WBC Western Boxing Championship draws set, action begins in March
WBC tournament deep with talent; prospects and former champions alike to trade leather
WBC bout on Mar. 29 will see Mat Andreatta (l) and Russ Lavery face each other in the opening lightweight matchup. Photo courtesy Lev Jackson.
The draws are finished and the schedule for the WBC Western championships is now in place, featuring as deep a talent pool as any tournament has ever seen.
The World Boxing Council, WBC, is one of the oldest and most prestigious professional boxing organizations on the planet, and has expanded from professional boxing to amateur this year.
The WBC Westerns will have championship bouts in every weight division from super featherweight to heavyweight.
“Deepest senior talent pool of any western championships in two decades,” said Combsport president Dave Allison. “I did one in 2008 and one in 1998. Those included all age divisions and there is no comparison. This is just senior and it’s deeper. There is no walkovers, everything is competitive all the way through.”
Winners of the tournament will get a chance to fight for the WBC Canadian championship in July, with the ability to move on to the WBC World Cup.
Since their inaugural show, Combsport has done everything in their power to give their boxers national and international opportunities. Their new relationship with the WBC finally gives Combsport the chance to give their fighters opportunities at national titles and team Canada trips.
“The WBC’s gain is Boxing Canada’s loss. We tried to communicate with Boxing Canada, now they have lost access to a lot of very good solid boxers that would have lit up the national scene. These boxers are now destined for the WBC world cup,” said Allison.
Two boxers in particular have been waiting a long time for national recognition.
Lightweights Mat Andreatta and Russ Lavery have fought in Combsport since it began and have time and time again watched their counterparts from Boxing BC get opportunities they so very much crave.
Both now veterans of over ten amateur fights, Andreatta, 19, and Lavery, 20, will now get their chance, but have to face each other in the opening lightweight matchup March 29.
“It’s both exciting and intimidating. It will make me elevate my game that much more just to match everyone else,” said Andreatta of the tournament.
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Both Andreatta and Lavery are familiar with each other, having sparred on several occasions.
“It was good, solid sparring,” said Andreatta. “It’s going to be a good, interesting fight. He’s kind of an awkward guy but our styles will match up good.”
His opponent, Lavery, says this is a fight he has wanted for a long time and can’t wait to hear the sound of the opening bell.
“I’ve been waiting to do it for a long time,” he said. “I got a lot of respect for that kid I think he is a great fighter, great person. Once we get in there it’s going to be a good fight for sure.”
Some of the preliminary bouts will take place at the River Rock Casino in Richmond March 15, on the undercard of unbeaten, world-ranked Adam Trupish.
The main draw will take place March 29 at the Cascades Casino in Langley.
In the heavyweight division, reigning B.C. heavyweight champion Adam Querido will take on Rob Layborn in a quarterfinal bout on March 29. The winner of the fight will go on to the semifinals May 17 at the Cascades Casino and face former first overall CFL draft pick Adam Braidwood.
On the other side of the bracket, VPD officer Brennan Lowrie will go up against Bob Larson of Fernie Boxing.
Once the dust heavyweight dust settles, the championship bout will take place on a later date prior to the WBC Canadian Championships.
At cruiserweight, two-time and current provincial champion Ken Huber will battle Surrey’s Aman Aujla for the WBC western championship on March 29 in a rematch of an action-packed B.C. championship bout last year.
The light heavyweight division features the deepest pool of fighters any tournament in B.C. has seen in years.
The quarterfinals take place March 29 when Justin Doubisif will take on Tim Geleos and Combsport city champion Julian Kim battles Darren Featherstone.
The winner of Doubisif and Geleos will go on to face Rick Westbrook on March 17th, and the winner of Kim and Featherstone will face Hank Lukyn, with the winners of those fights moving on to the championship match.
At super middleweight, three-time Canadian champion Robert Couzens will face Kylic Taylor March 29 with the winner punching a ticket in the championship fight May 17 against Phil Ryan.
In the middleweight division Brandon Busby from Vancouver Island will fight MMA fighter turned boxer, Sience for the western championship March 29.
In the light middleweight division, number-one ranked Josh Wright will battle number-two contender Remy Lavoie. The winner will face current B.C. champion Shawn Mcdonald in the western championship bout.
The welterweight draw begins at the River Rock Casino March 15 when current B.C. champion Ron Pryce will face City champion George Vourtsis. The winner of the champion vs champion match will move on to the finals and face number-one ranked contender Garnett Samuels.
At light welterweight, former national competitor and current number-one ranked B.C. contender Marcus Humes will come down from Prince George to face Sonny Sandhu for the WBC western title on March 29.
The lightweight division features the highly anticipated battle of Combsport products when Andreatta faces off against Lavery.
The winner of the Andreatta vs Lavery clash will go on to fight three-time and current B.C. champion Akbar Qurban for western Canadian honours on May 17.
At super featherweight Beacon reporter and former provincial champion Lev Jackson will go up against Surrey’s Raj Somal March 29. The winner of the bout will earn the right to face unbeaten, number-one ranked Francis Codilla for the western championship May 17.
All matches scheduled in the WBC Western Championships are subject to change.
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Well the talent pool is fine, but it is a little extreme to say it is the deepest talent pool ever seen. Obvious, the person dreaming up that one was not there in the Sixties for the 1967 Centennial International Diamond Belt
Championships that had undefeated heavyweight champion ROCKY MARCIANO has the guest referee. The
tournament included up to eight boxers in some of the divisions and two boxers engaged would be on the 1968 Canadian Olympic team, Dick Findlay of Vancouver and Donato Paduano of Montreal. Also, there were boxers from Washington state, California and many locations in British Columbia. At one of the night of activity, there were over
3,000 fans in attendance. When was the last time boxing in British Columbia had a a 1,000 folks attend.
I have seen comments from this poster before, all over other boxing sites and even videos on the internet. It seems he has a bad problem of living in the past and not being able to let go. It’s time to live in the now and stop re living your past through up to date articles.
Devon, it is not about living in the past, but about reality of the here and now. The writer claimed it is “as deep a talent pool ever seen”. Well some of us have seen a lot of talent pools, and the term “as deep a talent pool as ever seen” covers a whole lot of tournaments going back to those such as the 1944 BC team that rocked in the Seattle Golden Gloves, or the 1970 BC boxing team that rocked and rolled in the 1970 Canadian Nationals held in British Columbia. So, it is not about living in the past, but sorting out the facts from the fantasy of any pre-fight hype. To make any claims of “best ever” is always a risky business. The real results will determine the degree of talent, not some prediction of what may happen.
Brian
We made the statement that this Western is the deepest pool of seniors in BC to compete at a western Championship in two decades this is more than accurate. Boxing BC was incorporated in the late 1980’s. Reaching back 40 50 years is simply reminiscing Brian.
Dave
One can dance around the years Dave, but facts are facts. And, the fact is it is not the greatest pool of talent
“ever seen” in British Columbia tournaments. And, there was a British Columbia Amateur Boxing Association in the 1940′s and the Sixties. When Boxing Canada was formed, the BCABA changed somewhat, but it was still the same old players in the game, some of which were still there in the Eighties. But, aside from the history, all the best in the tournament for all that enter.
DAVE: When you mention Boxing BC was not formed until the late eighties, I must ask myself if I was on the Board of
the British Columbia Amateur Boxing Association 1983 to 1986 (aka Boxing BC) maybe I was having a bad dream and there was not a 1984 Canadian Olympic boxing team training in the Boxing BC training site because according to the current experts, Boxing BC did not exist. Wow, my head is spinning!