At his first hometown main event, Nelson's Porter Hansen opted for efficiency over entertainment.
Hansen quickly broke through the defence of Haiden Van Horne from The Shadow Box club of Leduc, Alta., to earn a stoppage midway through the first round of their 75-kg junior C open bout at Fight Night 14.
Hansen knew what to expect from his opponent. He beat Van Horne earlier this year at nationals, and on Saturday watched as the visitor prepared in the lead-up to their fight at the Nelson and District Rod and Gun Club.
“I knew this time he was going to be nervous at the start, but he was also going to be prepared for me to get at him," said Hansen. "So he was right down the line. I wanted to break the lines.”
He didn't have to wait long for his opening.
Hansen used a number of jabs that seemed to shatter Van Horne's defence and catch him square in the face. That was all Hansen needed, but he later admitted to being a little disappointed when the official stepped in.
“I thought maybe a couple more rounds and I was going to be able to work a little bit more on some angles. But it was fun. It’s always nice being able to just wrap it up, take the ring down now and move on to the next fight.”
The Nelson Boxing Club's biannual card featured 12 fights that included boxers from Cranbrook, Salmon Arm, Vernon, Spokane, East Vancouver and Edmonton.
Nelson’s Torin Edmonds bloodied Shadow Box’s Sam Sorg in the first round of a 65-kg youth open with snappy combos. Sorg was game for a fight, but Edmonds, among the fastest fighters on the card, used effective head-and-body sequences to control the bout. It was impressive work, and Edmonds was rewarded for it with a unanimous decision.
Roland Ingram of Vernon Boxing used his reach to punish Cranbrook Eagles’ fighter Cyrus Lepsis every time he tried to close the distance in a 76-kg elite bout. The tactic of charging in with his head down worked once in the first round for Lepsis after he caught Ingram on the side of the head, and was even more effective in the second. By the third Ingram was mostly on the defensive, and Lepsis earned a split decision.
In the heavyweight bout of the night (and, at 100 kg elite, over 20 kg heavier than anyone else on the card), Shadowbox’s Nathan Omuvwie used a left jab to bring down Cranbrook’s Chris Bohn and earn a stoppage in a very quick first round.
Kai Pearson of Edmonton’s Marshall Boxing was at a height disadvantage but looked unfazed in his 70-kg elite fight against Nelson’s Matheus Loureiro. Pearson controlled the ring, shook off what Loureiro threw and chased him into the corners. In the final round, Pearson’s jab snapped Loureiro’s head back and put an exclamation mark on his split-decision win.
Nelson’s Sabian Smith stared down Brock Klimosko of Shadowbox then backed up the theatrics by forcing the official to check twice on his opponent. Smith connected in the second round with two hard right crosses to the side of Klimosko’s head, but Klimosko battled back in the third round with his own jabs that slowed Smith. It was among the card’s best contests, and ended with Smith winning a unanimous decision in the 57-kg junior C open.
Luther Sawatzky of Fernie Old School Boxing wore down Jari Hirvinen of Salmon Arm’s Bulldogs Boxing in a 59-kg junior B contest. Sawatzky was effective in the third round with several jabs that found Hirvinen’s head and bloodied his nose en route to a unanimous decision.
Nelson’s Graeme Jolly made fast work of Shadow Box’s Cashton Hutzukal. Jolly pinned Hutzukal in the corner with hammering punches and forced Hutzukal to take a knee in the first round of the 73-kg elite bout.
Former Nelson boxer Isabel McAleer, now fighting for East Vancouver’s Eastside Boxing, took on Cranbrook’s Brogan Leslie at 73-kg elite. McAleer looked to be more experienced while Leslie was unlucky to take a hard slip to the mat. Leslie rebounded to earn what must have been a close split decision.
Cranbrook’s Edric Van Steinburg relied on quantity over quality of punches thrown to press Spokane Boxing’s Jamieson Healy in a 52 kg junior B bout. Van Steinburg, whose flash of blue hair had to be tucked under his head protection twice during the fight, won by split decision.
Young Nelson boxers Freddie Dool and Beau Mahoney opened the night with a three-round sparring demo, which was followed by Nelson’s Matt Brown taking on Cranbrook’s William Olson in an exhibition.
