Wilson makes triumphant return to boxing ring

Don’t Know What You Got Till It’s Gone.

It’s not just a classic 1980s Cinderella power ballad, but the feeling Taberite Tanner Wilson had when he stepped away from the boxing ring for a year after recovering from elbow surgery.

Wilson has got back to speed with the gloves these last couple of weeks in a whirlwind voyage in which he has had three fights, winning them all, fighting at 69 kilograms. Wilson’s last fight was in January 2013.

“It was the best feeling in the world to get back in the ring,” said the 21-year-old boxer. “It was nice for awhile because I got to do things I wasn’t able to do before because I was so busy with boxing. This past year I got to see my friends more than I ever have, do some traveling and concerts and fun things like that. But, you can only do that for so long until it starts to get old and I was missing boxing. By the time my birthday rolled around last summer, I was feeling it.”

The first was a March 14 tilt in Great Falls, Mont. in which Wilson wanted to ease himself in, which he admitted it was with a weaker opponent.

“It was a small club show. I fought against a weaker opponent and just beat the hell out him,” said Wilson with a chuckle. “I wanted to get the ring rust off, see how I was doing and get back in the ring.”

It was a a bell curve of difficulty in progressive opponents as Wilson’s second bout was a familiar opponent on March 16 in Billy Wagner from Browning which was another victory in a decision.

“It was nice getting that ring rust off and getting my confidence back,” said Wilson.

The crown jewel of Wilson’s comeback was this past weekend in Calgary where Wilson tussled with former national bronze medalist Brian Samuel out of Red Deer in which Wilson recorded an unanimous decision.

for his 69-kilogram weight class.

Wilson had boxed Samuel before which helped ease him back into the ring, having a book on a fighter and his tendencies.

“I fought him previously in Medicine Hat and Calgary and he’s a guy I’ll probably end up fighting at provincials,” said Wilson. “Having a book on him helped out a lot because I didn’t have to go in there and feel him out. I knew he was a pressure fighter, so I went out there and waited an countered when I could, scored my points and then got out of there. I controlled the ring and stayed in the middle and tried to get him to work around me.”

Wilson added his training has involved working against fighters smaller and faster than him to get the ring rust off and working on his hand speed and instincts which added him immensely in his last fight against his toughest opponent of the three.

“The biggest thing that helped me beat him was my smarts. When the guy comes charging ahead every other time, you can work off the jab and do small things that can stop you from getting hit and getting those points,” said Wilson. “My skills as a counter puncher was probably my biggest asset in that fight.”

Wilson will now prepare for provincials which are in Red Deer April 12-13.