WESTVILLE ROAD – The hay is mostly in the barn for Brody Blair.
“The work is done,” said the Pictou-based pro boxer, who will fight his third professional bout during a card Saturday at the Pictou County Wellness Centre (PCWC).
After tuning up with final sparring sessions over the past few days, Blair is spending the last few days between now and Saturday working on visual imagery, trying to keep his muscles relaxed and his mind right.
He went several rounds with a sparring partner last Thursday and again on Saturday.
“It’s more about weight cut now, and mental preparation,” says Blair, who has won both of his professional fights after a stellar amateur career that took him to dozens of countries around the world.
For the 26-year-old Blair, mental imagery means trying to “visualize the fight – it might go a few different ways – and to prepare for every situation.”
Blair can analyze videotape of his opponent (in this case, Mexico’s Juan Raygosa), but that doesn’t tell him everything.
“You can see some tape,” of an opponent, he says, “but he could fight you totally different than the way he’s fought before.”
As of Monday afternoon, approximately 600 tickets have been sold for the six-fight card; ringside seats are sold out and more than 60 tables (each of which will seat eight people) have been purchased, with just a few remaining.
General admission tickets are available at the PCWC box office, or at all four Subway restaurant locations in Pictou County.
As the promoter of the fight, Blair has to worry somewhat about ticket sales, all the while concentrating on preparation for that moment he climbs into the ring.
“I’m not too worried about ticket sales, I believe Pictou County will support it,” says Blair, who was told recently that the last professional boxing card in Pictou County was in the early 1990s. On Friday, the official weigh-in for the 12 boxers on the card will be held at 4 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express. Members of the public are invited to attend the weigh-in session.
THE CARD
• Debbagh Mohammed vs. Hassan Oseni
• Justin Blades vs. Steve Rainford
• Kyle MacNeil vs. Jorge Castro
• Joey Laviolette vs. Ricardo Rojas
• Ryan Rozicki vs. Markhaile Wedderburn
• Juan Raygosa vs. Brody Blair
