Jag Seehra called it the worst beating he's ever taken as a boxer.
Seehra's physical pain was eclipsed by the emotional sting of his elimination from the Pan-American Games qualifying tournament in Quito, Ecuador.
After opening the tournament Sunday with a TKO victory over George Dalton of St. Lucia, on Tuesday the 21-year-old Seehra ran into a 60-kilogram human wall from Colombia named Cesar Villarga.
"Jag said he was the toughest guy he's ever seen of met in the boxing ring -- he said it was the most serious ass-whooping he's ever had," said Bob Pegues, Seehra's Inner City Boxing Club coach.
"[Villarga is] a 26-year-old Colombian who was bullet tough and talented. He said he was like a flea hitting an elephant. He was just a powerhouse."
Seehra's national team coach, Kevin Howard of Vancouver, wanted to stop the fight after the first round but Seehra wanted to hang in a bit longer. Howard threw in the towel not long into the second round.
"Jag said, 'Boy have a got a lot of work to do to be in with these guys," added Pegues. "But we go to learn. The goal for Jag is the 2016 Olympics and these are his baby steps. At least he won one fight over there. I'm proud of Jag. In his first internationals he's won one of three."
In March, Seehra lost his only bout at the Pan-Am qualifier in Cumana, Venezuela. There will be one more Pan-Am Games qualifying event in Colombia in early June. Pegues was not sure if Seehra will attend that tournament. Boxing Canada does not fund the trips and Seehra's family in Prince George paid for his trip to Ecuador.
The Pan-Am Games will be held in September in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Meanwhile, Seehra's Inner City clubmate Kenny Lally is in Regina to fight a 52kg bout Friday at the Ken Goff Memorial Tournament against Tommy Stubbs the 48kg English champion.
Lally and Stubbs meet in rematch Sunday at the Mayor's Cup in Regina.
Lally, the 52kg Canadian champion, is preparing for the world championships in Azerbaijan in early October. He needs a top-10 world finish to lock up a berth on Canada's 2012 Olympic team.
