Edmonton boxers train for next month’s ‘Winter Warfare’ championship matches

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see.”

This famous quote from legendary boxer Muhammad Ali is something all boxers strive for.

In Edmonton, athletes train three times a day, six days a week to be the best in their class.

Ethan “Honeybadger” Halabi fell in love with the sport at a young age watching it on TV. His uncle later got him into a ring and a career started.

“When I’m in there, it’s just move forward and do the best you can. The moment you overthink, you get caught up in the wrong situation,” Halabi said. “The moment you grab or anything, the referee breaks you up, so that’s why it’s very hard conditioning-wise because you’re consistently going. You can’t get a break.”

Jordan Dobie is another Edmonton boxer with strong fists. Her start came with Muay Thai kickboxing, and in 2020 she switched to boxing for its art form and the science behind it.

“There’s so many intricate details of how you set up a jab, punches and combinations that come off of it,” said Dobie.

Both Dobie and Halabi were at Alliance Boxing Club in west Edmonton Monday ahead of what’s being billed as “the biggest fight card in the city’s history.”

“Winter Warfare” at the River Cree Resort and Casino will feature three title matches. Dobie is trying to get her hands on the Women’s International Boxing Association Junior Welterweight title while Halabi is looking to win the International Boxing Council Super Middleweight Championship.

Halabi’s match against Jesús Olivares is the main event.

This event comes at a time when boxing is growing in popularity largely due to celebrities and influencers like Jake Paul getting into the ring. But Edmonton is known as a combat sports city, having hosting numerous boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) events, and being the hometown for multiple successful boxers like Al Ford, Scotty Olson, Jason Adams, and Jelena Mrdjenovich.

“It’s unfortunate we don’t pay attention to it,” said Dan Jones, an Edmonton criminologist who is also a boxing enthusiast and analyst for local pay-per-views.

“I think things get lost because we have a major hockey team and a CFL team. People don’t think of us as a boxing city, it’s always been a fight city. It’s becoming bigger and better,” Jones said.

While boxing gets compared to MMA, Jones says boxing is more of a “sweet science.”

“In boxing, you got two tools and they’re your left and right. How you throw those depends on whether you’re going to win the match. It’s the purest form of combat sports.”

As of Monday evening, select tickets were still available for the event. A news conference is scheduled featuring the matchups two days before the show.