Thunder Innis and Josh Greenwood have done the work. Now they’re out for the reward.
After more than two years of training, fighting and sharpening their skills inside and outside of the ring, the two members of Inner City Boxing PG are setting their sights on Canadian titles this week in Calgary. Both are representing their club, city and province at the Boxing Canada national championships, which run from Wednesday to Sunday in the southern Alberta city.
The 17-year-old Innis is fighting in the U19 80-kilogram class while the 19-year-old Greenwood is competing in the U23 category at 70kg. Both are first-timers at the national tournament and will have to be at their best to bring home gold. They have byes to the quarterfinals, which means they’ll each have to win three fights against the best competition they’ve ever faced.
“This is what it’s all about, going against the best in the country,” said Inner City coach Jag Seehra. “It’s a challenge but these guys are more than ready.”
Innis takes an 8-1 record into nationals. With only nine fights on his resume, he doesn’t have the same amount of ring experience as some of the other contenders in his category, but that doesn’t bother him.
“I’m feeling better than I’ve ever felt before, and I’m so glad nationals is finally here,” Innis said. “My mindset is to just do the best I can, and win this – come out as the best in the country.”
Innis’s first opponent at nationals is Quebec’s Josue Kouie, who has gone 6-0 in his young career, with two victories by knockout. If Innis gets past Kouie on Wednesday night, he could end up facing fellow B.C. boxer and new rival Porter Hansen in the semifinals.
Hansen, from Nelson, handed Innis his lone defeat about a month ago and is already a 2025 Canadian champion at 75kg. Hansen has moved up to 80kg for this national tournament and opens on Wednesday against Raunak Singh of Ontario.
“To be honest, I’m not focused on him right now,” Innis said of Hansen. “I’m just focused on the opponent that’s in front of me. I’m going to get through him, and if Porter wins his fight, then yeah, we’ll fight, and I’m going to win.”
Innis’s other coach at Inner City is Kenny Lally, who won seven national titles during his own career.
“I’m really excited for Thunder,” Lally said. “It’s been a long but actually very short road for him. He’s only been competing two years and he’ll have his 10th fight at his first fight at nationals. We’re really proud of how far he’s come in such a short period of time.
“We are in deep with some very good fighters but anything can happen, and Thunder has the will of a champion.”
As for Greenwood, he owns a 6-6 record as he gets set to step into the national ring. Some early losses in his career lit his fire to keep getting better. Greenwood’s commitment to his craft elevated him to the No. 1 Canadian ranking in the 65kg novice division last March, and he just keeps getting sharper and stronger.
In his first fight at nationals, Greenwood will toss leather against Jackson Cook of Ontario on Wednesday night. Cook has a 14-10 record, with two wins by knockout.
“I just have to keep a focused mind, that’s the main thing,” Greenwood said. “All the work is done now, it’s just getting in there, staying focused, and doing what I do best. I always try to set the pace with high activity.”
In Lally’s view, Greenwood “has really come into his own” as a boxer and as a leader at Inner City.
“He’s our team captain and he holds everybody accountable, and holds himself accountable,” Lally said. “I’m really excited for Josh. We’re fighting (Cook of) Ontario, and this guy is six-foot-two from what we’ve heard, a very tall guy, but we have a very good gameplan that we believe should work.”
Lally and Seehra are also part of the Team B.C. coaching staff for nationals.
This year’s national tournament is being held side-by-side with the Canada Cup, an event that’s a stepping stone to higher levels of competition. Inner City has one fighter, Koehen McLeod, entered in the Canada Cup.
McLeod, 16, is boxing in the U19 division at 60kg and will have just one fight for the title. He’ll take on fellow B.C. boxer Illia Gordiy on Saturday afternoon. McLeod is 4-2 so far in his career.
“I’m excited for sure,” McLeod said. “I’m very nervous for this fight but I know I can win. I’ll have to keep my hands up for sure, move around and land some quality, clean shots.”
Seehra said he’s “very confident” McLeod will come back to Prince George as a Canada Cup champion.
“He brings the tenacity,” Seehra said. “He’s really been putting in the work and it’s time for him to shine.”
