Steingart loses first fight at nationals; Brampton Cup gold for Maisonneuve
St. Catharines Boxing Club members Dylan Maisonneuve and Dennis Steingart.
St. Catharines Boxing Club member Dennis Steingart was one and done at the recent senior national boxing championships in Brampton.
The Ontario 75-kilogram champion lost his opening bout to Alberta’s William O’Keefe and was eliminated from further competition. Fighting in the same venue, competing in the 40th Annual Brampton Cup, SCBC clubmate Dylan Maisonneuve won three bouts to claim gold in the 75-kilogram division. Maisonneuve defeated Colton Karamamoukian, Oleksandr Krutskykh and Tharindu Genera 3-0 in the final.
“It was a bit of a step up but honestly, all in all, I thought I could compete with those guys,” Steingart said, of his first trip to nationals. “That I can hang in there was the biggest eye-opener but I felt like I had bit of an off day.”
The 29-year-old St. Catharines resident agreed it was the worst possible time to have an off day.
“Sometimes you feel great and everything is flowing and going nice and other days you are forcing it,” he said. “It was so funny in back-to-back tournaments how I felt so loose in one tournament and the next one you are feeling the pressure and like nothing is working. There was a bit of pressure because it was the biggest fight I’ve had.”
Steingart is loathe to make excuses but leading up to nationals he was dealing with a neck injury.
“I was unlucky. Two weeks before (nationals), I messed up my neck and I couldn’t even move it. I was trying to rehab it but it didn’t help at all. It threw off my whole rhythm for training and I couldn’t stay active the week prior. I had to be in bed the whole time.”
That being said, his first visit to nationals was an invaluable experience.
“It has lit a fire under my ass. I was kind of thinking of settling down a little but man, now I want to win that tournament,” he said. “I know I can hang in there and that’s the kicker. It’s one thing to get beat and think these guys are way out of my league but when I watching the fights and studying the guys, I am right there.”
His loss to O’Keefe was a split decision.
“I was in the fight the whole time and it was just points.”
He is planning to take a break to allow his neck to heal and then get back at it.
“I am hoping to fight at the home show (Niagara Legends card) but at the same time I have to play it by ear.”
Maisonneuve thought his first two fights in the Brampton Cup were pretty close.
“I kept them away with my jabs, boxed super nice and listened to what my coaches were saying,” the 21-year-old St. Catharines native said.
Maisonneuve had all three of his opponents taking standing eight counts.
“I learned that I just have to stick to boxing and don’t get into the game of brawling. And I have keep listening to what my coaches are staying and stay calm.”
Maisonneuve was paying close attention to the senior national fights that were happening at the same time.
“I saw some of the guys in my weight class fight and I really think I could beat them. It gives me a lot of motivation and it makes me want to work a lot harder toward my goals and take my training a lot more seriously. I have to keep moving forward.”
He admitted it was hard to watch and not be competing at nationals.
“Mentally it was a little bit tough to see that but it is going to make me work even harder for next year.”
He lost a split decision in his first fight at last year’s provincial championships.
The SCBC will host the Niagara Legends Boxing Show on Friday, March 10 at the Merritton Community Centre. Tickets for the boxing show, which starts at 7:30 p.m., are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. For more information about tickets, purchasing VIP tables or sponsoring the event call 905-988-1244 or email the club at stcatharinesboxingclub@yahoo.ca
