The challenge – drop 22 pounds of body weight in 10 hours.
To become the Alberta provincial heavyweight champion 30-year-old boxer Nick Martin had to do just that.
And it nearly killed him.
“It was one of the worst days of my life,” Martin said.
A miscalculation of his weight meant the Canmore-based fighter had to drop 22 lb. off of his 222 lb. frame to make his weight class and fight Steve Strampel of Red Deer on Nov. 20.
“It turns out my scale is five pounds off and I had to drop 20 lb. to make the weight for the fight.”
With only 12 fights under his belt, Martin didn’t like his chances lining up against the behemoths of the superheavyweight class. However, he ended up suffering even more with the weight loss to fight as a heavyweight.
“I was just a shell,” Martin said.
“He was a tough kid, an inside fighter which was a pain,” Martin said.
Five hours in the sauna followed by five hours in an Epsom salt bath resulted in severe dehydration before the fight.
“My body wasn’t working. Whenever I threw my jab he came to the inside.”
However, Martin was able to land enough punches to secure a win on points and claim the provincial championship. He admits he did get pretty beat up in the process.
“It was a good learning experience. I was so beat up by the end. I didn’t look like me.”
The fight was secondary to the beating he took from dehydration.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. My heart rate was through the roof, I was sick. The weight cut was a miserable experience. It took me a week to get back together.”
Martin trains many boxers out of the Canmore Fight Club gym, and stresses against such severe weight loss.
“Never in a million years will I let guys cut weight like that,” Martin said.
The fight leaves Martin at a crossroads. As the provincial champ, he should have a shot to go to nationals. However, since he has so few fights under his belt, he’s been denied that chance.
“At nationals, the guys have 60 to 70 fights. I only have 12.”
At 30, he’s unsure if he’ll keep fighting or hang up the gloves.
“There is a lot on my plate right now. It can go either way.”
Martin will host another boxing promotion in Banff in the New Year, and has many fighters to prepare for that fight. Boxing at the provincial level lets him know how far he can take his guys.
“I’m glad I did the experience. Now I know what it takes.”
