Beaver Boxing Club member Kaitlyn Clark won the gold medal in her weight class at the Ontario Silver Gloves in Toronto.
Kaitlyn Clark is training to be on top of her game so she can step into the boxing ring as the top contender at the 2014 Ontario Provincial Championships.
Clark, representing the Beaver Boxing Club, captured the gold in the women’s 64 kilogram division at the Silver Gloves qualifying tournament in Toronto in March.
Along with Clark, Beaver Boxing athlete Erica Adjei won the gold in the 54 kg division.
“After my first fight in the ring I knew I wanted to win a national title,” says Clark. “Some people do it for fun but not me. I want to be a world champion.”
The provincial championships run May 1 to 3 in Mississauga.
Winners will move on to the national championships, where they will stand toe to toe against some of the best boxers from across the country, and ultimately compete for a spot on the national team.
Originally from Sarnia, Clark discovered boxing after watching Laila Amaria Ali, a retired professional boxer, on the American television show Dancing With The Stars.
“I thought Muhammad Ali’s daughter was beautiful,” says Clark.
“I fell in love with boxing because it showed that women can be strong, powerful and beautiful and they can dominate in a male sport.”
Clark was 15 when she decided to take up the sport but her protective mother did not want her to join a boxing club.
“I had to wait three years until I could sign myself up,” says Clark. “She still cries when she sees me box. I mean she’s my mom. No one wants to see their kid get punched in the face. But now she loves to watch me box and loves to see me win.”
Clark began boxing at Sharky’s Athletic Club and after learning about Beaver Boxing from her hometown coach, eventually moved to Ottawa and began her studies at Carleton University.
The third-year finance student connected with Beaver Boxing and has been training and competing ever since.
“Everyone who comes to the club comes back,” says Clark. “There’s a misconception that the boxing ring has an aggressive tone or it’s intimidating but people come here from all ages and levels. The sport gives you personal growth, confidence and is goal-oriented.”
The Beaver Boxing Club is Ottawa’s oldest boxing club, with a reputation for producing high-calibre athletes since its inception in 1943.
Its coaching staff is led by Joe Sandulo, the youngest boxer to ever represent Canada at the Olympics, and two-time Canadian Champion Jill Perry.
“I came to Beaver Boxing to learn how to punch correctly and I never left,” says Beaver Boxing coach Geoffery Kasonde.
“The club has real character. The floors are uneven. The equipment is used. Even the building has character. Everything you need to build a champion is in this building.”
Combining training, work and school can be challenging for Clark, but the 21-year-old is determined to knock out the competition and win a provincial title next month.
At the 2013 National Championships, Clark won silver in the 69 kg division.
This year, Clark dropped into a lower weight class and her coach Jill Perry is confident that another medal will make its way back to the local boxing club.
“It was a tough year in that we had a lot of learning but we did end up achieving our goal of getting to nationals and medalling,” says Perry.
"This year is different. This new weight class is better for her. Now she is the more experienced boxer.”
Clark says a strict workout schedule will prepare her for when she gets on the provincial stage.
Clark trains six days a week in the gym and in the ring to workout her mind, body and perfect her technique.
“I am not naturally gifted at boxing,” says Clark.
“I work really hard. When you get in the ring you want to punch your opponent. You know how hard they work and you want to make them better and then I make myself better.”