Everyone at Inner City Boxing PG has been waiting for this moment.
On Saturday night – for the first time since the historic club re-opened about nine months ago under the direction of co-owners and coaches Kenny Lally and Jag Seehra – Inner City fighters will step into the ring in front of a hometown crowd. Ben Ruttan, Thunder Innis and Joshua Greenwood will represent Inner City in the Champions of the North multi-discipline fight card. The event will feature boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and professional wrestling. It will all unfold at the Roll-A-Dome, starting at 6 p.m.
“It’s really exciting,” Lally said. “When we started up last February, we did not think we’d be at this point. These are going to be fights 25, 26 and 27 for our boxers, and at a hometown show. The boys are ready. We’re just trying to keep their nerves in check. Fighting in your hometown is a little different, for sure, but we’re ready to put on a show.”
Lally was a seven-time national champion during his boxing career with Inner City. As a newcomer to the sport in 2003, he had his third and fourth fights at the Roll-A-Dome during the B.C. Silver Gloves. He won both bouts, and was named top boxer in the tournament.
One of the keys to having success on home turf, Lally says, is knowing how to handle yourself in the hours leading up to the opening bell. He and Seehra will be helping Ruttan, Innis and Greenwood manage the clock before the three boxers throw their first punches.
“We will help them through the day – tell them when to turn it on, when to turn it off,” Lally said. “What most fighters do, they’re tense all day and by the time the fight comes, they burn out. The secret is learning how to relax before fight time. You must stay calm – the calm before the storm.”
The three Inner City boxers enter the Champions of the North card on a roll. Ruttan and Innis are coming off wins at the Alberta Sub-Novice tournament in Calgary earlier this month, while Greenwood went 1-1 at the B.C. Bronze Gloves in Chilliwack in mid-September. And, as part of their preparation for Saturday’s event, they worked for a couple of weeks with original Inner City coach Bob Pegues, who traveled from Quebec to Prince George to share his wisdom.
“That was huge for them,” Lally said. “After the two weeks, I can see in all of them that their technique has changed. Jag and I speak so highly of Bob because we should. He’s a six-time coach of the year, he’s had over 100 provincial champions, 40 national medals, 17 national champions. When he was here, they were all tuned in, ears on, everyone listening.”
Greenwood, a 17-year-old who will be fighting for the fifth time in his young career on Saturday, appreciated the chance to learn from Pegues.
“I took a lot out of that,” Greenwood said. “He taught us some really good body work, and we’re hopefully going to use that in the fights.
“I’m just really excited to represent Inner City in our hometown,” he added.
Seehra, too, is full of anticipation for the big night.
“It’s so cool that Prince George is going to be able to witness what we’ve been working on the past nine months,” he said. “And for me and Kenny, it’s like a homecoming. We’re back at the Roll-A-Dome, where I had my first fight in town. The Roll-A-Dome is made for boxing. It’s going to be like going back in time.”