Ahenakew spoke with paNOW Tuesday night. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)
Reflecting on the entire trip, Ahenakew said it was a good experience and he enjoyed the high level of competition.
“I have the skill but if I brought the confidence. And it was growing as the second round was going against the Canadian champion. I was getting more comfortable and thought OK I can do this.”
Ahenakew trains at the Red Wolf Boxing Club in Prince Albert. His coach Braddock Koch said Ahenakew is developing into the fighter he always thought he would become.
“I think the best is yet to come. I think he still has a whole lot of potential and hasn’t topped up yet. So I think his future is very bright,” Koch said.
With respect to Ahenakew’s concerns about building confidence, Koch said Ahenakew has already come a long way since he started. Koch added the young fighter still has the tendency to think that he’s like a dog getting the crumbs off the table.
“He should own the table,” he said.
Going forward there’s a number of big competitions coming up for Ahenakew including the Canada Cup and the Quebec Cup. Both are essentially national tournaments so all the same guys he met at the Nationals tournament will be there, along with some Americans.
At the Canadian Elite Nationals, Team Sask finished with two medals.
Saskatoon’s Rabil Issa faced a tough opponent from Quebec and dropped a hard-fought semifinal bout. He returned to Saskatchewan with a well-earned bronze medal.
Regina’s Noah Essien won silver. He fought in Saturday’s Gold Medal Final and lost to a man from Ontario.
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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com
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