Chris Peterson Havre Daily News cpeterson@havredailynews.com
Club Boxing makes its longawaited return to Havre tonight at the Ice Dome. The Club Boxing circuit, which travels all across the state, visiting towns such as Missoula, Great Falls, Lewistown and Havre, runs about 26 weeks a year and makes trips to Havre a few times each summer. “Havre is a good fight town,” match maker Bobby LeClure said. “We usually get pretty crowds in Havre and we are expecting anywhere from 500 to 1,000 people (tonight) at the Ice Dome.” The card will feature eight matches, seven between men and one match between women. In the first bout of the night, Steve Strike will face off against Keith Harrison. The two fighters will battle in the 125-pound weight class. Bout 2 will feature a pair of fighters in the 210-pound weight class as Tyler Wheeler goes toeto- toe with John Ishawn. Then in the heavyweight class Alejendro Plascencia will step into the ring with Nick Wright. “You have to give it to these guys because it takes a lot to step into the ring and box,” LeClure said. “They get a little bit of money but that’s not why they do it. These guys fight because they want to show they can do it. They want to compete and I think they should be admired because when you are in the ring there is no one to help you. It’s just one-on-one, man-to-man.” The event is sanctioned by the Montana Athletic Association and it adheres to all boxing rules. Each fight will consist of three 90-second rounds with 30 seconds in between each round. The threeknockdown rule will be in effect and there also will be three judges, who will decide the winner of the fight based on points. Bout 4 will feature Adam Bigby and Steve Johnson, who will fight at the 170-pound weight class. The fifth fight of the night should be intriguing as it will be the only bout featuring women, with Dorey Jeffries and Megan Flying. “We match up people up based on weight and experience,” LeClure said. “We make sure that experienced fighters don’t fight inexperienced ones because that doesn’t create a very good match. We just try to put together matches that we think the fans will enjoy. It doesn’t always turn out that way but it is usually pretty exciting to watch.” In the sixth bout, Randy Belcourt will square off against Richard Flammond in the 170- pound weight class. Bout 7 will feature Jessy Knight and Samuel St. Marks in the 135- pound weight class and the final bout will pit Nathan Windy Boy against Gean Talks Different. “This is something that is really exciting for these fighters,” LeClure said. “I mean these guys come out and give it everything they have. After those first couple rounds, it all comes down to guts and determination. It’s all about pride and bragging rights. Everyone wants to see if they have what it takes and it is fun to watch them go out there and give it everything they’ve got.” The event kicks off tonight at 7:30 inside the Havre Ice Dome.
