Shaking off the ring rust
It is only fitting that the St. Catharines Boxing Club’s two fighters competing at Boxing Ontario’s Return to Competition Test Event are making returns to the sport after lengthy absences.
Steven Dwyer, a 26-year-old Niagara Falls resident, hasn’t fought since 2013 and Dylan Maisonneuve, a 20-year-old St, Catharines native, is back after a two-year absence from the sport.
The Saturday, Oct. 16 event at the Toronto Don Valley Hotel and Suites is the first amateur combat sport event to be staged in Ontario since the COVID-19 pandemic dealt its knockout blow in March 2020. All competitors and coaches need to be double vaccinated, no spectators will be allowed at the live-streamed event and a rapid COVID-19 test will be conducted on the day of the event on every person entering the venue.
“I can’t believe we are actually getting back to it after this long with all the shutdowns,” SCBC coach Joe Corrigan said. “If this turns out well, hopefully we will be able to have a show in the near future.”
Coach John Robertson is looking forward to seeing Dwyer in action.
“He has had 30 fights and he is in fantastic condition because he has been training during COVID,” he said. “He came here and weighed 160 pounds and now he is down to 140.”
Like Corrigan, Robertson is happy to have his boxers training for actual fights.
“You couldn’t even have hand pads or sparring up until a little while ago. It was basically them coming in, hitting the bag and then training at their own house.”
Dwyer, a former youth nationals silver medalist, returned to boxing about six months before the COVID pandemic hit.
“I always enjoyed it and then I ran into a situation where I couldn’t really do it any more because of work and stuff,” the truck driver and crane operator said. “Now I am in the situation where I can actually do it again.”
He missed the sport.
“I liked everything about boxing: the adrenaline, staying in shape, all the sparring and the guys here are great.”
He admits it took a while to get back into the sport.
“The hardest things were the conditioning, get loose again and being able to move the same way I used to. I have been working on that a lot and I am pretty much there,” he said. “It was getting the feeling and getting the arms moving again. When I first came back, it was hard getting the arms moving and I would stiffen up every time. Now I am able to move my arms and I am able to throw punches really quick.”
Dwyer is looking forward to his first fight in more than eight years.
“I am excited, pumped and ready,” he said. “I am hoping for a win, that would be nice, but it’s just getting back into the ring and back into competition is going to be a nice feeling. I have been training hard and I have confidence but so does the other boxer.”
Saturday’s fight will be the start of what Dwyer hopes will be a long boxing journey.
“I have goals and whether or not I get there, I am trying. It would be nice to eventually go pro.”
Maisonneuve, a Holy Cross graduate, started boxing when he was Grade 6 and then took a year or two off to focus on school and other sports. He had 13 fights, losing only once and recording nine knockouts. He won the Brampton Cup three times and also won the Golden Gloves
His passion for the sport brought him back to boxing.
“I have always loved the sport and it has always been on my mind. One day I want to maybe try and get an Olympic gold medal.”
Boxing is a perfect sport for him.
“It keeps me busy, it keeps me out of trouble and there is a good group of guys here who keep me focused, dedicated and wanting to get up every morning and do something I love doing.”
Getting his cardio back was the hardest part of returning to boxing.
“When I came back, I could barely do three-minute rounds and now I can do them no problem all the way through and I barely get tired.
He will be fighting at 165 pounds.
“I am super stoked to finally be able to come back and fight. COVID has slowed everything down but I am looking forward to getting back in the ring.”
He has been training since the start of summer and can’t wait for Saturday fight.
“I’m am looking forward to getting out there, having fun and enjoying the feeling of being back in the ring and starting it all over again.”
Maisonneuve is working as a cabinet maker but is planning to head to Niagara College to study to become and electrician. Boxing will be a big part of his future.
“Every morning when I get up, the first thing I usually think about is boxing, training, getting in shape and becoming a better version of myself.”
Robertson likes what he sees from Maisonneuve.
“He is great and is a real hitter.”
