Tim Galeos wasn't sure how he'd react to being back in the ring for the first time in eight years.
As it turned out, he had no need for concern.
During last Saturday night's Prince George Explosion fight card at the Roll-A-Dome, Galeos scored a unanimous decision against Kamloops fighter Joe Jeanson in a four-round, B.C. Combative Sports Association pro-style bout. Galeos, 31, had been training at the Spruce Capital Boxing Club since September but hadn't faced a real opponent since a provincial championship tournament in New Westminster in 2006. Despite the long layoff, his technique was as good as ever and he used his height and reach advantage to full effectiveness.
"I was kind of nervous but I just stayed focused and used my fundamentals," said the six-foot-three, 174-pounder.
"It was a thrill," he added. "It was pretty intense and it was unpredictable because I didn't know anything about this guy. He hit me with some pretty good shots and I saw stars but luckily my conditioning was there. I stayed focused every time he hit me.
"Just to survive was the best feeling."
Galeos was able to land punches from afar -- especially in the second, third and fourth rounds -- while Jeanson had to try to get inside and connect with body shots. He did that, but only caught Galeos with the occasional blow up high. In the end, the ringside judges all favoured Galeos's almost scientific performance.
"He was so nice and relaxed and smooth," Spruce Capital coach Wayne Sponagle said of Galeos. "I was very proud of Tim. After eight years off and coming back, I think everybody could see that he knows what he's doing."
Galeos began his boxing career with the Spruce Capital club in 1998 and was considering turning pro after those 2006 provincials. He decided to take a break to recharge himself but then life got in the way and his hiatus stretched much longer than he ever thought it would.
"It was always still there, the desire [to fight]," he said.
After living in the Lower Mainland for several years, Galeos returned to Prince George last August and was quick to get back to his boxing roots.
Now that he has a successful comeback fight under his belt, Galeos will prepare for his next ring appearance. That will come March 29 in Vancouver, site of the Combsport Western Championships.
In the main event of the Prince George Explosion, Spruce Capital's Thomas Speirs hammered his way to a unanimous decision against Kamloops boxer Ken Huber.
In a bout that was just as entertaining, Spruce Capital's Marcus Hume pounded out a unanimous decision against Vancouver's Garnet Samuel. The four-round fight, in the 140-pound weight class, saw Hume stalk Samuel around the ring in the manner of a pitbull. Both guys threw tons of punches but Hume's were in an attacking style and Samuel's were mostly defensive in nature.
"It's only upward for Marcus now," Sponagle said. "Marcus and Thomas, they're not only the best in Prince George, they're the best in B.C. and in the very tops in Canada. Nobody can dispute that."
In other results: Connor Makarewicz of Revelstoke beat Prince George's Derek Ellerton by a unanimous decision (160 pounds); P.G.'s Morgan Littlechild, in his first-ever boxing match, scored a technical knockout against Mohammed Assalman of Kamloops (154 pounds); Brandon Sponagle of Fort St. John beat George Davies of Prince George by a unanimous decision (185 pounds); Connor Null of Revelstoke picked up a split decision against John Francis Codilla of Vancouver (140 pounds); and Phil Ryan of Vancouver was handed a unanimous decision against Justin Doubosiff of Kelowna (175 pounds). Prince George's Hank Lukan and Andrii Zhebrovskyi of Burnaby fought an exhibition match at 175 pounds.
