Bill WatsonFor The Townsman
Cranbrook Eagles Boxers participated in the first-annual Fight Night in Nelson, B.C., on Saturday, May 14. It was a packed hall to witness Olympic-style boxing at its best.
The youngest of the Cranbrook boxers, nine-year-old Aidan Gareau, was rematched with Emmet Emblau from Quesnel. The two had squared off recently on Emblau’s home turf in northern B.C. Both boxers came out swinging and each were awarded medals at the end of the bout.
‘Drillin’ Dylan Muhlig had his hands full in the next tilt as he faced tough Riel Martinez from Nelson. Again both boxers were awarded medals for their exemplary performance.
Big brother Payton Muhlig was looking for revenge in his rematch bout with Quesnel’s Nick Kwiakowski. At the end of three rounds, Kwiakowski escaped with a close, split-decision victory.
Cranbrook’s Ty Kolbeck had a tougher time with the more experienced Tristan Ewanin from Calgary. Ewanin used counter-punch combinations to earn a close decision.
Making his ring debut was 12-year-old Charlie Nelson in an exhibition match with Payson White from Kelowna. Nelson looked like a veteran boxer using slick punches to the body and a good left jab. At the end both boxers were awarded medals for their performance.
Last up for the Cranbrook kids was the highly-anticipated debut of 16-year-old Nike Blackmore. Unable to find a more suitable opponent, Blackmore stepped up to take on 18-year-old Bhody Cartland from Nelson.
This exhibition tilt turned into a real slugfest right from the opening bell. After giving his opponent an eight count, Blackmore continued to get the better of the exchanges before the referee stepped in to stop the bout in the second round.
Club coaches Tom White, Bill Watson and Rock Leduc attended the first-annual Fight Night in Nelson along with local officials Adam Gareau and Frank Greco.