Bruderer family rings in new passion

Rob Bruderer and his children have made boxing a family affair.

The 35-year-old Brandonite, whose five- and seven-year-old children take youth classes as he does adult classes at Brandon Fitness Combat Academy, got into the sport about five years ago for his physical and mental health.

After the kids class is done at the gym, which is owned and operated by Ryker Batson and his family, his youngsters will either eat a snack as they watch their dad train or his wife will take them home.

“That’s kind of nice, to incorporate the family into it. It’s just a good outlet,” Bruderer said. “It’s a nice release at the end of the day and I actually almost crave it. Once you start coming enough and you see what the Batsons do for the community — they do a lot — now that I bring my children, it’s become a family thing.

“It’s something we all look forward to. It’s been quite nice.”

“It’s better than sitting in front of a TV watching Netflix, I’ll tell you that,” Bruderer added. Bruderer is one of six Westman fighters who will participate in The Spring Showdown boxing card at the Victoria Inn’s Imperial Ballroom on May 9.

The doors open at 5 p.m., and the fights start at 6 o’clock, with the card likely wrapping up by 9 or 9:30.

Tickets are available at Peak Performance and Athletics at 863 10th St., or at the door if any are left. They are $30 each in advance or $35 at the door.

Bruderer believes boxing has given him a lot.

“It’s the persistence and the self-discipline that they teach you,” Bruderer said. “At the end of the day you have your teammates, but it’s like anything in life, it’s what you put in that you’re going to get out. If you don’t want to work hard, you’re not going to get good results.”

He had his first amateur fight two years ago, which he lost by decision. While he’s hoping to get some redemption, the experience went well beyond whose hand was raised at the end.

“I lost that one and I still felt like I was on top of the world,” Bruderer said. “It was probably one of the wildest legal things I’ve ever done. I was ‘If this is what losing feels like, I can’t even imagine what winning feels like.’ Even just to get in there is a win on its own. It’s something on its own, to be honest.

“I don’t even know how to explain it. Coach always said to ride the wave, and it was, ‘What the hell does he mean by that?’ But once you get in there, you’re ‘OK, I know what the wave is.’”

Bruderer said he isn’t thinking about anything at all when he’s in the ring. He added that’s kind of nice, and far better than putting on a set of headphones.

“You get trained to clear your head, and that’s the whole point of us doing this sparring and the training here,” Bruderer said. “You have to put those aside, and as you’re stepping into the ring, you almost go somewhere else.”

The orthodox fighter will weigh in around 180 or 185 pounds on fight day. Batson is interested to see how it all shakes out.

“His first bout was almost two years ago so he’s been wanting another fight for a while,” Batson said. “This is the one and I’m excited for him. I hope he does great. He’s a great guy and he’s been training really hard for this fight and really wants it. I’m excited to see what he can do.”

Batson said they’ve worked with Bruderer on his strategy, and that he’s lighter than last time he was in the ring. The instructor also likes his mental approach.

“He went down a weight class, so he’ll have more cardio, which will really help this fight,” Batson said. “He’s dropped 20 pounds since his last fight so with more cardio his punch output has gone up. His mental has changed as well. He’s more focused and seems present when he’s training.”

One of the things Bruderer likes best about the gym is people from all walks of life are there. While they may not see much of each other away from the combat academy when they arrive for their workouts, they collectively leave their baggage at the door and push each other to get better.

“It’s really cool,” Bruderer said. “In my opinion, community is dying out because everybody is so used to staying on their phones and staying at home and not talking to people and not interacting with people. If you look through the door, everybody is laughing and joking around and actually looking at each other eye to eye and having good times.

“It’s nice to see that again, that sense of community.”