They say good things come to those who wait.
And that was precisely the case for Williams Lake Boxing Gym Member Duncan McLellan, 17, who, after months of trying to secure an opponent only to have those plans fall through, picked up his first sanctioned amateur victory in his first outing.
Duncan defeated Chan Aleu of Edmonton, Alta. during the weekend in Taber, Alta. via unanimous decision in a 160-pound, three-round contest.
It was Aleu’s first amateur fight, as well.
“When I first got in the right I had a big, wide grin on my face, and just thought, finally, I’ve got a fight,” Duncan said after several previous scheduled opponents had pulled out of fights just prior to them taking place, including one at the club’s June show in Williams Lake.
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“It was exciting. I got quite tired in the second, but after that it was smooth sailing. After I got him wound down I could pretty much do what I wanted.”
His dad and Williams Lake Boxing Gym coach Gary McLellan, meanwhile, said it was a good test for his son’s first fight.
“We didn’t figure on Duncan having to fight anyone taller than himself,” Gary said. “We got there and the guy was six foot three. We just told Duncan to stay calm and the guy pretty much punched himself out in the first round.”
The show was put on by Teofista Boxing and Joel Mills, and featured 12 amateur fights.
Duncan, meanwhile, took up boxing seriously last February, following in the footsteps of his older brothers, Stuart, Roberto and Arthur, to step inside the squared circle.
“We’re thinking we’re going to have a rematch with the same guy, maybe in September,” Duncan said.
“We’ll prepare for him again and, who knows, he might be adapt and be a different story next time.”
@geesabby
sports@wltribune.com
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