Yellowknife’s Todd Vatcher was a hometown champion as the city hosted a night of kickboxing to support the Yellowknife Women’s Society on Saturday.
Grey Patino, also representing Yellowknife, lost a national prestige title bout on a night designed to raise awareness of domestic violence in the NWT and provide financial assistance to the women’s society.
Patino, now training in Grande Prairie, was defeated by Burlington’s Brandon Leamon after the referee stopped the night’s final fight in the second round.
Leamon wins the Canadian men’s under-64 kg national prestige title.
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Earlier, Vatcher looked impressive as he outclassed Sudbury’s Joey Prevost in a men’s under-79 kg bout, earning a similar stoppage.
The evening at the Chateau Nova Hotel, dubbed Fight For Her, was the first of its kind hosted in Yellowknife.
Wako Canada, kickboxing’s national governing body, sent officials including its president, Muzammal Nawaz, to help run the event. Stanley Boxing’s Scott Thomson and John Stanley were the organizers.
“The first thing people talked about was: ‘Wait, you’re going to do a fighting event against domestic violence?’ We explained that it’s a sport, these are martial artists, it’s a different context,” Stanley told Cabin Radio last month.
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“We’re fighting for people who can’t fight for themselves.”
Bree Denning, executive director of the Yellowknife Women’s Society, closed the evening by paying tribute to men who had acted and spoken out on behalf of vulnerable women through hosting and supporting the event.
A share of the night’s proceeds is being donated to the women’s society, which also held a silent auction on the night.
One of Saturday’s eight bouts featured women – Kait Chapman defeating Terri-Lee Craig to lift the women’s under-56 kg central Canadian prestige title.
The other title on offer was won by Jo Noseworthy, from Stanley Boxing’s Grande Prairie gym, who defeated Chase Robson for the men’s under-86 kg central Canadian prestige title.
