Staff reporter
If you happen to be searching for a way to get out of handing out candy to ghouls and goblins this coming Halloween night, perhaps enjoying some live, controlled aggression is something you might want to consider.
If it is, then you’re in luck because on the night of Oct. 31, the Rimbey Boxing Club will be hosting a fight card featuring several local boxers with ambitions of representing Zone 4 in the Alberta Winter Games to be held in Bonnyville in February of 2010.
“We have five fighters potentially listed, and the reason I say potentially is because the coaches from the other side have to get the paperwork in and sometimes it’s there and sometimes it’s not,” said John Peacock, a member of the event’s organizing committee.
Among the locals confirmed to be entering the squared-circle for some fisticuffs are Breanna Hollingsworth, Riley Carruthers, Cory Regnier, Daniel Peacock and Jonah Kondro.
And if that isn’t enough, Peacock said there’s a good possibility that fight fans will also be able to see five-time Canadian women’s champion Kandi Wyatt of Rocky Mountain House, who fights out of the Rimbey Boxing Club.
“Breanna Hollingsworth has a five win, one loss record and will be fighting in the 100 lbs. category. She’s a feisty little fighter and very enjoyable to watch,” Peacock said. “We also have Riley Carruthers and this will be his second fight. His very first fight was in Drayton Valley at the end of last year where, although he lost, it was very close and a great fight to watch.”
Peacock added that while the local boxers will be competing for positions on the Zone team, the competition they face could very well be from far beyond the local area including fighters from Calgary and Oyen.
“Cory Regnier will also be fighting. He’s a local boy who just finished high school. This will be his fourth fight – he’s got two wins and a losses, Cory is a very quick, in and out-type of fighter and is a good fighter to watch,” he said, adding a bit of a plug for his son, if he’s physically capable. “Daniel Peacock may or may not be there. He suffered a hyperextension to his elbow and we’ll see what it’s like by fight night. He has a four win, no loss record and is another quick fighter who uses lots of jabs and keeps his opponents off guard and on their heels.
“Jonah Kondro is a mechanic here in town and just started boxing a year or two ago. He’s in his early 20’s and fights in the 140 lbs. category. Jonah is a very strong, in-close type of a fighter with a whole different style,” Peacock said. “He has a three win, no loss record with those three matches lasting a total of five rounds out of a potential nine, so he’s won one in one round and two other fights in two rounds.”
As for the reigning women’s national champion, Peacock said the issue isn’t so much whether Wyatt, who also coaches younger fighters at the local club, is willing and prepared to duke it out, but instead, the issue is finding her a dance partner.
“We’re hoping to have Kandi Wyatt in the ring, a five-time Canadian women’s champ,” he said. “We have a potential opponent for her, she is a police officer from Vancouver and if she can get time off work, she’s hoping to be here and if she can’t, then Kandi will be here in the corners as one of the trainers.”
While the card was to originally feature several bouts, Peacock said it generally gets whittled down a bit due to prior commitments, unexpected injuries or a host of other factors.
“We have about 15 bouts unofficially, and that tends to, on average, shakes down to about ten confirmed bouts, so we’re hoping for ten fights and I think it will be an excellent evening of boxing,” he said.
I also want to say that in the time I’ve been working with the Rimbey Boxing Club, the appreciation I have for the coaching staff and their dedication has increased greatly. I enjoy seeing the character development in the youth that are boxing, the focus and discipline that’s required, and the willingness to take a knock to get to where they want to,” Peacock added. “As well, there’s the team building. Although boxing is a solitary sport, it’s very much of a team concept. I really enjoy watching a 20 year-old taking a 12 or 13 year-old and saying ‘here’s how I can help you’. I don’t see that as much as I’d like to see and really appreciate all they do.”