Why fighters fight at R U Tuff Enuff

“I do this every year, not to win, but to have fun,” said Paulsen. “All the fighters that I’ve met throughout the years have been great. Colin, I talked to him all day and last year, we became pretty good friends.
“Overall, it’s a great thing, win, lose or draw.”

Even though he’s won the last two heavyweight championships, boxing is a lot more to Redcalf than his victories, or his $2,000 purse. Boxing is Redcalf’s release to deal with a tragedy in his family, the loss of his son.

“That just drives me to stay in shape and every time I go out there, I have that stuck in my head—I don’t know why,” said a very emotional Redcalf. “It’s always there, and it will always be there. I push myself so hard when I think about my late son.”

Every fighter straps on the gloves for different reasons. Not everybody is there with the sole purpose of winning a title, because boxing offers rewards in a lot of other ways.

But of course, the thrill of winning can also be overwhelming for others and difficult to put into words.

In the middleweight division, Prince Albert’s Clarence Campbell was absolutely elated when he won, beating Saskatoon’s Tyler Caron in a very close match, awarded to Campbell via a split decision.

When his name was called after a match that could have gone either way, Campbell snatched the belt from the ring official and immediately raised it above his head, fist pumping with his newly earned trophy.

Close fights were nothing new to Campbell on Saturday, who won his first fight in an extra round after fellow local fighter Michael Charles withdrew due to injury. Then Campbell squeaked by Canwood’s Kirk Morrison in his second fight to get to the championship bout.

“I got a split decision in all my damn fights,” said Campbell, adrenaline still pumping in his veins. “Hey man, I kept going and I kept punching. We did it.

“Pure excitement, 100 per cent pure excitement. I did it, I’m champion, that’s all I was. There’s no better way to put it. It was awesome to do.”

Lloydminster’s Staci Obchansky won the ladies event, beating Pelican Narrows’ Crystal Michel in the finals.

In the lightweight division, fighter replacement Quenton Mathers, a Prince Albert fighter who entered the tournament in the semifinal stages, beat fellow PA brawler Daniel ‘The Mangler’ Moise.

jdandrea@panow.com

by Jeff D'Andrea

Why fighters fight at R U Tuff Enuff

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