On a late Friday afternoon, on October 9, 2009, I sat down with BC’s Champion Boxer, and friend, Pouyan Abedini, to catch up with him about his number one passion in life – boxing. Pouyan Abedini is 23 years old and is a part of Champlaign Heights Boxing Club in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
How old were you when you first started boxing?
11
How were you introduced to boxing?
When I was 11 years old my best friend at the time told me about this boxing club
and I went to check it out with him.
What happened when you were there? Were you instantly drawn to the sport?
I was a really shy kid, and sat and watched for a while. I watched the whole work
out and thought it looked cool. The coach came over and asked me if I wanted to
punch the bag at all. I started punching and got out so much aggression, and have
loved it since then.
Why do you think you were so drawn to it?
As a kid I always had a lot of pent up aggression; I loved the ninja turtles and
kicking and things like that. I had done tae kwon do for a little bit when I was
even younger and had enjoyed that. Boxing was a good way for me to get out a lot
of my aggression and was a good outlet.
How old were you when you had your first fight?
I was 11.
How did you feel the first time you fought?
Before the fight I was really nervous. I was just a kid back then. Incredibly
nervous. I was a shy kid on top of it all, so that didn’t help.
How did you feel during the fight?
Oh, during the fight, I loved it. It was such a crazy adrenaline rush. It felt like it
went by so fast though.
What was the outcome of that first fight? Did you win or lose?
I lost.
How did that make you feel?
I was so disappointed. I mean, I was happy that I had actually done it, and gone
through with it, but so disappointed that I had lost. I was pretty pissed off actually.
Do you have a tendency to get angry easily, or quickly?
Definitely (with a smirk on his face)
After you lost that first fight, did you feel discouraged at all?
Yeah, so discouraged. I quit after that, I said I was never going back.
How long was it before you did go back to boxing?
I was 13 when I went back.
When did you have your first win?
When I was 13, when I went back. I trained really hard. I was so determined to
win this time. I guess all my hard work paid off because I did win, and have been
winning since then baby!
How did you feel after you won your first fight?
Amazing, so amazing. I felt like I had really accomplished something.
What made you go back after that first time you lost?
I was just really determined to win. I was ambitious. I loved the adrenaline rush
that came along with it. I just wanted to succeed.
Why do you box?
The adrenaline, the crowd…I love being in the ring and knowing all my family
and friends are out there, watching me, cheering me on. And the girls, girls love
an athlete, especially a boxer, haha just kidding. Not really.
Do you think boxing kept you out of trouble as a kid?
Definitely. I would have gotten into so much trouble if it wasn’t for boxing.
Boxing taught me about self discipline, and responsibility. It made me ambitious
and determined. It helped me set goals. It helped me get over my shyness. I love
boxing, if it wasn’t for boxing, I would have no direction in my life.
What did you mum think about you boxing? Did you family encourage it?
Oh my mum totally hated it! After the first fight, she never wanted me going back
to it. That was part of the reason I took that short break. I was still a kid and had
to listen to her. When I did go back, at 13, and she saw my dedication, she
became more accepting of it. She understood more where I was coming from. The
better I got, the more supportive she got. In the end, obviously it proved to be a
good thing, and even she agrees with that.
Tell me about your coach. Have you had the same coach since you first started out?
Yeah, same guy. Same guy that invited me to punch the bag when I was 11.
What does he mean to you? Is he just a coach, or…?
Oh he means way more to me than just a coach. I mean, this guy literally watched
me grow up. He’s known me since I was 11 years old. He’s so much more than a
coach. He’s my mentor. If it wasn’t for him and his encouragement, I wouldn’t be
half as good as I am today. He’s the kind of guy I would want to know even if I
wasn’t boxing. He knows me so well, and knows how to keep me on track. It
means a lot that he cares enough to keep me on track too. We’ve really bonded
over the years. But I mean, I guess you would, he accompanies me on my boxing
trips and stuff, and we stay in the same hotel room, so we’ve really gotten to
know each other over the last 11 years.
Where are you now in terms of boxing?
I’m still training. Still loving it. The only thing is though, Canada doesn’t fund
sports for me to pursue boxing as anything but a hobby. Canada doesn’t support
or fund its Olympic sports, professional sports, amateur, nothing. While I’m in
Canada, all I can do is enjoy boxing as a hobby. But I mean, maybe one day I’ll
open up my own boxing club for kids or something. Who knows.
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