Fredericton to host 2 combat sporting events in coming months

Fredericton will be rolling with the punches in the next few months as the capital city prepares to hosttwocombat sportingevents between May and July.

"We're seeing it grow and it's not going away," said Coun. Steven Hicks, chair of the community services committee.

"It's getting bigger and bigger."

• Put your dukes up: Fredericton to host combat sporting events

Fredericton council voted in February to let events such as mixed martial arts, boxing and kickboxingcompetitions to takeplace in municipally owned buildings.

'A game of skill'

"Words can't describe how we feel," said Andy Young, five-time worldkickboxingand karate champion.

"It's a game of skill [and]for Frederictonto see that, it's a huge thing for all the fans."

Young ownsEvolution Training Center, on Fredericton's north side, which plans a dual event kickboxing and mixed martial artsfor May 6 at the Grant-Harvey Centre.

"Now to showcase my own students on a big stage in front of their hometown, it's unbelievable," said Young.

Over the past year, the Frederictonkickboxerhas been working to get combat sports approved within the city.

"Everyone says the same thing 'It's about time,'" he said. "It's a dream come true."

I hope to be able to fight for a world championship in Fredericton and not only get myself known in the world but to get Fredericton, get New Brunswick known.- Brandon Brewer

In an interview with Information Morning Fredericton, Hickssaid the Combat Sports Act was not enacted in New Brunswick until 2012, andthe sportswere illegal before that.

Until2015, Hicks said, Fredericton didn't have any applications to holda combat sporting event in the city.

Then along came Brandon Brewer,two-time Canadian boxing champion, who recentlyheld boxing matches at the Aitken Centre, bringing more than 3,500 people to the city.

"It gives me a lot of pride to be able to know that I get to have the privilegeof giving people around here something to be excited about,"Brewer said. "It's amazing to see people get excited about something around here they're excited to go theAitkenCentre."

Brewer will be fighting May 27 at the Aitken Centre in Fredericton. His company, L-JackPromotionsInc., will alsobe hosting amixed martial arts event at the Grant Harvey Centre onJuly 29.

Someday Brewerhopes to see network television at these local events.

"I hope to be able to fight for a world championship in Fredericton and not only get myself known in the world but to get Fredericton, get New Brunswick known," he said.

More coming forward

Since then, more people have come forward, asking tohold similar events in venues such as Willie O'Ree Place, the Grant-Harvey Centre, York Arena and Lady Beaverbook Arena.

"It's a very popular mainstream sport now," Hicks said.

"It's heavily regulated, there's a lot of testing, the athletes go through physicals, they have drug tests, it's much more regulated than other contact sports that are more mainstream."

Hicks said the city also looked at other municipalities, such asMoncton and Saint John, which have hosted similar events and haven't had problems.

He expects Fredericton's combat sporting eventswill draw athletes across the Maritimes, Canada and the United States.

Bobby Despres, director of sport tourism in Fredericton, hopes to see up to 2,000 people at each event a few times a year, which would boost tourism within the capital city.

"These sports are out of the mainstream world," he said. "But in the same breath they've grown in popularity to the point where they want to see it happen in Fredericton."