Canadian National Championships — Measuring Myself Against the Best

Facing the best of the best to see where I truly stand.

They say you don’t become a true boxer until you’ve lost a fight. But when you see loss as failure and spend your time running from it, what happens when you finally come face to face with it?

This tournament taught me that loss isn’t something to fear; it’s something to accept, learn from, and sometimes it’s even needed.

For the remainder of the tournament, I was able to step back and appreciate the beauty of the sport. I learned from my own experience and from watching competitors from every region. One truth became crystal clear: experience is the greatest advantage a boxer can have.

I’ll take it wherever and however I can get it. Sign me up for the toughest fights against the most experienced opponents any day because that’s how I’ll get better.

I believe everything happens for a reason though I do not always like the timing, it is not up to me. In the moment, the loss hurt. I knew I could have ranked nationally; but with reflection came clarity. Had things gone differently, I wouldn’t have gained the experience, faced that opponent, or received what I truly needed from this tournament. It wasn’t my year for nationals and I’m okay with that.

This experience showed me my future. It set the bar higher, reignited the fire I felt before my very first fight, and reminded me why I fell in love with boxing in the first place.

The motivation is there.

And 2026 is shaping up to be a monumental year. 🥊🔥