“When I heard the news I said, when you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go.” That’s how George Brezina reacted to the relocation of the community centre that had been home to his Gladiator Boxing Club for the last 2 years. The city decided to turn the building into a daycare”, he adds. “ And as a result, we were out.” Now while it’s certainly hard to argue against the merits of a daycare centre it still meant that Gladiator had to part with the most spacious gym in the region and start looking for a new home. Luckily for Brezina his boxing club was partnered with a local professional wrestling troupe, a practice that’s becoming increasing common among sporting clubs in order to save money by sharing space. And it was the owner of this wrestling troupe who eventually found them a new place, and voila, the club is now located on Blvd. de la Carriere near the Casino de Lac Leamy. The new gym, while considerably smaller than its predecessor, still affords ample room for training as well as 2 rings for sparring and an extensive selection of heavy and speed bags. Located in an industrial park, this new facility includes a large garage door at one end that can be opened in the warmer weather for extra ventilation. “It’s a great spot,” says Brezina and since it’s only a few kilometres from our old location we haven’t even lost any members as a result of the move. In fact Gladiator still boasts around 30 active members including 7 Open and 8 Novice Class competitors, plus an incredible 18 certified coaches.

Focus on Danny Sylvestre

One of these steady members is 30 year-old Danny Sylvestre who has been with the club since the outset. “He is one of our founding members, beams Brezina. “And has been a big part of our success so far.” A naturally aggressive fighter, Sylvestre relies on a balanced attack and lots of sustained pressure in order to wear his opponents down over the course of a fight. “I’m a little short for my weight class (175 lbs.),” admits Sylvestre. “So I have to get inside to be effective.” According to this young pugilist his best outside punch is his straight right or right cross, and his most effective inside weapon is his left hook. “Once I work through my opponents guard,” he explains. “I like to drive them to the ropes and then land my signature punches to both the body and the head.” Simple, but effective, this style of boxing is also very physically demanding and as a result requires a high level of conditioning on the part of the athlete. “He (Sylvestre) trains very hard,” says Brezina. “He’s dedicated, doesn’t cut any corners and when he climbs through those ropes he’s always ready to fight.” When asked about the impact that the “sweet science” has had on his quality of life, Sylvestre is candid, “It helped me through some tough times ... times when I was a little wild.” he explains “ The sport gave me focus and discipline and really got me back on track.” His family also appreciates the gift that boxing has been in Sylvestre’s young life and fully support him in his endeavours. “My family come to all my fights, along with my girlfriend of nine years and our six year-old baby girl. It feels great,” he says with pride. “To see their faces in the audience and know they’re cheering for me.”

Best Moment in the Ring

“My first 4-rounder at an event sponsored by Tri-star Gym in Montreal,” he explains. Sylvestre was matched up against veteran and ex 2-time Canadian champion Jean Houde (175 lbs.). “I trained very hard,” explains Sylvestre. “And like all my fights, was really up for it.” The bout was a see-saw battle that went right down to the wire with both men exchanging punches and momentum during the contest. And Despite being outmatched on paper, Sylvestre put in a huge effort and really impressed his more experienced opponent, winning both respect and admiration in the process. Unfortunately for Sylvestre he came up a little short on the judges’ scorecards, losing a close split decision but was nevertheless very proud of his performance.

What’s next

When asked about his future plans Sylvestre admits he would like to be a Canadian amateur champion one day but has no profession ambitions in the sport.