Rumsey ready to rumble
Last summer, Dylan Rumsey returned to his Niagara-on-the-Lake home after a short stint at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre.
“I only went for seven days but I left because I didn’t like what they were teaching me. It didn’t make sense. It was kind of teaching me to not go for my goals,” the 26-year-old said. “I was going through a bunch of stuff at the time and was doing a bunch of mental health stuff. I had PTSD and psychosis as a kid and I struggled with drugs, drinking and other bad stuff. I was sexually assaulted when I was a kid.”
The former Governor Simcoe student, who had dabbled in boxing when he was in high school, met with former boxer Dave Morris by chance when he returned from rehab and his interest in boxing was rekindled.
“I always wanted to get back into it but I never had the opportunity,” he said. “When I got back home, I had gotten sober and I started training in his garage with him. I learned a bunch of cool stuff, he brought me here and I loved it. I do it every day now.”
Here is the St. Catharines Boxing Club where the diesel mechanic trains four days a week.
“I have been taking boxing more seriously the past two years and in the last six months I have really picked up with it.”
He has trained to the point where the club’s coaches agreed to his request two months ago to fight at the club’s 28th Annual McGibbon Gloves on Friday, Oct. 20 at the Merritton Community Centre.
Coach John Robertson said it was an easy decision to put Rumsey on the card.
“He looked good on the bag and when we put him in sparring. Most guys get tired and you might get a minute out of them but he would go the distance.”
Robertson feels Rumsey’s dedication gives him lots of potential in the sport.
“He is a great addition to our club He is an aggressive boxer, his cardio is great and his boxing skills are coming along quite well.”
Rumsey loves the sport.
“Boxing for me is almost like meditating. It’s peaceful and quiet in my head. It is the easiest way for me to escape everything. And it is rewarding. It teaches me to be a better person.”
It also helps him deal with his PTSD and other mental health issues.
“It keeps my mind occupied. If I don’t have anything going on in my life and there’s nothing to do or if I don’t have goals that I am focusing on at all times, I go completely ballistic. I can’t handle it. I have to be moving at the speed of light and always thinking about the next thing and doing all kinds of cool stuff.”
He is looking forward to his first fight which will be against Valendal Joseph from Napper’s Boxing Club.
“There are mixed feelings on it. I have heard the other guy is a good fighter so I have been taking my training pretty seriously. I am super-excited to see how the turnout is going to be.”
He has played a big role in making sure there’s a big crowd on hand.
“I have already sold three private tables and 30 tickets. There’s lots of people coming.”
The big crowd will both pump him up and make him nervous.
“But I like it though. I like that nervous feeling because it gives me a little bit of energy and motivation.”
He believes he is ready for the fight.
“I have been doing a lot of training the past year and a half with and without boxing. Lots of road work, other gyms, coming here and I think it is more about just believing in yourself. If you believe that you can do something and that anything is possible, the possibilities are endless.”
He describes himself as a pressure fighter.
“I am coming in all the time and I don’t like staying on the outside. I like being involved right in the middle of the ring.”
Rumsey would love to be rewarded for his efforts.
“It will be the sense of pride if I win. You feel proud about yourself if you put in all this work and it all pays off. That is a good feeling to chase.”
He hopes this is only the start of his boxing career.
“If I am given the opportunity I will drop everything to focus on this.”
It would be wise not to bet against him given the way he has approached other athletic challenges.
In 2022, he completed a six-kilometre swim down the Niagara River and raised more than $14,000 for Pathstone Mental Health. In 2023, he did the swim again.
Doors for the Oct. 20 boxing card open at 6:30 p.m. and boxing starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. For more information, call 905-988-1244.
Featured fights are: Pat Ryan vs. Terry Maisonneuve; Cam McGean vs. Brett Merker; Stephanie Gicante vs. Megan Reynolds; and, Laurenn Landry vs. Maddy Derosa.
Also featured on the card are Dylan Maisonneuve, Gavin Freel, Steven Dwyer, North Toms, Charlie Ryan, Marcel Baptiste, Aashir Raja, Josh Erb, Mark Ryan, Bobby Haynes and Riley Willis.
The night will include a dedication to former coaches Larry Darbyson and Jim Neill. Both recently passed away.
