Professional boxers Steve “the Dragon” Claggett and Dwayne “D-Bomb” Lewis held a public workout at the Southpaw Boxing Gym in south Calgary on Oct. 12.
The two fighters promoted their upcoming fights at the end of the month as they showcased their skills for the in advance of the highly anticipated bouts.
“I’m feeling sharp, I’m feeling powerful, and I’m having fun,” said Claggett.
Ranked as number two in Canada, in the super flyweight division, Claggett is looking to upset opponent Yves Ulysee Jr. in their upcoming title fight on Oct. 27. in Montreal.
The current Canadian Pro Boxing Council (CPBC) champion was confident and excited for his opportunity to secure a vacant International Boxing Federation (IB super lightweight belt.
He was also happy with the way his training camp was going, stating that it has been one of the best ones to date.
“When you’ve been in the game for so long you figure out what works and what doesn’t work, so therefore, this is the best camp ever. I’m just using all the things that work, every trick in the book,” he said.
Claggett’s coach Vlad Goldenstein also noticed a dramatic change in the fighter’s behaviour, saying that his positive attitude has been a real game changer moving forward in his career.
“All the pieces are coming together, his attitude is much more positive and just having good people around and a good camp is important,” said Goldenstein.
Although Claggett has boxed all over the world, this has been the first time he has held a public workout in his hometown and to his surprise, even his mom was in attendance.
The Calgary native was happy to be able to give his friends and family a glimpse of what life as a pro-boxer is like and his love for the city was not kept a secret.
“I’m just proudly representing Calgary and I plan to take boxing to the next level for this city,” said Claggett.
“I really want to represent my city because I believe Calgary is world class, it’s a hidden gem. I can’t wait until I win a world title and people are ‘like where’s he from’ and it’s like, Calgary.”
Also promoting his upcoming fight was Southpaws star heavyweight fighter Lewis, who will be facing his opponent Lee Mein at the Dekada premiere fight night, Oct. 14. at the Genesis Centre in Calgary.
Lewis, who had originally begun his fighting career in mixed martial arts (MMA), recently made the switch to boxing and says that he’s been loving it ever since.
“It’s been a hard transition from MMA to boxing, but I’m feeling really good,” said Lewis.
Known as a surprisingly fast fighting heavyweight, Lewis has worked hard to build up his boxing reputation.
With a family at home and a full-time job as a general foreman for CN, training can be tough to squeeze in. But Lewis shows exceptional resilience in his regiments and says his only regret is that he can’t be boxing full-time.
“I feel great, I’m feeling fast and heavy-handed and I’m looking for a knockout,” he said.
In addition to the public workout, Southpaw coach and owner Warren Grenier also held a soft opening for his new storefront KO Boxing Equipment.
I’m just proudly representing Calgary and I plan to take boxing to the next level for this city. – Steve Claggett.
Located at the front of the Southpaw Boxing Gym, KO Boxing Equipment carries everything from boxing gloves, to shoes, protective gear, and apparel.
“KO Boxing was a necessity for Calgary,” said Warren.
“There are no real boxing retailers in Calgary, We constantly had people asking where they could buy gloves and we got so many calls one month that we decided to pull the trigger and create our own brand.”
KO Boxing Equipment not only offers a wide selection for Calgary boxers they are now officially sponsoring both Claggett and Lewis.
For more information on these fighters, and KO boxing equipment, visit Southpaw Boxing’s website. http://www.southpawboxing.ca
