Two Rivers wins at Bronze Gloves

Kahnawa’kehró:non amateur boxer Slade Two Rivers went into last weekend’s Bronze Gloves tournament in St. Hyacinthe with nervousness, but also confidence in his abilities, coming into it on a four-fight win streak.

“I trained a lot to improve my technique, and a lot on conditioning,” said Two Rivers. “But every fight was nerve-wracking, because you never know what’s going to happen.”

He would leave St. Hyacinthe extending that streak to seven, winning all three of his fights and the 63-KG division’s gold medal.

That brings his current record to 7-1, with his only loss coming in his first ever fight.

Fighters who participated in the tournament can’t have fought in more than five amateur fights prior to their first Bronze Gloves fight - he had exactly five prior to his opening bout against Émile Hervieux.

Hervieux is someone that Two Rivers has won against before, so even being nervous, he had an idea what his opponent had in store for him.

In the first round, he found himself starting to get tired earlier than usual. Two Rivers chalked that up to having to lose weight to make the 63-KG weight limit.

“That made it tough,” said Two Rivers.

Nevertheless, that first fight helped get the momentum going for Two Rivers, and by the second round he was firmly in control, winning by technical knockout (TKO).

The second fight, against Théo Boudreau-Beaudet, was one for the ages.

“As it was happening, I didn’t know that I was going to win that fight, because every round was close,” said Two Rivers. “That was best boxer I have ever faced. We put on a show, and we gave the fans a war.”

Two Rivers said that what made Boudreau-Beaudet his toughest opponent so far was his precision. None of his punches were wasted.

“He was really patient, he knew what to do at the right times,” said Two Rivers.

What he thinks pushed him over the edge, eventually winning by a 4-1 decision, was his effort and his will to win.

“I just kept pushing. I think I had more willpower that led to me win that fight,” said Two Rivers.

Compared to that win, the championship match against Damien Auger-Servant was easier for the young boxer.

“I already beat that opponent as well in the past, I kept telling myself that I was the best going into the match,” said Two Rivers.

“I saw in my opponent’s eyes that he was more afraid of me than I was of him. Once I was in that ring, I felt really confident that I was going to win it all.”

He did just that, winning by TKO in the third round, his fourth knockout in seven fights.

“It feels really great. Hard work pays off,” said Two Rivers.

What comes next for him will be a return to a familiar environment, fighting in TNT boxing’s May gala at the Knights of Columbus.

TNT is run as a collaborative effort between Peter Thomas and Slade’s uncle Joey Two Rivers.

The complete details of the event, including Two Rivers’ next opponent, are still forthcoming at the time of writing.

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