Boxing brothers ready for nationals
It will be a mini family reunion of sorts when the national boxing championships are held April 23 to 27 in Victoria, B.C.
St. Catharines Amateur Boxing Club members and brothers Matthew, Gerard and Stephen Ryan will all be trying to become Canadian champions in their respective divisions.
Fifteen-year-old Matthew will be competing in the 60-kilogram Junior C category, Gerard will battle in the Elite Open 64-kilogram event and Stephen will box in the Elite Open 60-kilogram division.
Matthew qualified for the nationals championships by winning the Ontario championships in November.
“I have never fought in a tournament like this and I think it is going to be a high level of competition and good fighters.”
The Grade 10 student at Holy Cross is confident but not overconfident heading to Victoria.
“I’ve been training hard, getting lots of fights in and I am ready.”
He knows it’s important to start getting experience at the national level.
“It’s the biggest tournament in Canada obviously, and it’s the best fighters from around the country,” Matthew said. “I have never fought anyone from Alberta or Manitoba and it’s going to be different.”
Matthew feels he has improved a lot in boxing over the past year.
“The biggest thing for me is the experience,” he said. “I have been getting in a lot more fights lately and that helps me a lot.”
Matthew is excited to be going to the nationals with his older brothers.
“They cheer me on and it’s great,” he said. “And they support me because they have fought at this tournament a lot. They know what to tell me.”
Their advice is straight forward.
“They tell me to go in, throw lots of punches and fight hard because it’s not going to be easy.”
Eighteen-year-old Gerard is making his fifth appearance at the nationals championships, winning gold in the Cadet B division in 2015. He lost a close, split decision at the Ontario championships to the eventual champion and finished third, but got to go to nationals when the champion decided not to compete in Victoria.
“I wasn’t expecting it because it’s only the first two guys who get to go so I was pretty happy,” the 12B student at Laura Secord said.
He didn’t waste time getting prepared.
“It was back to the gym and getting ready to go and in shape.”
It is obviously his first time competing at the Canadian championships at the elite open level.
“I like it because I know I am up against good guys and I am fighting the best so after this tournament I will get a sense of where I am at.
“I will find out where I stand in the elite rankings.”
He’s hoping it’s good news.
“I have a lot of confidence in myself and I think I have a really good shot of being one of the best boxers in Canada.”
His previous experience at nationals should help him in 2019.
“It’s pretty much the same thing other than I am fighting older guys now so they will be more experienced.”
He likes how he is trending in boxing.
“I’ve seen myself get a lot stronger and a little taller because I am still growing,” he said. “I have stepped it up and I am more powerful and faster.”
He has built his strength up by working out and doing plenty of pushups and situps every day
“I am a bit more experienced too from Scotland.”
During the club’s recent trip to Scotland, Gerard was named the best boxer of a tournament between Canadian and Scottish boxers.
He is thrilled to be going to Victoria with his brothers.
“When you are going with your teammates, that is already a big incentive,” he said. “When you go with your family, it’s that much more special and it gets you going.”
Twenty-year-old Stephen will be experiencing the Canadian boxing championships for the fourth time. He placed second at the provincial championships, losing a close decision to Spencer Wilcox, a three-time Canadian junior champion and silver medalist at the continental championships.
“It was a really close decision and I thought I won, but the judges gave it to him.”
At last year’s Canadian championships, his first one competing as an elite open fighter, Stephen lost in the final to multiple Canadian champion Lucas Bahdi.
“It’s definitely a different feeling,” he said. “I know what it is all about, I know who’s going to be there, I know who the threats are and I know who took look out for.”
He has fought most of the guys in his weight class already.
“All the cards are going to be on the table basically this year and it’s just being in the best shape that I can be in.”
He’s confident heading to the Canadian championships and he’s heard rumours that Bahdi might not be competing at the Canadian championships.
Stephen feels he is a different fighter than the one who lost to Bahdi in 2018.
“My confidence has gone way up and I am always progressing,” he said. “Every day you are in the gym, you get better and I have definitely gotten better skill-wise and ring smarts-wise.”
His 2018 experience at nationals should help.
“Last year was my first time having four fights at nationals against high-level, elite guys,” he said. “It was four days wearing head gear and four days in a row of making weight.”
Like his siblings, he’s excited to be going with them to the Canadian championships.
“Especially so because I haven’t gone to nationals before with my younger brother,” Stephen said. “He’s really good and I can’t wait to see him fight.”
He feels both his brothers are good boxers and they don’t need any pointers from him regarding skills.
“It’s more so for them to stay calm, stick to their game plan and do their best. That’s what I would tell anyone,” he said.
