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Photo by Marcel Vander Wier

DOES IT AGAIN 鈥 Roan Evans-Ehricht, left, spars with teammate Jack Ladue at the Yukon Boxing Club in Riverdale last month.

Yukon boxer stays hot with Silver Gloves victory

Whitehorse boxer Roan Evans-Ehricht refuses to lose.

By Marcel Vander Wier on March 6, 2015

Whitehorse boxer Roan Evans-Ehricht refuses to lose.

The 18-year-old pushed his career record to 7-1 with a unanimous decision over Nathan McIlwraith from Medicine Hat, Alta., in鈥圗dmonton Saturday night.

The win earned him a gold medal in the -81 kilogram category 鈥 his first at the Silver Gloves level.

鈥淭his time I only had one opponent,鈥 Evans-Ehricht said of his latest route to gold.

鈥淚t was pretty low key.鈥

The Yukoner said he was most impressed with his mental strength and focus, as he attended the tournament by himself and without his regular coach,鈥圝ess Staffen.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have anybody in my corner, but I was still able to get in the zone,鈥 Evans-Ehricht said. 鈥淭hat was a big deal for me.鈥

The last fight Evans-Ehricht attended on his own was in Lac La Biche, Alta., and resulted in the only blemish on his career record.

Sylvio Fex, an Alberta provincial coach who has a good relationship with the Yukon club, provided support to Evans-Ehricht during Saturday鈥檚 fight.

McIlwraith, 17, was reportedly unbeaten before his marquee match against the Yukoner.

However, his attempts to put Evans-Ehricht off balance were effectively thwarted by the F.H. Collins Secondary School student.

鈥淗is style was Ali-like,鈥 Evans-Ehricht told the Star. 鈥淗e was bigger than me and tried to stay far away. I stayed contained and tight and was able to pick my spots.

鈥淚t was pretty clear that I won. I don鈥檛 shy down from anybody and because of that, the results seem to favour me.鈥

鈥淗e did fantastic,鈥 said Staffen. 鈥淲e had him working on ring control 鈥 moving forward and taking control of the ring, working angles and boxing smart.

鈥淔rom watching the video, that鈥檚 exactly what he did. He stuck to the gameplan.

鈥淗e stayed nice and calm and relaxed, and just really took control,鈥 Staffen said of his 麻豆社区pupil.

The medal is Evans-Ehricht鈥檚 first at the Silver Gloves level. He previously won gold twice at Bronze Gloves tournaments in Alberta.

Now, Evans-Ehricht plans to take his talents to the Gold Gloves level.

He and Staffen are planning a trip to Calgary later this month, where the young boxer would move up to the open category.

Gold Gloves is usually meant for boxers with more than 10 bouts under their belts, but Evans-Ehricht hopes to fast-track his way there.

鈥淏ecause his win at Silver was so decisive, it鈥檚 really opened the door,鈥 Staffen said.

鈥淩oan has a lot of natural talent, but he also does a lot of his own research. He鈥檚 constantly watching videos, reading. He鈥檚 really thrown himself into the sport.鈥

Evans-Ehricht鈥檚 emergence on the boxing scene has helped boost the sport鈥檚 popularity in the territory, Staffen said.

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