Fight Night comes to Canmore
JUSTIN BRISBANE CANMORE
Under darkened skies and amid a frigid drizzle, the Bow Valley’s purveyors of pugilism took to the outdoor ring at the Canmore Recreation Centre’s outdoor field, Saturday (Aug. 28).
While the outdoor event was no Rumble in the Jungle or Thrilla in Manilla, a strong crowd braved the elements to raise more than $7,000 for cancer research and the Canmore Hospital.
Canmore Fight Club owner and event organizer Nick Martin said the evening was a success, and he hopes to turn it into an annual event.
“It was good. Not much can you do about the weather, but we had more than 200 people show up. I’m happy with the way everyone performed and the crowd seemed to enjoy it,” he said.
Twenty-two fighters competed during the event. While there were no decisions in the three-round exhibition matches, the evening gave Canmore Fight Club members some much-needed ring experience, primarily against boxers from the Red Deer club.
“You cannot buy ring experience,” Martin said. “This is a great opportunity to get some against some good competition.”
Red Deer brought the ring to Canmore for the event and supplied many of the fighters.
“They’re great guys. They put on a great show and I look forward to continue working with them,” Martin said.
On top of running the show, Martin competed in the opening match before donning a suit to take on announcer duties for the rest of the evening.
He gave up 60 lbs and a considerable amount of ring experience in the opening match by challenging Rob Montgomery. Montgomery, a former Commonwealth Games fighter, stalked the Canmore Golden Gloves pugilist for three rounds. Martin stayed to the outside, but Montgomery caught him on the ropes twice in the first round.
“Stick and move,” Martin said. “I tried to stay on the outside and not get caught.”
Canmore’s Hugh Notman took on Todd Hill of Beaumont in the second fight of the night in the super-heavyweight division. Notman kept a strong block up against Hill, which allowed him to land a few solid counter punches.
“The plan was to cover my head and stay relaxed,” Notman said after the match.
Notman said it was his first fight outdoors, but he wasn’t bothered by the elements.
Evelyn Clark and Jane MacDonald squared off in the women’s match. Clark dodged and weaved through the first round, landing a few counter punches on the much taller MacDonald.
Clark appeared to injure her leg with a minute left in the final round, but continued on.
Another event is in the cards for February, Martin said, who’d like to see the fundraiser return next year.
“The first one is done. We’ll tweak it for next year,” he said.
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