Montreal, December 9, 2015. The third night of the Olympic Qualifiers in Montreal featured six national team members. Among them was the women’s lightweight Pan Am Games Gold medalist Caroline Veyre. She faced a very brave opponent in Samantha Johnson from Manitoba, who was participating in her first Elite National competition.

The boxers went toe to toe in the first round with both landing punches with authority. By the end of the second round, Veyre got back her confidence and started throwing various combinations that confused her opponent.

The Pan Am Games champion won by unanimous decision and will box in the finals against fellow Quebec boxer Sabrina Aubin, who is the 64kg Canadian National champion.

“It was a bit stressful though my rival was not as experienced as my recent opponents. By the end of the first round I started feeling really good in the ring” said the French born Veyre.

 The second Team Canada Member jumping in the ring was also from Quebec, 60kg David Gauthier who took on fellow Quebec boxer Alyre St-Pierre. The bout was very close in all three rounds, and the experienced Gauthier was rewarded with a unanimous decision. He will face Rodolfo Velasquez from Ontario in the finals, a Latino boxer from El Salvador, whose parents are always cheering in the crowd.

The youngest member on Team Canada, 69kg Sasan Haghighat-Joo had his debut bout of the tournament and showed his hunger for triumph, winning his bout by TKO in the 2^nd round to a new comer to the elite division Nova Scotia’s Johathan Sinclair.

The two women’s bouts that everyone was waiting for came tonight when middle weight Ariane Fortin and rival Mary Spencer had their own opponents with the public expecting that both would win their bouts, but it didn’t happen.

Fortin won a close bout against first year elite boxer Tamara Thibeault, a bright future prospect  from Quebec, who started her boxing career in Saskatchewan, where her family lived and her and her father trained at the Regina Boxing Club.

“The bout went as I expected. I fought against the next generation of boxing. The outcome turned out in my favour and it was fun to have a bout before the final,” said the two-time world champion from Quebec.

The other middle-weight bout included iconic boxer Mary Spencer, looking to her earn her ticket to her second Olympics. It wasn’t meant to be as she lost a split decision to Alison Greey, the light heavy weight National champion who recently won the Bulgarian tournament.

The last two national team members to compete were 91kg Samir El Mais and Paul Rasmussen, both winning their bouts and will now face each other in Thursdays finals.

“It was hard but in the end, I will be better for the next fight. My opponent has a difficult style  but I found a way to win” said El Mais.

 

 

Posted on: December 9, 2015