Matthew Ryan: St. Catharines’ newest national champion
Fighting for gold at the national championships in Victoria, B.C., St. Catharines Amateur Boxing Club member Matthew Ryan wasn’t taking any chances.
“I pushed real hard because I wanted to win by the largest margin possible,” he said, adding he didn’t want to leave the decision in the judges’ hands.
The 15-year-old St. Catharines ended up winning gold in the 60-kilogram Junior C division thanks to a 3-0 unanimous decision versus Allain Balon of Alberta.
When they raised his hand to signify that he was a Canadian champion, it was an amazing moment for the Grade 10 student at Holy Cross.
“It was like ‘Wow, I did it.’ All that hard work was worth it,” said the two-time Ontario champion.
St. Catharines coach John Robertson was pleased with Matthew’s performance.
“He fought great just like he did at the provincials,” he said. “He had quick hands, good movement and everything just worked for him.”
Matthew opened the nationals with a 3-0 victory over Ontario’s Patrick Martin.
“My first fight was an easier fight, but I still had to try,” he said. “I had already beaten the guy three times before so I knew what to do. But I didn’t want to get overconfident.”
He agreed it was difficult not to think about where he was at during the week of boxing.
“It was kind of hard not to make my mind off the fact that it was the national championships, but I just focused on the fights and nothing else.”
Matthew enjoyed the entire experience.
“It was a fun trip, the place was really nice and the competition was really good,” he said. “I just had to go out and do my best.”
Based on his performance at the national championships, Matthew was singled out for Quest for Gold funding. The money can be used for training gear, travel expenses, etc.
The last St. Catharines club member to receive the funding was senior boxer Glenn Hunter about a decade ago.
“It’s going to be great because I can keep training and I don’t have to get a job,” Matthew said.
He is not taking a break and plans to keep training in anticipation of a few tournaments that are on the horizon.
At the nationals, Matthew’s older brothers, Stephen and Gerry Ryan, were done in by a tough draw.
Gerard lost 5-0 to Samuel Lajoie of Quebec in the Elite Open 64-kilogram division. Lajoie went on to win the silver medal. Stephen was defeated 5-0 by Ontario’s Spencer Wilcox in the Elite Open 60-kilogram division. Wilcox went on to win the national title.
