The Inner City Wardogs are about to go on the hunt against some of the elite young fighters in the nation.
Athletes and coaches from the Prince George-based boxing club are heading to Calgary for Canada Cup 2025. The event, presented by Boxing Canada, starts on Wednesday in the southern Alberta city. Thunder Innis and Josh Greenwood will represent Inner City in the four-day tournament, while Melissa O’Flynn will fight on behalf of Inner City and her hometown club, 2 Rivers Boxing of Quesnel.
Inner City boxers Ben Ruttan and Audrey Edmunds will also attend Canada Cup. But, due to a lack of competitors in their divisions, they’ll make the most of the experience by sparring against fighters of similar abilities while there.
Innis, 16, will step into the ring in the 85-kilogram division. There’s just one other boxer in that weight class, so the two of them will battle it out in a best-of-three format.
“I want Thunder to showcase his skills, like we all know that he can, especially on this big stage where there’s going to be lots of Boxing Canada people,” said Wardogs coach Kenny Lally. “We’re hoping to turn some heads and showcase his true talent.
“We’ve switched up his training a little bit (since his last fight),” Lally added. “We’ve been doing a little bit more strength training and it has paid off beautifully.”
In his young career, Innis already has three championship titles to his credit – the B.C. Bronze Gloves, the Alberta Sub-Novice and the Alberta Silver Gloves. At the Alberta Silver Gloves, held in January in Medicine Hat, he was also named top boxer overall. Innis has been pretty much untouchable, and he’ll be looking to continue that trend this week.
“I’m feeling really, really confident,” said Innis, a power puncher with fierce determination and advanced technical skills for his level of experience. “I’m always working on my craft. I’m just improving every time I step in the ring.”
Innis is looking forward to the best-of-three format.
“It’s going to be really, really fun,” he said. “I’m excited to see what he brings to the table.”
The 18-year-old Greenwood, meanwhile, will compete in the 65kg class. He’s one of four boxers in the division, so a win in his opening fight will qualify him for the final. A loss would mean a second fight for bronze.
“Anything can happen, but we’re looking for the gold medal,” Lally said. “It’s going to be tough.”
Greenwood’s last action was at the Alberta Silver Gloves. There, he lost his lone bout to Steven Carabali of Edmonton after a slow start and a furious comeback attempt that fell short. Carabali is also entered in Canada Cup, so a rematch is a possibility.
“It would be great for Josh’s confidence to get a win,” Lally said.
Greenwood himself can’t wait to get back in there.
“My goal is to get the gold,” he said. “In the past 12 weeks, I’ve changed everything with how I train and I feel a lot better. My mental game is a lot stronger now. My technique is a lot better, I found my balance, and I’m ready to go.”
O’Flynn, 29, spent more than a month at Inner City in the lead-up to Canada Cup, getting in as much additional training time as possible. At the tournament, she’ll be in a group with three other fighters, including a reigning Canadian champion.
“This is good for Melissa,” Lally said. “This is what she wanted. She told (fellow Inner City coach) Jag (Seehra) and I that she wanted high-level stuff. Here we go. This is the first step. She has trained really hard and she has all the capabilities to win this.”