
hope and all that stuff. So it's it's it's really
it was really hard for me to start because not
knowing what what I can what I can offer them.
But you know, I was lucky to be under one
of the brothers Phil where he's in he's in UH
(15:21):
Australia now, and and the other trainers James and that,
and kind of learns off them how to how I
can deal with them, and how I can approach and
talk to.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Them and how do you feel helping these people?
Speaker 3 (15:32):
It feels feels my copy every timement you know, it
gets me emotional every time once I cohort's finished and
we get to do the graduation and give them their
certificate and and you know, and me standing up there
and seeing my speech and seeing them talk. It gets
me really emotional when I talk and do my speech.
And and it's been it's been a blessing being there.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
It's it's it's got to be one of the secrets
of life. When you help others, you're helping yourself.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Yeah, definitely, because you you tend to share your story,
and you feel comfortable sharing your story, and it makes
it easier because I'm not the type of person that
likes you open up. And but ever since I've been
breaking there, I've been opening up to these people and
it's making it easier. And that's why I can do
things like this and talk at interviews and and talk freely.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
I think you've gone into schools too, haven't you you?
Speaker 1 (16:25):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Yeah, what do you say to the kids to help
them avoid trouble and get their life right? Is there
anything that you gave with them?
Speaker 3 (16:34):
Yeah? I just share with them like my like what
I've done, and you know how everything can just disappear
just like that. And I ended up in prison. They
watched TV. They know what prison is, and then they like,
you know, just what what Like that's just the stories
of like how hard it was, and you know, just
(16:54):
being open with them but not too much and you know,
just for them to understand and and and hopefully it
takes something out of it.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
I was watching the You Have to Mention interview after
after you thought, Michael, your first fight did really well
and the first thing you did though, was you thank
to God. And then I saw another interview and you're
talking about that you that you're just following God's plan.
So you think that God has a plan for you.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Yeah, he does.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Something new for you as your faith something new.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
Now.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
I've always my my my family is really really strong
in their faith, and I've always grown up in that
in that faith. My household, my parents, my dad's a
minnesot our church and he's been one of the original
ones in oats a free church or Tonga, and he's
he's still the one that's still still keeping its strong.
(17:52):
And my mom too. They always remind us and in
our family chat to always you know, thank our aveny
Father for everything, and always make sure you pray to
him every day.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Has God been part of your rebuilding of your life?
Speaker 3 (18:06):
He's always, He's always, He's always been there through my life.
I think I just I just fell off the boat
and not look look for help through him. But like
I said, I'm not a type of person that likes
to put my burden up on anyone else. And people
say to put them up on Christ. But I'm not
that type of a person. So you know, I try
(18:26):
and think of myself. But I think I think there
was the wrong thing to do. And I always pray
and always you know, thank him. I don't ask him
for anything. I'm just thankful for like everything that I
have right now, and you know, just hopefully I can
do everything that I do through his name.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
Well, the things that you're doing now, they sound like
they're sort of the right things. Working with these people,
working with you, hanging in there with your kids and
and things are coming right. I was delighted you you
you know, you lost your house and everything when everything
fell through. You got to you don't have a house.
That must feel like that must be a blessing.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
Yeah, definitely. And you know, like I said, was all
I was playing. He doesn't put me in a situation
where I can't handle it. And you know, I think
it's the situation of me going to prison as a
wake up call for myself and I just give me
a little kickstart again and just realize everything that I
have and just being grateful for it and just never
(19:28):
underestimate the power of, like you know, just pushing through
when everything falls off. There's always something there that you
can work towards and just keep keep fighting towards it.
And now I like know whenever I have something wrong,
if anything goes wrong, I know I know who to
fall back on. I know who to call upon to
give me the strength to keep going.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Yeah, of course things will go wrong. I mean you're
still you're a human. I mean you've determined to hit
in the right direction everything, but that you're a human
and things will come unstuck from time to time. But
it's that idea of of not letting it get you down, yea,
and turning your back.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
Ye But sometimes you're like, you know, I've learned from
my lesson before. Is everything. I like, if I get
knocked down, just knowing how to deal with it and
and and like you know, reach out for their help
instead of trying to do it yourself. And you know,
now like whenever I'm feeling down or anything, I always
always talk about it to someone, and you know, I
always have that conversation and and and then all that
(20:29):
all that's off my shoulders and and now I can
just keep moving forward.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Have did you consult professionals? Did you go to a
psychologist or anything like that?
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Yeah? I did. I did when I first went through
what I was going through, But I didn't think that
kind of worked for me. Help, isn't there There's one
guy that I like always fall back to and as
Boating and Thompson, and we kind of had like you know,
we've always had different situations, but we had the same
(21:00):
mindset of how to deal with and as a person
I always talked to and a few other boys that
that that I have on the side to that you
know that I reach out to if I go through
for anything.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Right, And is it the fact that you that they
give you good advice or the fact that you just
can talk it.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Out They give good advice, and well, and I can
talk it out, you know sometimes I just sometimes you
just need that person there just to listen and you know,
be that be there for you, and sometimes you do
when whenever I ask for for advice, I do ask
for it. Sometimes whenever someone talks to me about stuff,
(21:40):
I just I just sit there and listen.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
Now, your story is inspiring, and I'm glad to hear
that you've written it down. Will help being outwritten to
write it down. So it is there's a book coming out?
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Yeah, yeah, the idea in that process. I'm in the
process of writing a book. And yeah, hopefully by next year, hopefully.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
We'll keep an eye out for that and might get
you back in to talk about that. No problem. And
you mentioned and your brother and he's in jail as well,
You're going to be there for him when he comes out.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
Yeah, I want the best for him now he's he's
he's at age where he's got grandkids now, and you
know they need a may home. My parents need a
my home, and we all need a my home. So no,
everything that that the family needs, I'm the one that's
falling falling it back on. So now I need my
(22:37):
brother there to help and support me make their decisions
for a family.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Man, you're an inspiration. You're a fantastic champion on the field.
You're proving to be a champion in life. Matu My,
it's been great talking with you and I wish you
all the best. My little better. This is real life.
I'm John Cowen, looking forward to being back with you
again next Sunday night. We're going to go out on
another soul that what What's this? Last one?
Speaker 5 (23:01):
You've picked us from Eddie's at Baya Cool.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
For more from News Talks at b Listen live on
air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcast on iHeartRadio.
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