Fall Brawl provides opportunities for local boxers

Ryker Batson can tell his Fall Brawl boxing event is getting closer from the athletes he works with at the Brandon Fitness Combat Academy.

The facility is playing host to the card on Oct. 25 at 5 p.m., with seven local boxers expected to compete, and other athletes coming from Winnipeg, Saskatchewan and the United States.

“I’m excited,” Batson said. “I’m excited to see all our boxers grow. I know they’re pretty pumped to have an actual date. It seems like we’ve been trying to get a date for a while and now that we actually have one, I can see the joy in their faces now that they know they actually have a fight coming up.”

The event is a first for the Brandon Fitness Combat Academy, which is located at 545 Pacific Ave., and can accommodate about 100 people.

Tickets are $25 each, with only a handful remaining.

Batson expects that by keeping the event in-house, more can be held.

“We’re hoping to have it quarterly but for sure every six months,” Batson said.

The last major local card was the Peak Boxing Event on June 24, 2024 that was held under a massive tent pitched east of the Riverbank Discovery Centre near the walking path by the Assiniboine River. The five-hour show featured 25 amateur bouts and exhibitions.

Common Ground 1 was held at the Imperial Ballroom in September 2023.

Batson said it’s good for the sport to have these kind of showcases.

“It’s very important,” Batson said. “We’re hoping to have some of our youth potentially competing in nationals coming up. That’s in November in Winnipeg, so it’s what we’re gearing up for right now.”

The Elite Nationals are being held Nov. 26-30 at the Sport Manitoba Building in Winnipeg.

Manitoba is holding provincials in Winnipeg this weekend.

“It’s hard to train without a goal,” Batson said. “That’s probably the biggest thing. As soon as you have a goal and you know you have a fight date, when you’re training, it pushes you that extra little bit.”

The academy’s sister business is Peak Performance and Athletics, and the card is being organized by general manager Olivia Keeble and operation manager Logan Stouffer while Batson coaches the local athletes.

“They’re doing great with the organization,” Batson said. “This is their first event so they’re taking on a big load.”

While his fighters won’t know a lot about their opponents as they enter the ring, Batson suggested that’s not entirely a bad thing. Instead, he wants his athletes to work on themselves and the rest will fall into place.

“The biggest thing I tell them is that obviously it would be nice to have tape, but sometimes you’re fighting another guy with zero fights,” Batson said. “Really, you’re just preparing yourself the best you can and try not to worry about the other guy. I always tell them ‘Pretend like you’re fighting Mike Tyson and prepare for the best.’”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

 

Westman boxers participating in the 12-fight Fall Brawl card at the Brandon Fitness Combat Academy next Saturday are shown in bold. As with all combat sports, the list of fights remains subject to change.

Adam Gabrielle vs. Sam Ebrahimi

Jesse Kreutzer vs. Simon Federkevik

Miguel Melo vs. Bohdan Solyhan

Ken Kreutzer vs. Sandeep Singh 

Dustin Colon vs. Jacob Firlotte

Jade Bailey vs. Laila Hayden

Aundre Thompson vs. Ethan Kennedy