Esquimalt is set to see some of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 best amateur boxing talent step into the ring on Saturday (Oct. 1) at the Songhees Wellness Centre.
Twelve fights will be happening, with national champions and Olympic hopefuls on the card. This is the second boxing event in Esquimalt this year, with the first being held back in May at Bayview Place.
B次元官网网址淔or an amateur event it was incredible support we got,B次元官网网址� said Jason Heit, owner of Champ Promotions, the company running both events. Heit trains a number of the boxers that will be fighting on Saturday locally in Victoria.
The first event in May was pitched as a comeback B次元官网网址� both for events and for the boxers themselves B次元官网网址� after a couple of quiet years due to COVID. In an ordinary year it is tough for amateur fighters to be able to schedule fights in Western Canada with all the travel and logistical challenges involved, said Heit, but that has been especially so the past couple of years.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e good talent but we lack the springboard, weB次元官网网址檙e hoping to be that springboard.B次元官网网址�
SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 bout is set to be Victoria boxer Brandon ColantonioB次元官网网址檚 last amateur bout before he signs a professional contract. The heavyweight had been struggling to find fights during COVID and made a return to the ring in MayB次元官网网址檚 event in Esquimalt.
Heit said there are quite a few fighters on SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 card who are in the running for the Canadian Olympic team. The provincial championships are in November and from there Olympic trials are in April so SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 event comes at an important time for those hoping to be part of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Olympic team for the Paris Olympics in 2024. One of those is Victoria boxer Terris Smith, who is coming off a second-placed finish in the Haringey Cup, a major amateur boxing competition in Europe.
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bailey.moreton@goldstreamgazette.com
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