Two Lakeland heavyweight fighters hashed it out in the ring in what was called a Civil War match.
On Saturday, Nov. 12, Tim Chemelli, and his opponent Dan Amyotte, went head to head as not only opponents, but past training partners and friends.
The pair was matched for the co-main event of the Dekada Premier Fight Night, and although they are friends outside of the ring, Chemelli said they did not let that influence their dedication to winning the match.
“We put our friendship aside for a couple of minutes,” he said.
Amyotte, a 34-year-old heavyweight fighter weighed in at 221 lbs, and stands at quite a few inches shorter than his opponent, Chemelli, 34, who weighed in at 224 lbs, and stands 6'2” tall.
Using his height to his advantage, Chemelli threw punch after punch against Amyotte, backing him into the ropes.
Amyotte managed to get a few hits in but was unable to stack up against his opponent, and at one point lost his footing, falling through the ropes.
The crowd gasped as he clambered back onto his feet with the help of the referee.
The referee called the match after one round, with Chemelli winning due to a technical knockout.
“This is my town, and house. I wasn't losing tonight,” said Chemelli.
In order to prepare for the fight, Chemelli said he put extra time and effort into his training.
“I should have been in this sport years ago, I love boxing, and I am going to keep going.”
Prior to the main event, local amateur K1 kickboxers had their shot to face off against fighters based out of Calgary, and although they failed to pull it together for a win, they were excited about the opportunity to participate in the event.
“The way we kicked-off the show was amazing,” said Dekada promoter Michael Short. “Let's face it, the fights were great.”
For the Lakeland kickboxers, this event was their debut.
The first two local fighters, Caleb Varner, of Bonnyville, and Slade Topole, of Cold Lake, both hit their lactic max by the second round.
“They went out a little too hard, too strong, too tense, and they hit their lactic wall, so by the time the second round came along, they were done,” explained Short.
The only way to bounce back is to either stop the fight, or to “slow it down incredibly.”
Unfortunately for both local fighters, they were unable to get the same energy and enthusiasm back, and both lost to their Calgary opponents.
“They just couldn't recover,” Short said.
The final opening fight saw Cold Lake fighter Michael Janvier face off against Jason Gorzo of Calgary.
“Those guys put a good hectic pace on, a little more reserved, and a little more composed,” said Short.
Janvier managed to keep it together for the full three rounds, with high energy throughout the first and second. In the third round, his opponent managed to kick it up a notch, and ultimately won the fight after judges ruled a score of 86-85.
This is the first year the event has featured K1 kickboxing, and was added to fight night as a way of helping promoting the sport in the area.
“I think there is not enough amateur boxing in the Cold Lake and Bonnyville area, we knew about some of the kids that were practicing K1 (kickboxing)… so we gave it a shot,” Short explained.
It was not only the fans who benefitted from the opportunity, as young fighters also had a chance to experience both the winning and losing sides of fighting in an event of this size.
Short said, “Sports is all about learning how to win and lose with dignity… these opponents are your teachers, your teachers are showing you what you need to work on.”
