In Kenny Lally's world, all roads lead to London 2012. The local boxer advanced one step closer to next summer's Olympic Games on Friday night.
And he did it by beating one of England's elite punchers.
Lally, a 21-year-old member of the Inner City Boxing Club, was throwing leather in the Ken Goff Memorial tournament in Regina. In the 52-kilogram weight class, he squared off against 20-year-old Gareth Smith in a three-round bout and won 20-13. Lally, thanks in part to a left hook Smith couldn't defend, dominated the first two rounds and cruised to victory from there.
Some pre-fight intelligence gathering paid off for Lally, who holds a spot on Boxing Canada's 'A' team.
"I watched a video of him the other day and he's very fast and he had a really wicked left hook to the body but he would always have his hands down [when he was] moving back, and Daniel Trepanier and my other Team Canada coaches, we analyzed the fight," Lally said. "They said to win the fight I had to keep a jab in his face and [throw the] left hook and that's what won me the fight -- my left hook.
"The guy was good," Lally added. "He brought it, for sure, but all the training we've been doing [with local coach Bob Pegues] and working with Daniel Trepanier, I had that extra edge."
With the victory, Lally elevated his Team Canada record to 9-1, which represents the highest success rate on the team. If he keeps winning, he'll only increase his chances of representing his country at the Olympics.
"I want to keep impressing Team Canada," Lally said. "I'm so close to getting to the Olympics. This is my first international taste of 2011 and it's going well so I've got to keep it going."
Lally and Smith have a rematch set for Sunday, also in Regina, but at the Mayor's Cup tournament.
"It's kind of a grudge match now, but I'll get another international fight and that's good experience," Lally said. "It's hard for me to find good competition in Canada, especially coming from Prince George. There isn't much around so when I can have two international fights in three days, I'm not complaining."
Lally was originally supposed to face English champ Tommy Stubbs but Stubbs didn't make the trip to Canada because he's competing in his national championships right now.
Pegues, who didn't accompany Lally to Regina, was pleased with Friday's result.
"I'm really happy for him, mostly because he's keeping that international win rate up there," Pegues said.
The world championships, in October in Azerbaijan, will serve as the first set of Olympic trials. If Lally doesn't earn an Olympic spot there, he'll get another chance at the elite continental championships, scheduled for Brazil in early 2012.
