When it comes to a rematch between two boxers, there is more on the line. Especially when the previous fight ended in a draw.
This is the situation female pro boxer Peggy Maerz, fighting out of Salmon Arm Bulldogs Boxing Club, finds herself in as she prepares to fight known opponent Amy Johnson from Edmonton at the Rumble in Red Deer this Saturday.
It was only a year ago that Maerz fought Johnson and, this time, Maerz wants to prove herself more than ever.
“Oh I wanted another fight and so did she [Johnson]. She was quite upset with the draw,” she Maerz.
Mickey Sims, Maerz’s trainer, says this next fight will be anything but breezy for the 39-year-old boxer.
“This fight isn’t going to be easy for either participants,” he said, adding that Maerz has had to go up in weight to fight Johnson at 125 pounds in the lightweight bout.
To prepare for the fight, she has been training for six to seven hours daily in weight, speed and endurance training.
“It was difficult because I went up seven pounds in muscle opposed to seven pounds of whatever,” said Maerz of making weight.
Sparring allows a boxer to go head to head with another competitor and rehearse their fight plan. This is why Sims had a fighter who is similar to Johnson in height and weight visit Salmon Arm to spar with Maerz for a weekend.
Johnson is significantly taller than Maerz, so the fight plan is tailored to work around this fact, said Sims.
“It is my job,” Maerz says of boxing. “For me it is realizing a dream. I have always wanted to train with Mickey, and I am no stranger to hard work, but the fight preparation I am doing now is much different than I have in the past and it’s the key to victory. Now I just have to open the door.”
Along with the physical side of training, Maerz has also been preparing herself mentally for this fight.
“I’ve been practising visualization, meditation… seeing the fight how I want it to go,” she said.
Sims says his goal as Maerz’s trainer is to ensure she not only overwhelms her opponent with power, but with endurance and technique.
“It’s not about winning but how we look when we win,” he said. “This is business for us… Peggy has prepared herself mentally and physically, and now it is just a matter of converting it over.”
Maerz says every boxer experiences nerves before a fight and she is no exception.
“I’m excited and I’m nervous because I have a whole new fight plan with whole new moves,” she said, adding that her goal is to “stick with the fight plan, stay busy and fight hard to win.”
In the minutes before the fight this Saturday, Maerz says she will be doing what she always does. Ensuring she doesn’t allow nervous energy to jack up her adrenaline.
“You want to be clear of mind. You want to get geared up at the right time,” she says.
