By Brendan McConnell
Things move at lightning speed in the Ottawa boxing world. One minute you’re an amateur boxer in Manitoba, the next you’re fighting international stars in preparation for a run at the world title.
While it may sound like the plot to a film by Martin Scorsese, this is the reality for local boxing professional Andy Gardiner who, just last May, made the move to Ottawa to train under Final Round Boxing coach Eric Belanger at his gym in Chinatown.
“I’m really happy with my progression so far,” says 25-year old Gardiner, who started boxing at 16 in Winnipeg. “I feel like I’ve improved a lot.”
After meeting a crossroads in his teens where he had to choose between hockey and boxing, Gardiner went the fisticuffs route and now finds himself on the verge of competing alongside world title contenders. A good performance in his Sept. 6 bout during the Fight Club Series event at Casino Lac Leamy could lead to big opportunities.
Belanger, who took Gardiner into his house when he first moved to Ottawa, has worked to build off of the young boxer’s strengths to make sure that when his world title shot comes, he goes all the way to the top.
“Andy’s strengths are something that I can’t teach,” Gardiner notes. “You can hit him in the head with a Volvo and he’ll keep coming. He’s very dedicated and very tough and he’s in great shape.”
Gardiner, who competes in the light heavyweight class, will be going up against Polish fighter Michal Nieroda, who recently took on the current world champion. To prepare, Gardiner has three workouts per day, six days per week, where he works on everything from technique to power to endurance.
Apart from his ability to take a punch and keep going, Belanger says that Gardiner is one of the most disciplined fighters he has come across, which is essential to progressing to the sport’s top levels.
“A big part of it is lifestyle,” Belanger explains. “Being a pro fighter is not easy at all — if you want to make it, you’ve got to make a lot of sacrifices.”
That level of training does not even allow room for a soft drink, he adds.
“The regular life enjoyments that most people get to enjoy, he doesn’t,” Belanger highlights. “Finding someone who’s actually disciplined enough to do that is quite rare no matter how much talent they have.”
In the short term, Gardiner is setting his sights on a North American title early next year – the Fight Club Series being a key helping hand in that pursuit. But, both coach and athlete agree that neither will be happy until that title belt is around Gardiner’s waist.
“I want to make it to the top,” Gardiner emphasizes. “There are several guys with belts right now and I want them all.”
Final Round’s Samer Barakat was also slated to compete on the Sept. 6 card, making his pro debut against Canadian Denis Martin.