Gaetan Hart

“Boxing is my life,” admits former 3 time Canadian Lightweight Champion, Gaetan Hart. Originally from Buckingham Quebec this 49 year old local hero is now one of the coaches of the Gladiator Boxing Club. Still in its first year of existence the club has a growing list of members and is interested in attracting even more young talent from the surrounding area.

Head coach, George Brezina, really appreciates the help that Hart has given to the club so far and readily admits that he has been very instrumental in its early growth and development. “His reputation brings people in through the door,” explains Brezina, “But his most important contribution is in pre-fight preparation.” With almost 40 years of competitive experience Hart brings a lot of knowledge to the fight game and according to Brezina was a key component in Fadi Kanaan’s preparation for the Silver Gloves back in April of this year. “He gave Fadi the intense sparring necessary for the tournament,” explains Brezina. “And played a significant role in his success.” Kanaan eventually won the welterweight gold, defeating 4 fighters in less than a week. “It was tough,” he admits. “But my coaches prepared me well and sparring with Gaetan was the final ingredient needed for victory.”

Hart is very quick to put his contribution into perspective however, admitting that Fadi’s personal coach Daniel Gagnon is the one who deserves most of the credit for this young fighter’s development and that he(Hart) was simply adding the final touches. “Proper preparation for a fight requires a team effort,” explains Hart, “And if my experience allows me to play a significant role, that’s great.” Like all individual sports, however, the final responsibility for success lies with the fighter and that’s why the mental preparation in particular is so important. “Lots of guys get too nervous before a competition,” says Hart. “Especially the young ones, and even if you’re in great shape it’s not easy to walk up those steps if you don’t feel like you’re ready to fight.” A very unforgiving sport, boxing has little mercy on those who aren’t mentally prepared for battle. “After all,” says Hart, “It is a fight, and if you aren’t ready nobody’s going to do it for you. I mean, you can’t just hand your gloves to the coach and ask him to fight – in the ring you have to handle your own problems. But when it all comes together,” he adds, his eyes lighting up, “It’s magic, and some of the best moments of my life were spent in that ring.”

When asked whether you should hate your opponent Hart explains that while every fighter has his own approach, he himself could never hate an opponent. “Hate leads to fear,” he says. “Fear can lead to panic, and if you panic in the ring you’re finished. And besides, my opponent is just a man like me – he only has two arms and two legs and I have no reason to fear him. Respect him … yes, but fear him … never.” Hart then explains how you need a focused intensity to succeed in this sport and that controlling your mind in battle is just as important as controlling your fists. “Nobody knows exactly what’s going to happen,” he says. “All you know for sure is, you’re gonna be in a fight. The rest happens as it happens so you have to be ready for anything. And at the end of the day,” he adds, “We’re all fighters and hating my opponent is like hating a part of myself.

In fact this aspect of mutual respect in the sport of boxing is something that Hart feels very strongly about. “This sport transcends things like race, creed, colour and religion,” he says. “So no matter whether you’re black, white, yellow or purple, you’re still a fighter and deserve the same respect.”

Approaching 50 years of age, Hart is still in great shape and attributes it to a combination of regular exercise and sensible eating. His exercise regime includes stretching, shadow boxing, isometric resistance, and a diet that consists of lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Hart also swears by transcendental meditation, claiming that just 20 minutes of it can be as restful as 6 hours of sleep. “I lead a very busy life,” he explains, “And the meditation helps me make it through the day.”

When asked where he would be without boxing Hart says, probably in jail. “I came from a tough home, my father was very strict and there wasn’t much love in the house.” As a result Hart had a lot of anger inside him as a kid and boxing offered a sociably acceptable outlet. It was a great way to burn off steam and as an adolescent he quickly discovered the intrinsic rewards of this sport. “When I’m in the ring I’m at peace,” he explains. “It’s how I express myself – it’s who I am. Boxing isn’t for everyone,” he adds. “But I know it saved my life.”