“He had his own keys to the boxing club. He would go there and work out and hit the bags by himself and he was there early for every single training practice they had,” he said.
Over the course of his amateur career, Skopyk went to many competitions and won many fights. In 2015, he finished top in his weight class at the Saskatchewan Provincial Boxing Championships in Regina. Remembering what it was like watching his son fight, Skopyk said he was always amazed at how strong he was.
“He would come up to us after the bout and he would have little bruises and abrasions and stuff but if he had blood on him he’d go ‘that’s not my blood,’” he said. “He was a talented fighter.”
Noting how a special Will Skopyk trophy was handed out at a boxing event pre-pandemic, Skopyk said he hopes this event can become an annual tradition.
“I hope it can carry on. It’s a beautiful thing that they would do that,” he said.
Braddock Koch, head coach with the Red Wolf Boxing Club, was the one who approached the family with the idea and has fond memories of Will.
“He was a lion. He embodies the spirit of what we are are trying to do with the Red Wolves,” he said. “He was just so fierce.”
Noting the number of sponsors on board already, Koch said he’s received huge outpouring of support from the community. Koch also confirmed his plans to make this an annual event, while also noting plans to start small this year, featuring 10 to 12 bouts with fighters from all over Western Canada.
“There will be some novice guys that are just being brought up but there will also be some top flight amateurs as well,” he said.
Cole Ahenakew, an up and coming fighter is his own right, trained with Will and plans to be on the card next month.
“He was a good sparring parter and we would always have fun when we we sparring, make little jokes during our sparring matches. He brought a good energy to the gym,” he said.
Tickets for the event next month are on sale now through the exhibition centre, Mark’s 9, Canadian Tire, and Koch through the Red Wolf Boxing Club.
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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com
On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell
