&
Sats.

Local fighter set to make good

By Garth McLennan

here are a number of sports out
‘Tie that don’t always get the
media coverage they deserve.
In a sporting world dominated by
the so-called “big four” of football,
baseball, basketball and hockey,
there often is little room left for
more overlooked sports that produce
outstanding athletes in their own right.
Women’s boxing has proven to be a
good example of this.

Media outlets in Vancouver are
always on the hunt for compelling
stories featuring talented local athletes,
and one that has so far flown under
the radar is Fort Langley’s own Sarah
Pucek, who trains with local boxing
legend Tony Pep, less than a block
away from the North side of our very
own Douglas College. Pucek and Pep
are in Calgary this week for what is
sure to be the biggest fight of Puce}’s
young career when she takes on Ayana
Pelletier in a ten round contest for the

Just 23, Pucek has fought five
times in her professional career, and
has yet to lose. She’s coming off a
pair of hard-fought bouts against
the brawling Tammie Johnson from
2009 (she drew with Johnson in their
first encounter before scoring a split
decision victory at the Emerald Queen
Casino in Washington state back in
November). Currently sitting with a
record of 4-0-1, Pucek is anticipating
the toughest challenge of her career
when she squares off with the bigger
Pelletier this Friday.

“Defiantly, this is going to be the
hardest fight of my career. Johnson
was more of a brawler, and I find that I
do well against brawlers, but Pelletier,
she’s bigger and she hits harder. It'll
be a busier fight, faster.” Pucek says
when asked to analyse her opponent.

There’s no question that Pelletier
has a size advantage heading into the
bout. Pelletier has never fought below
135 pounds in her career before, and
has maxed out at 144 Ibs. Meanwhile,
Pucek, who stands 5’5, has only once
exceeded fighting at 135 pounds, and
has fought as low as 124 Ibs, as she
did when she defeated Wendy Roy
back in 2008.

Her fight with Pelletier will be
Pucek’s first time in the rings since
last November. It wasn’t supposed to
be that way. She had several promising

20

fights lined up since then, but fora
variety of reasons, from opponent
cancellations to a string of nagging
injuries, including a troublesome wrist
ailment that has been slow to heal, she
hasn’t been fight nearly as often as she
would like.

“There were a lot of different
things.” She said when asked about
the long gap between fights. “I’ve had
that wrist injury, so I wasn’t able to
fight for a few months there. I had a
few fights cancelled on me. I switched
trainers, and that is a big deal. It’s
really hard to go to someone totally
new. You have to have complete trust
in them.”

Pucek has been training with
Pep, one of the most respected and
successful boxers to ever come out of
B.C. and who once went the distance
with arguably the greatest fighter in
the world today, Floyd Mayweather,
for around four months now. Since
making the change to Pep, Pucek has
been more than happy with her new
trainer.

“He knows a lot, and he’s been
able to show me a lot.” Pucek says
of the man with 43 wins and 22
knockouts under his belt. “He’s taught
me to be more creative, to be faster,
and to throw more punches.”

Looking at and talking to Sarah
Pucek, professional boxer isn’t the
image you get from her. Very pretty,
and as nice as can be outside the ring,
it can be difficult to conjure up the
image of a determined fighter poised
to trade blows with some of the best
in the world. But determined she is.
Pucek has only been boxing since
2005, but she has an extensive athletic
background as well.

“I want to be a world champion. I
know everyone says that, but it’s true.
I grew up with five brothers, so that
was probably another reason I went
into boxing. I played a ton of different
sports in high school, and I was
really, super aggressive in all of them.
Especially in soccer, you did not want
to face me on the soccer field.” She
says with a laugh.

It can be very difficult for some
sports to break through and reach
the public’s attention. However, with
athletes like Sarah Pucek leading the
way, those sports are in good hands.

Sarah Pucek

 

 

 

 

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