Falling into obscurity (boxing is back in Gatineau)

After falling into obscurity in recent years boxing is back in Gatineau – The newly established Gladiator Boxing Club opened its doors in January of this year and so far is off to a flying start. Located at the St. Joseph’s Recreation Centre in Hull the club boasts over 7,000 square feet of floor space, making it one of the largest boxing gyms in the country. “Our mission is to revive boxing in the Outouais,” explains head coach George Brezina. “The goal is to build on the strong tradition that exists in the region and reintroduce the sport into the community.” Backed by a skilled and dedicated group of coaches including former three time Canadian champ, Gaetan Hart, the club has an excellent base to build on. In fact, after only three months of operation the club already has 30 members including 3 girls, 8 registered competitors, and has already participated in 7 competitions. So far the club’s greatest success came at the Silver Gloves Tournament in Shawinigan. 120 boxers from 43 clubs participated in the event and “Gladiator” captured 2 medals. Jarod Collard-Hart received a bronze medal in the heavyweight division (200 lbs.) and Fadi Kanaan was awarded gold in the welterweight class (152 lbs.).

Kanaan, a twenty-year-old local boy, has been involved in competitive boxing for about 3 years and has been a member of Gladiator from the outset. He has an overall record of 7 fights, 7 wins, and 5 knockouts and this talented boxer-puncher brings good footwork and natural balance to the ring with a smooth, fluid style. Also evident are his defensive abilities as he slips punches well with lateral upper body movement. An intelligent fighter, Fadi understand the key principle of boxing “hit without being hit”, but readily admits that sometimes he likes to “slug it out”. “I have lots of faith in my right hand,” he explains, “And, after all, it is a fight.”

Fadi says he has many boxing idols, but one of his favourites is probably Arturo Ghatti, the fiery Canadian welterweight from Montreal. “I just love his tremendous heart,” he muses, “It really motivates me.” Kanaan is also very impressed with the way Arturo has recently improved his defensive abilities under the tutelage of trainer, Buddy McGurt, and has become more of a boxer-puncher instead of just a slugger.

When asked about his gold medal performance at the Silver Gloves Fadi admits it wasn’t easy - 4 fights in less than a week, and no room for error. “This is no round robin tournament, lose once and you go home. There’s lots of pressure in this sport, but I draw energy from the crowd,” he says, “And besides, I really love it.” At the Silver Gloves Kanaan knocked out 3 consecutive opponents before defeating Pascal Boisvert in the final and handing him his first loss. Almost doubling Boisvert’s scoring punch output Fadi won easily on points (44-23) and controlled the fight from the outset.

Outside of the ring Kanaan is a high school senior who plans to attend college after he graduates – his favourite music is hip-hop and rap.

So far Fadi’s experience with the sweet science has been a good one and he looks forward to continued participation in the sport. His coach also has high hopes for this young pugilist and anticipates a successful amateur career. “He’s great to watch, brings a lot of intensity to his performances and is a good student of boxing,” says Brezina. Fadi admits he is very comfortable at Gladiator and has a good relationship with his coaches and fellow club members. When asked how far he plans to go in boxing he simply answers, “As far as I can.”