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FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – Only two weeks removed from Fight Night Resurrection and Five Star Boxing owner Justin Donnally already has something up his sleeve for the next event.
“I’m going to do something that I’ve never done, and it’s going to be something different,” said Donnally, noting he can’t say too much about the event yet.
The card is being planned for this fall and will be in a smaller venue than the previous event.
Donnally says there will be room for around 350 people compared to the 700 tickets sold for Fight Night Resurrection, the biggest event he has held to date.
He is expecting tickets to sell fast.
“We’re just adding another element of entertainment to the event that we just haven’t really done before,” said Donnally.
He hopes to be able to make an announcement on the event in about a week once everything is locked down.
Despite not giving himself a break off the heels of his club’s biggest event, Donnally probably can’t keep the smile off his face after its success.
“We sold so many tickets. We would’ve sold out any other venues in town.”
“Tons of people showed up, lots of sponsors supporting. So, I couldn’t be happier.”
Seven local fighters competed on the card, with Five Star going 5-2 by the end of the main event.
“We could have really easily went 7 and 0. But I don’t matchmake like a lot of guys. I don’t want my guys getting easy fights. I don’t find any benefit in that.”
“It does no justice for them when they leave your hometown, and then they go have to go fight the real competition. Everybody’s matched up fairly.”
Although the gym had a winning record coming out of Resurrection, Donnally wished he could have been there more for his athletes.
Not only was he cornering his athletes, but Donnally had to make sure everything was running smoothly with the visiting gyms, the judges, and more.
“I got blisters on my feet after that weekend,” said Donnally.
“I honestly feel guilty sometimes cause it’s not quite fair to my athletes because I’m so busy running the show that I don’t get to really be with my athletes before the fights and spend that quality time with them and keep them calm.”
Luckily, Donnally had other coaches to help out the team, including Leo Sullivan, Brad Stewart, and Murray McDonald.
“I had some guys there helping me out, but it’s still not quite the same as having your main coach.”
If restrictions remain the same moving forward, Donnally expects more growth from the club and combat sports, in general, in Fort St. John.
He is hoping to return to hosting two events a year.
While planning for the next card, Donnally is also getting Nick Young and Eddie Scarfo ready for the YYC Cup in May.
Young is currently spending two weeks in Parksville to train with Richard LeStage, who Donnally says has taken fighters to the Canadian championships multiple times.
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