Inner City Boxing PG is gearing up for the BC Bronze Gloves in Chilliwack on September 13-15.
Though the competitive season is over, members of Inner City Boxing PG have no plans to go into relaxation mode as summer begins.
They can't afford to let their guard down, as they have a big fight on their minds – the BC Bronze Gloves, to be held in Chilliwack from September 13-15.
“This is a beginners tournament and we're hoping to get about 10 fighters in,” Inner City coach Kenny Lally said.
Larry and fellow coach Jag Sheela are former Inner City boxers who, between them, won dozens of state and national medals in their careers. They reunited the Inner City club earlier this year and finished the season with four competitive boxers. Several other boxers continue to hone their craft, and Larry said “we're all ready for the BC Bronze Gloves.”
Four boxers have already competed in an Inner City uniform: Joshua Greenwood, Sander Innis, Kartel Niedermayer and Michael Brooks. Greenwood, Innis and Niedermayer competed at Rumble 32 in Quesnel last Saturday (June 15), but Brooks' exhibition bout was cancelled due to his opponent's absence.
In Quesnel, Greenwood suffered the second close decision loss of his budding career, with the 17-year-old trading punches with the White Rock boxer in a bout that Lally said unfolded like a chess match.
“He did a great job,” coach Larry said of Greenwood. “We got the win in the third round. I'm happy we made the adjustments, but it was just a little bit too late. So we were on the right path.”
Greenwood was pleased with his performance, especially how he “kept on attacking” until the end of the game.
“I didn't let fatigue get the better of me,” he said.
“It was a really tough match, but I got a lot of experience out of it. I need to improve my footwork and get used to jumping around the ring.”
Meanwhile, Innis took on a Quesnel fighter in a highly entertaining exhibition bout that included a bit of a surprise for the 15-year-old Inner City member.
“At first I thought I was fighting an orthodox opponent, but he was a southpaw, so it was tough,” said Innis, making his ring debut. “I had to adapt, and it went well. It was an exhibition, I lost the first round, but won the last two. I feel like I adapted well to a southpaw, and a very tall opponent.”
Innis said he loved the whole experience.
“It was an amazing feeling,” he said. “The crowd, everyone screaming my name, it really reminded me why I love this sport.”
Like Greenwood and Innis, the 17-year-old Niedermayer had a good night inside the ropes in his first exhibition bout.
“I'm so proud of all our guys,” said Larry, “They dominated us. The way they warmed up, recovered between rounds, even took a breather was amazing. The best part was they listened to what we were saying. They're watching the fight with their own eyes, but with Jag on one side of the ring and me on the other, we have two sets of eyes, so we see things differently, and they all did their best to listen to our instructions. Live action with a crowd is hard and tiring, but they did a great job.”
