Fists will fly at long-awaited Boxing Manitoba tournament

For the first time in 15 years, Boxing Manitoba is hosting an event.

The Middle Province Tournament takes place this Saturday and Sunday at Pan Am Boxing Club. The card is jam-packed with 34 bouts featuring 43 different competitors over the two-day affair. Fighters from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario are coming to town to take part in the action.

The tournament is designed to help develop the sport at the grassroots level as the majority of the fights will feature novices. There’s also an open category, which is for those who have 10 or more fights on their résumé.

Fighters of all different ages will take turns squaring off for three rounds.

“It’s difficult especially in Winnipeg or Manitoba because it’s a bit of a smaller community so you’re either fighting the same person over and over again, or you’re having to travel. I know there’s a lot of big tournaments in Ontario, B.C. and Alberta, so a lot of the time boxers will have to travel outside the province to get fights,” said Laine Anderson, 41, a novice who has two matches against out of province opponents this weekend.

“So, it is really nice to have the coaches at Pan Am do such a great job networking to bring other boxers and other gyms to Winnipeg. It’s incredible to see how big it’s gotten.”

Clubs around the city often put on events with Boxing Manitoba’s support, but it’s been a long time since the provincial sport organization has been the one to organize something like this.

“This event is specifically for novices as we’re having a real problem after COVID with athletes not being developed, and not having opportunities in the province for new athletes, so, that’s why we’re taking it on as an executive,” said Boxing Manitoba president Brendan McManus.

There will be eight people stepping into the ring for the first time this weekend.

There are afternoon sessions on both days at noon and 3 p.m., as well as an evening timeslot on Saturday at 6 p.m. The late card will feature one of the top boxers in the province in 30-year-old Priyanka Dhillon in an exhibition bout with fellow Winnipegger Skye Anderson of United Boxing Club.

Dhillon won bronze representing Canada at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in England and is the nation’s top fighter at 48kg. In addition to that, she’s fought/trained in Germany, Turkey, Ireland, France and Puerto Rico. The opportunities to fight in her own backyard have been few and far between. Even though she’s stepping through the ropes just for fun this time, she’s excited.

“There are fighters in the city or the province, but most times, there’s no one else in your weight class, so you do have to travel,” said Dhillon. “So, I think it’s really cool that it’s happening in Manitoba, other provinces are coming, and basically it’s just an opportunity to showcase the talent that is in the province as well as across Canada.”

Dhillon and Anderson are especially excited for what this means for the female boxing community.

“We have a lot of people that come to the gym and they don’t actually box, they just like the fitness component of hitting the bag and the workout,” said Anderson, who trains out of Pan Am.

“But I think for women specifically, watching other women fight is very eye-opening and it does something to you. You see all these women do these amazing things and it makes you think that you can do it too.”

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Twitter: @TaylorAllen31