With ten days remaining until the start of the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games boxing competition, Boxing Canada would like to introduce you to Pan American Games Boxing Team athlete Mckenzie Wright. Mckenzie is representing Canada in the female 50kg weight division. Originally hailing from Oakville, Mckenzie now resides in the Niagara region and boxes out of City Boxing Club in Niagara Falls, Ontario. 

Mckenzie’s favourite boxer is Lucia Rijker, who, like Mackenzie, started her career as a kickboxer and transitioned to boxing. “She is a pioneer in women’s boxing and remained undefeated as a professional. She’s always been a role model of mine in and out of the ring.”  Mckenzie is a three-national champion who “always wants to improve on my past performance and just loves training.” The most important lesson she has learned from being a high-performance athlete is to “never give up; success does not come easy.”

When asked how she deals with high-performance sport pressures, Mckenzie said, “I confide in my coaches, and they help me work through obstacles. They also know my personality, how my brain operates, and how to help.” Mckenzie believes that the most important thing for national boxing team athletes to remember is that “The road to success is full of ups and downs. Nothing comes easy, and every hardship is a lesson to take moving forward.”

Mckenze used to play field hockey but finds little time to play, having just recently graduated from nursing school, but hopes to find time to play again recreationally. She loves cotton candy ice cream the classic movie Titanic, and if she could wake up tomorrow and have any skill, it would be to do math.

Check out the short video interview in this post to learn more about National Boxing Team athlete Mckenzie Wright.

Posted on: October 9, 2023