A mentor remembers: Carroll pays tribute to 'incredible' Silisia

The long-time boxing coach had begun training students out of the makeshift gym in his shed.

On a warm afternoon in January 2022, Carroll heard the faint sound of reggae music approaching. Silisia, who by that point had been in Australia for less than a year, was walking down his driveway with a speaker blaring.

"He had a big smile on his face. I sort of instantly fell in love with Lems," Carroll said.

This ability to immediately endear himself to people helped the Solomon Islander become a beloved part of the Tamworth community.

Silisia's sudden passing last week, days after what became his final career bout, prompted an outpouring of grief from the Australian and international boxing community.

For Carroll, it was "just a nightmare" to lose a man who was more than his most promising student.

The connection between the two of them ran deeper than that of a typical coach and protege. As far as Carroll was concerned, Silisia was more akin to a son.

"I felt more like his father figure," he said.

"I did find that line [between coach and father figure] crossed, we were very close. Even though I wasn't old enough to be his father ... we spoke about life more than boxing."

Silisia's real father, Colson, passed away in 2020, shortly before he moved to Australia.

From the moment he first stepped into what would become the One2Boxing gym, he looked to Carroll for guidance in his boxing career, and in life. And, as it turns out, he wanted to emulate his mentor outside the ring as well.

"He always wanted to go home [to the Solomon Islands] and coach kids," Carroll said.

"He wanted to change Solomon Islands boxing, and I think Lems was going to be a very good coach. Every weekend, there was talks of all of that, it's what he wanted to do."

Silisia lived that example every day in the gym.

Whenever he wasn't preparing for his own fights, he would help coach the club's juniors, and would even travel to fight cards on which he was not booked just to support his teammates.

But that, Carroll said, was just typical of who he was.

Whether it was while practicing his faith at church, taking part in Saturday morning parkruns, or at the gym, Silisia's inherent generosity and charisma drew people to him.

"The amount of people Lems touched was incredible," Carroll said.

"Not just here in Tamworth, but in the Solomon Islands. He's going to be sorely missed by everyone."

Rather than mourn his loss, Carroll, members of Silisia's family, and the broader Tamworth community will come together this evening to celebrate his life.

Starting from 6pm, there will be a service at Tamworth Baptist Church to commemorate Silisia.

While it runs, Carroll will surely look back on his favourite memories from their time together, one of the most profound of which took place during Silisia's final fight last Saturday.

"The whole crowd was cheering for him. And for me, he won that night, because the kids beside the ring, the crowd, everyone loved him," he said.

"To see that he had made that many people [love him], that was a big moment. There was many, but that was big."