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Two local boxers win fights on Cougar Boxing card in Edmonton

Mar 27, 2018 | 5:00 PM

Ahead of his first boxing match earlier this month, 13-year-old Danijel Ramac was understandably nervous.

He had only been working out at Four Corner Boxing and Fitness since September of 2017, first trying out the sport to lose some weight. But the young boxer wasn’t the only nervous one, or even the most nervous, according to Four Corner Boxing co-owner and head coach Dylin Clarke.

“I was more nervous than he was. The kid’s first fight and I’m just sitting there — I sweat watching them,” Clarke said. “I’m that nervous for them because once they’re in there, there’s nothing you can do. You’re just like, ‘I hope I taught them enough. I hope they’re going to do well.’ I just get super nervous beforehand every time.”

It turns out Clarke had done well preparing Ramac, as he won his first-ever bout by TKO in the first round.

“He came out of that corner firing on all cylinders,” Clarke said. “Basically he overwhelmed his opponent completely … The guy threw a punch, he stepped to the side, bang-bang, hit him with a jab-cross combo right off the top. And then he just stayed on top of him the whole time. His cardio is phenomenal, so that’s what he did.”

Ramac said doing exactly what the coaches told him to do helped him get the victory.

“[They’re] always telling me to keep my right hand up and head moving … because you’re always going to get hit if you don’t do that,” Ramac said. “It was a great experience going out with the coaches for a day out.”

Although Ramac said there were certainly nerves before the fight, they disappeared as soon as the bell rang.

“You’re so focused on winning, you can’t hear or see the crowd,” he said. “The [coaches] helped me a lot with the training, and without them I probably wouldn’t have got there.”

Ramac wasn’t the only one to win a bout in Edmonton March 17.

William Opikokew, who has been with Four Corner Boxing for the last four years and is the second coach at the gym, won his fight by unanimous decision.

The 21-year-old was able to win despite his opponent having 60-pounds on him. It was his second fight, after competing in Lloydminster Feb. 3.

“The first [fight] I adrenaline-dumped really fast,” Opikokew said. “I was punching a little bit too much, I thought. This time I controlled more the pace of the fight. More natural, more me.”

He said when you’re in the middle of a fight, there’s a lot to think about.

“There’s so many different aspects of it,” he said. “You’re thinking about their stance, their coaching, who’s yelling, how much power are they using, are they thinking, are they coming forward, are they following, are they moving.”

It’s clear Opikokew really enjoys helping the youth at the club, which is why he’s there four days a week helping and mentoring more than just Ramac.

“[Clarke] has given me a really good space to train at, and he’s given me the opportunity to help other youth,” Opikokew said. “We have a lot of weight loss success stories and we have a lot of youth who have come through and maybe had a little bit of anxiety problems, little bit of depression, ADHD or ADD, and we’ve had them find themselves here and a social aspect they might not find in school.”

Helping kids find a place they feel comfortable in is what the club is all about, Clarke said.

“It’s the next generation of boxers,” he said. “I just feel better about myself helping another kid learn how to box than I do myself.”

The hope is for Opikokew and Ramac to qualify for nationals next year, Clarke said. To do that, they have to win provincials, which aren’t until the fall. For now, Clarke said he’s hoping to get the boxers onto a card in Regina next month.

 

nathan.kanter@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @NathanKanter11