City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman has invited Justice Minister Kris Faafoi to walk the streets of Auckland with him on a weekend night.
Faafoi has rejected calls for tougher punishments against 'coward punches', after an alleged attack on one of Bareman's young mixed martial arts stars.
Fau Vake was waiting for a taxi on Auckland's Symonds Street early Sunday morning, when he was allegedly struck from behind with no provocation.
Vake has spent the last four days in critical condition at Auckland Hospital, with family and teammates - including UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya - by his side.
Earlier this week, CKB pleaded with the Government for tougher sentences on blindsided attacks, claiming their intent was to cause as much damage as possible.
A National Party members bill, which had its first reading last year, was voted down by the Labour-led coalition government, with Faafoi saying: "We believe current law gives courts appropriate options, and allows for such acts to be appropriately prosecuted and punished."
But Bareman has told The AM Show that Faafoi is out of touch and challenges him to spend a night walking the streets of Auckland.
"It's hard for us to fathom why that law wasn't passed through at its first reading and clearly there isn't enough of a deterrent," says Bareman.
"Clearly, our Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi doesn't have his ear to the street.
"He is welcome to come with me and go for a walk on a Saturday night through town, and he will get a figurative slap in the face, because there is a lot [of violence] going on in town.
"We are a little bit more acutely aware of what a punch can do and the type of power it can generate. When you go up behind someone and hit them in the head, your only intent is to inflict as much damage as you can and, ultimately, that is death."
Four men have been arrested and charged on various assault charges, but Bareman's concerned they could escape with a light prison sentence or even a "slap on the wrist".
Bareman wants tougher punishments - including murder charges - to deter would-be coward punchers from attacking their targets.
"A massive step to get the message across is a punishment that meets the crime.
"Set an example. You also need people like myself and Israel to start advocating for this, and build momentum by starting a conversation.
"These guys will probably get out of this relatively unscathed, while our friend is no more."
Bareman says they are "praying for a miracle" admitting Vake’s outlook isn’t promising.
"Things are pretty dire right now and his doctors have been pretty gracious to tell us how it is. "We need nothing short of a miracle for him to pull through this."
Next week, Bareman, Adesanya and teammate Brad Riddell are scheduled to fly to the United States, with fights booked at UFC 263.
Kris Faafoi has been contacted for comment, but has yet to reply to Newshub's request.
