Anthony Varella has one more chance to get into the Boxing Canada Super Channel National Championships hosted in Langford this spring.
It was supposed to be this weekend, Jan. 26 in a Richmond “box-off” but it will have to wait until March.
“That’s the thing with Varella, people duck his fights, he has a lot of power,” said Varella’s coach Jason Heit at Island Boxing and MMA.
The 27-year-old Varella (141 pounds) lost his first fight at the recent provincial championship. Because he lost he was unable to qualify for the upcoming nationals. However, what Varella thought was a breakout season, he is seeking another shot at the nationals B.C. champion at provincials last month.
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That fight was supposed to be this weekend at a ‘box-off’ in Richmon. Varella, however, still has a chance in March when he’s scheduled for another fight. If he wins that fight, he should earn B.C.’s second spot at nationals in April.
“Boxing is like that, when you finish runner-up to the champion, you’ll get a box-off challenge that a boxer has to accept,” Heit said.
Varella went 6-1 in 2018 and is looking to take boxing as far as he can go.
“I will keep fighting, in the future I think I can win the B.C. title,” Varella said. “For now, I’m not trying to look to far ahead, I want a rematch with Cody Brown [at nationals].”
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Another Island Boxing athlete, Mitch DeMone, will also fight at this weekend’s box-offs. A light heavyweight (178 pounds), DeMone experienced into a similar situation to Varella at the provincials, where DeMone fought and lost to the eventual B.C. champion.
Another light heavyweight, Braden Horcroff, came close at the provincials - in his first competitive season of boxing - and has a bright future, Heit said.
“Horcroff won the first round at B.C.’s, he just didn’t win the last two,” said his coach Jason Heit, owner of Island MMA and Boxing.
Horcroff won his other match at provincials, part of a big showing for him in 2018. The UVic math and computer science student was able to enter the open category at provincials with only three fights to his name, far less than the proposed minimum of 10 fights.
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“When [officials] saw him fight he got permission to compete in the open category, he has great skill and composure in the ring,” Heit said.
Horcroff will now focus on added experience this year with a goal of accruing as many fights as possible.
Two more Island Boxing athletes, Terris Smith and Brandon Colantonio, won their provincial titles and are now focused on nationals.
