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Philippines, 20 Apr 2024 |
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A little boxer with big skills By Sean Waisglass PhilBoxing.com Thu, 06 Nov 2008 When coach Chris Johnson talks about his amateur boxer Cedric Parina, the normally excitable former Olympian?s enthusiasm goes even further into overdrive. ?Cedric is just one of those kids,? recalled Johnson. ?He came into the gym and I looked in his eyes and I said ?you have it?.? ?He?s one of our brightest students,? concurred Sean McWilliams, who serves as Johnson?s assistant coach at their Mississauga gym, Chris Johnson?s Fighting Alliance. ?He?s the first kid in after school, the last one to leave. Boxing is his life. I know 100 per cent that that boy will reach the top.? The only problem is finding the pint-sized pugilist opponents to fight. Parina, 17, boxes in the flyweight division (51 kg/112 pounds), which doesn?t have many competitors in his age group, the Elite category for 17 and older. So when he went to last weekend?s 2009 Ontario Open Provincials tournament in Oshawa, which is for amateur boxers with 10 or more bouts, he had to step up in more ways than one. With few options for match-ups, Parina was upgraded to the Open class, and fought his 10th bout against an opponent who normally boxes in the weight class above his, 54 kg, and had more than twice as many bouts to his credit. Parina beat Nathan Fitzgerald of Bigtyme Boxing Club by a score of 22-12. Johnson thinks Parina?s demeanor despite often having to face bigger, more experienced opponents, shows how dedicated and focused his student is. ?He?s just cool, calm and collected,? he said. ?He never gets upset, never gets excited. If you ask him to do something, it?s not hard for him, he just goes out and does it. He?s a ?no nonsense? kid.? Parina, who?s of Filipino descent, hopes to go to the Olympics like his trainer, then turn pro, like his hero, lightweight champion Manny Pacquiao, who fights Oscar De La Hoya later this year. ?I want to be just like (Pacquiao),? said Parina. ?But my influence now is Chris Johnson. I love Chris, man. He?s the best trainer. I?m gonna be with him until I?m 50 (years old), y?know?? Fighting seems to be in the young boxer?s blood, although his first ?bouts? were less than official situations. ?After school, me and my friends would go to my friend?s basement and just fight, yknow?? he said. But when someone recommended that he was good enough to compete, he landed in Johnson?s gym, which was then in a Filipino community centre in town. ?I didn?t know if I was good enough (to fight amateur) but I just loved it,? Parina recalled. ?The first week, I loved it. I hate just doing nothing, so I just went back to the gym and just trained.? ?There?s nobody that works harder in the gym,? claimed McWilliams. ?There?s nobody who wants it more. The boy eats, sleeps, breathes, dreams, boxing.? With that much faith in his talents and dedication, Parina is hoping The Fighting Alliances guidance and support will help him secure a medal at the Nationals in Trois Rivieres, Quebec in January. ?I got my trust in them that they?ll take care of me and make me a champion,? he said. Other Mississauga boxers who had success at the Provincials included CJFA?s Kingsley Alexander, who won his match in the 63 kg Junior Cadet finals, and Mike McWilliams, who won in the 41 kg Junior Cadet Final. Pedram Maleki of Kombat Arts won his 69 kg Elite match as well. Dewith?s Boxing Studio?s Denton Dailey won his 91 kg Elite final match, and Kane Heron won two of his 61 kg Youth matches before losing in his third. Jhevani Dixon won all three of his matches in the 81 kg Elite division to win his medal. HUF?s Johnathan Rego won his first match in the same division, but lost his second to Dixon. National Silver medalist Steve Rolls won his two matches to win the 75 kg Elite division. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Sean Waisglass.  |
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