TRURO, N.S. — When Abreanna Langille stepped into the boxing ring, she felt her grandfather’s spirit guiding her forward.
Graham Ferguson vowed to watch his 15-year-old granddaughter’s first fight, but he passed away on March 3, more than three months before Langille donned her gloves for Rumble at the RECC in Truro Saturday.
“He would have been extremely proud of me,” said Langille, fighting back tears. “[I feel] good, because I know he was there watching me.”
The Tatamagouche resident had only been boxing for four months and is a member of Hubtown Boxing in Truro. Her first match was an exhibition fight with Prince Edward Island’s Taylor Thorne.
Their June 22 fight at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre was a determined affair, with well-aimed punches and blocks.
Both girls embraced at the end, before Langille stepped out of the ring to rejoin her family, her emotions showing.
When asked what she would say to her grandfather after the fight, Langille simply replied “so many things.”
Spectators also enjoyed a wheelchair boxing match at the RECC between para-athlete Mitch Comeau and his coach Aaron Kinch, both from Westville.
Comeau was paralyzed in 2008, after falling into a building foundation at work.
Afterwards, he decided to take up boxing and started training in Westville, Pictou County.
He fought the full three rounds with Kinch in the ring, exchanging sharp jabs with his coach.
“It gives you a lot of confidence, it makes me feel more powerful, it’s just very good for your morale,” said Comeau of his chosen sport.
The full fight card list of winners, in order of appearance, is as follows:
Fun box: Dylan Allison (Hubtown) vs. Bohen Pettipas (Westville) – both winners
Fun box: Daniel Weir (Hubtown) vs. Anderson MacDonald (Ring 73) – both winners
Fun box: Noah Morin (Hubtown) vs. Daniel Turner (Ring 73) – both winners
Hunter Naugle (Westville) beat Dion Jakaj (Ko-Ed PEI) – unanimous decision
Ahmed Khalid (Ko-Ed PEI) beat Landon Tower (Oxford) – unanimous decision
Jeff Cano (A1 Boxing) beat Reid Primau (Oxford) – ABC guidelines
Exhibition: Aaron Kinch (Westville) vs. Mitch Comeau (Westville) – both winners
Exhibition: Branden LeBlanc vs. Matthew Doyle (Ko-Ed PEI) – both winners
Exhibition: Abreanna Langille (Hubtown) vs. Taylor Thorne (Ko-Ed PEI) – both winners
Exhibition: Mike Redmond (Hubtown) vs. Trevor Dauphinee (Membertou) – both winners
Rhys MacDonald (New Waterford) beat Jeremiah Mosher (Hubtown) – unanimous decision
Jon Foster (Canning) beat Jordan Smith (Hubtown) – unanimous decision
Co-Main Event: Cole Redmond (Hubtown) beat Nate Foster (Canning) – unanimous decision
Main Event: Morgan Donaldson (Hubtown) beat Kyle Woodworth (Membertou)
