Med Hat Boxing undefeated in locally held Silver Gloves

By JAMES TUBB on January 17, 2023.

jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb

Medicine Hat Boxing Club stood its ground over the weekend.

The local boxing club hosted the 2023 Silver Gloves at the Wyndham Garden Centre on Saturday and Sunday, with 56 different bouts featuring clubs from Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan.

Medicine Hat Boxing Club coach Kerry Fahlman was happy with the weekend in the ring and for the community.

“There were an awful lot of good matches and everybody was enjoying themselves it was very organized,” Fahlman said. “There were a lot of good volunteers, great officials with a lot of experience here this weekend, everything went really well.

“A lot of us have known each other since the 1970s, not to sound too cliché but the boxing community is a big, big family.”

Medicine Hat’s boxers won all of their matches, leading to an undefeated weekend from the local club.

On Saturday’s card, MHBC’s Wade Goszulak defeated Aman Alawat from Edmonton Westchester to win gold in the open elite 71-kilogram division. Fahlman says it was Goszulak’s first fight back after six years away from the club.

He says Goszulak wanted to box on the same show as his 8-year-old son Tarik who competed against Southpaw Calgary’s Loki Wuohela in the fun box division. There is no decision in fun box but Fahlman says if there was Goszulak would have won the match as he was relentless and is going to be a handful when he can actually start competing at the age of 10.

Jacob Walne from MHBC defeated Liam Pagaling from Calgary in a “very close,” split decision to win gold in the open junior A 42-kilo division.

Nate Vossler MHBC defeated Oliver McLuskie from Edmonton Marshall in the open 57-kilo junior C semifinal with a unanimous decision.

MHBC’s Asher Softic defeated Konstantine Meleshko from Calgary for gold in the novice junior B 75-kilo division. Softic won by stoppage 40 seconds into the first round and won the best junior B award.

Fahlman says he was pleasantly surprised with their results.

“We’re rebuilding and we have a lot of good, young guys coming up and they’ve had quite a few fights already,” Fahlman said. “Competition is tough, it’s not often you go undefeated on a tournament. I’m more than happy for them and to win a couple good awards like we did, it was good for the kids and it gives them a lot of incentive also.”

Vossler defeated Jack Senga from Lonsdale Regina for gold in the open 57-kilo division and went on to win Bill Page Memorial Award for best boxer in the tournament.

His win marks the third time in seven years a boxer from Medicine Hat has won the award.

Vossler will be the only Medicine Hat boxer competing at the provincial level this year and he will compete in March for a chance to box at nationals in Montreal in June.

Fahlman says the sky is the limit with Vossler.

“I’m very proud, the boy has got a lot of heart,” Fahlman said. “He has no give-up that kid. I’ve always said, winning isn’t everything but wanting to is.

“He’s one of those kids that always wants to win and he takes it very maturely too.”

Both Saturday and Sunday were well attended, Fahlman says, with Saturday afternoon busy and that night and Sunday afternoon both at capacity.

“A big thank you to the community who came out and a thank you to our sponsors,” Fahlman said.

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