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JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Winnipegger Victor Cheung will make his Elite debut at the boxing nationals in Winnipeg this week in the 50-kilogram class. Cheung won the U19 Youth National Championship in Quebec earlier this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s full confidence that I\u2019m going to win, because I know what I\u2019m capable of, and I train so hard, and I know nobody trains more than me,\u201d Cheung said. \u201cI know no one sacrifices more than me in this sport, in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cheung has become one of the more interesting names to watch from the local scene. He won the 50kg weight class at the Youth National Championship in Quebec earlier this year, continuing his rapid ascension up the national ranks.<\/p>\n
Cheung joined Pan Am Boxing Club three years ago after a decade in mixed martial arts, specializing in taekwondo. He logged over 100 matches in taekwondo, but lost the hunger to continue in the sport after the pandemic.<\/p>\n
Despite no one in his family being experienced in boxing \u2014 beyond following Manny Pacquiao\u2019s career \u2014 he turned to the ring.<\/p>\n
Cheung has quickly skyrocketed into a respected fighter since then. His track record isn\u2019t long, but the fights he\u2019s logged have come against quality opponents, which has made his rise in the last three years all the more impressive.<\/p>\n
The transition to boxing was seamless, Cheung said. He already had the mental makeup for the sport, so his focus has been on refining the technical aspects.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest thing would be his work ethic. I mean, he has the work ethic of a national team athlete, which is what he is,\u201d said Dylan Martin, whose coached Cheung for more than a year at Pan Am Boxing Club.<\/p>\n
Martin called Cheung a naturally gifted talent with the potential to be a high-level amateur fighter at minimum, and potentially, with enough refinement, an athlete who could qualify for the Olympics in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe shows up to compete, which would be his final trait\u2026 you need to be a little crazy to be a high-level boxer,\u201d Martin added. \u201cYou need to be able to lie to yourself a little bit and put some of that fear and discomfort out again. There needs to be nerves, which I know he still gets some nerves, but when his mental game is very good, he\u2019s very good at telling himself that he can do it. And he doesn\u2019t just say it. He says it, and he believes it.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Cheung will face Montreal\u2019s Alexis Montoya to begin the tournament, there is a strong belief that the gold medal matchup will almost certainly be all-Manitoban. The winner will face Isaiah Rock, who was given a bye to the championship bout.<\/p>\n
Cheung and Rock, both listed at 5-6, are familiar with each other \u2014 they trained together at a national camp in Montreal last month \u2014 but they have never stepped in the ring together.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust how hard he trains. He\u2019s just like any other boxer. Every boxer trains hard, and then after that, it\u2019s just the mental part,\u201d said Cheung, who quickly grew to respect Rock\u2019s skill set while watching him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen him compete in actual matches, too, and I respect his accomplishments, so me against him will be two of the best guys in the country, coming in to take each other\u2019s heads off. And it\u2019s going to be fireworks, man.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Tony Zerucha Photo<\/p>\n Winnipegger Isaiah Rock (right) with his coach Jerome Peters. The reigning silver champion in the 55-kilogram class, Rock received a bye to the 50kg class title bout at this year\u2019s boxing nationals.<\/p>\n Rock, a 22-year-old out of Power Boxing Club, won silver in the 55kg division at nationals last year but will drop a weight class this week. He\u2019s also expecting to face Cheung for the championship, and he\u2019s anticipating a good fight.<\/p>\n \u201cI can see a lot. Yeah, he has a nice game,\u201d Rock said of Cheung. \u201cHe\u2019s really nice for what he does. What he does in the ring, that\u2019s what\u2019s good for him.\u201d<\/p>\n Rock, who was introduced to boxing through a friend when he was 13, took to the sport at a critical juncture in his life, a time when he lacked real purpose and structure.<\/p>\n \u201cAt one point I was really \u2014 let\u2019s say I was out of character,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd it took a few years to get back, not even to who I was (before), but to make myself a new person with it.\u201d<\/p>\n It took Rock some time to fully dive into boxing \u2014 he struggled with committing to the training \u2014 but once he did, it became his North Star. He\u2019s since travelled across North America for tournaments, learning from every win and taking every loss in stride.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t \u201cIt taught me a lot,\u201d he said. \u201cIt taught me discipline. It taught me to be thorough. It taught me that hard work really does pay off. It taught me that you need to work hard to get what you want, and if you really do put your mind towards something, you can achieve what you want.\u201d<\/p>\n Like Cheung, Rock\u2019s potential is unknown, but there\u2019s a genuine buzz around his ability that would suggest he\u2019s capable of big things if he maintains the current trajectory.<\/p>\n \u201cYou prepare to expect it not to be easy. You prepare to struggle in the fight. You prepare that both guys are going to have moments, and you prepare that everyone is there to win and that it\u2019s not going to be a walk in the park,\u201d said Rock.<\/p>\n \u201cLast year, I learned that when I watched the first fight, when I was there, I was like, \u2018Whoa.\u2019 It was a different intensity, but you\u2019re confident in yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/joshuafreysam<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Joshua Frey-Sam Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t
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