A trip to Vancouver yielded three wins in three bouts for the Salmon Arm Bulldogs boxing club.
Jordyn Konrad, Dominic Barbosa and Ryan McGregor each won their matches hosted a Griffins Boxing Club in North Vancouver on Feb. 18.
Barbosa, who fights at 137 pounds, said his opponent had a similar size, height and body type.
“It was very close it could have gone either way. It was back and forth the whole time. It was a really well-fought fight between the both of us,” Barbosa said.
The bout on Feb. 18 was Barbosa’s 13th fight.
Barbosa said he thinks the first round went to his opponent the second was close and he is confident he took the third.
“I would’ve given the second round to Dom for sure. It was an awesome fight, Dom did great like always, he was relaxed the whole time,” said Cole Waines, who acted as Barbosa’s corner man for the fight.
Barbosa said Waines did a great job of helping him prepare and keeping him relaxed during the fight.
Waines also cornered for Konrad and McGregor.
For part of her fight against an opponent that Waines said was larger and more experienced, Konrad didn’t have the use of her eyes.
Mid-fight, a headband Konrad was wearing slipped down over her eyes, blinding her.
“I was like ‘oh shoot that’s too bad, ‘but like in swimming if your goggles fall off, you continue and do the best you can do. You can’t stop fighting unless the ref calls it. You can run and keep her away but you have to engage in the fight until the ref calls it,” she said
Coach Peggy Maerz said Konrad still managed to throw her punches straight despite not being able to see.
“In the first round I was definitely nervous still, calmer than my first fight. As the rounds went on I found my stride I was able to see shots and take them,” said Konrad, a former SFU swimmer who won her first boxing match in November.
Konrad said her opponent was very technical making it an enjoyable fight.
McGregor’s fight on Feb. 18 was his first time in the ring in two and a half years, but he says he didn’t let nerves get the best of him.
“I felt confident I felt good. I have a good coach and a good team here, they give me everything I need for sparring. I know what I see in the ring I know I’m going to have the proper training for it,” McGregor said.
McGregor said he felt he had control of the ring throughout the fight, driving his opponent into the corners and then standing in the center and making the other boxer come to him.
“I felt good but you just never know when you leave it up to the judges,” he said.
