Rob Nichols connects with Frank White's jaw during a 10-round rematch at the Cold Lake Energy Centre on June 4.
Eric Bowling
The Fort Kent boxing champion did not disappoint a packed arena of supporters.
Rob “Raging Bull” Nichols went 10 rounds deep with rival Frank “The Hammer” White to remain Canadian Cruiserweight Champion at the Cold Lake Energy Centre on June 4.
Marching into the arena to the tune of Scotland the Brave, Nichols was the clear home-crowd favourite in the bloody late-night battle. White worked hard to trap Nichols in a corner to feed him body shots and wear him down, but Nichols was able to figure out his strategy and put the gloves where they needed to be to win by a very close decision, sending White to the hospital for several stitches and possibly a broken nose.
“He’s a tough guy. He changed up his fight a little bit from last time, which left some marks on my face. He was working the jab a little bit, and when I was trying to go in for my own, he was firing off a left hook just behind my guard. So the right side of my face had a pretty good sawing after the first few rounds,” commented Nichols. “I started to get a groove on and I left a lasting impression with him as well.”
As if retaining the title in front of friends and family wasn’t enough for the night, as Nichols was giving his victory speech the lights dropped down repeatedly. At first, it seemed like a technical glitch, but then the jumbo-tron blared out a challenge from former World Light Heavyweight Champion Roy Jones Jr. for the currently vacant World Boxing Cruiserweight Championship title.
“This is the second time they pulled this thing on me,” noted Nichols, adding that was how he ended up fighting White for the championship in the first place. “To have a chance to fight an icon like Roy Jones Jr., you don’t want to turn that down. It’s a fantastic opportunity.”
The battle of nations is expected to go down this fall in a yet-to-be-determined location in Western Canada.
Nichols, who works 12-hour days as a personal trainer and masseuse, drove into Edmonton every weekend for the last three months to prepare for the June 4 brawl. Much of his free time was spent running up hills and he spent much of the winter on long hour-long runs with his dogs.
“I’m not built to be a runner, but I have to run in order to do this,” explained Nichols. “Doing that conditioning is the most important part of boxing, because if you can’t fight the other guy you’re basically fighting yourself.”
To prepare for the international bout, Nichols said he might have to look into corporate sponsorship to free up the time needed to train for such a level of competition.
“I’ve been doing this all on my own, with friends and family helping me out,” explained Nichols, who has no corporate sponsorship at this time. “This might help bring attention to what we’ve done here Cold Lake, maybe help me take on full time camp where I can take time from work to do this more seriously. For a fight like this, you have to. If you don’t, you’re not really being serious.
“To play in that league, you better up your game.”
Personal accomplishments aside, Nichols added that he was very hopeful that bringing such a high-profile fight to the Lakeland area would increase interest in the sport enough to help him get a boxing club going so he can pass on his experience to the next generation.
“I have the paperwork and I’ve registered to get the boxing club set up,” mentioned Nichols. “I have the experience and the knowledge, but I can’t do it alone. I’m hoping that this event has brought attention to what my intentions are. I want to work with kids and youth. I want to help boys and girls stay fit and out of trouble. If I can give back, I want to make that available.”
With the exact date of his next appearance in the ring still yet to be determined, Nichols said he was looking forward to healing up his wounds and spending some time with his kids. He spent his day after the fight at the Ardmore Duck races with his family.
“Today I might do a favour for helping out people trying to knock a champ off the duck tank or something,” joked Nichols. “We’re just going to take our time and see where it goes.”
Rob “Raging Bull” Nichols went 10 rounds deep with rival Frank “The Hammer” White to remain Canadian Cruiserweight Champion at the Cold Lake Energy Centre on June 4.
Marching into the arena to the tune of Scotland the Brave, Nichols was the clear home-crowd favourite in the bloody late-night battle. White worked hard to trap Nichols in a corner to feed him body shots and wear him down, but Nichols was able to figure out his strategy and put the gloves where they needed to be to win by a very close decision, sending White to the hospital for several stitches and possibly a broken nose.
“He’s a tough guy. He changed up his fight a little bit from last time, which left some marks on my face. He was working the jab a little bit, and when I was trying to go in for my own, he was firing off a left hook just behind my guard. So the right side of my face had a pretty good sawing after the first few rounds,” commented Nichols. “I started to get a groove on and I left a lasting impression with him as well.”
As if retaining the title in front of friends and family wasn’t enough for the night, as Nichols was giving his victory speech the lights dropped down repeatedly. At first, it seemed like a technical glitch, but then the jumbo-tron blared out a challenge from former World Light Heavyweight Champion Roy Jones Jr. for the currently vacant World Boxing Cruiserweight Championship title.
“This is the second time they pulled this thing on me,” noted Nichols, adding that was how he ended up fighting White for the championship in the first place. “To have a chance to fight an icon like Roy Jones Jr., you don’t want to turn that down. It’s a fantastic opportunity.”
The battle of nations is expected to go down this fall in a yet-to-be-determined location in Western Canada.
Nichols, who works 12-hour days as a personal trainer and masseuse, drove into Edmonton every weekend for the last three months to prepare for the June 4 brawl. Much of his free time was spent running up hills and he spent much of the winter on long hour-long runs with his dogs.
“I’m not built to be a runner, but I have to run in order to do this,” explained Nichols. “Doing that conditioning is the most important part of boxing, because if you can’t fight the other guy you’re basically fighting yourself.”
To prepare for the international bout, Nichols said he might have to look into corporate sponsorship to free up the time needed to train for such a level of competition.
“I’ve been doing this all on my own, with friends and family helping me out,” explained Nichols, who has no corporate sponsorship at this time. “This might help bring attention to what we’ve done here Cold Lake, maybe help me take on full time camp where I can take time from work to do this more seriously. For a fight like this, you have to. If you don’t, you’re not really being serious.
“To play in that league, you better up your game.”
Personal accomplishments aside, Nichols added that he was very hopeful that bringing such a high-profile fight to the Lakeland area would increase interest in the sport enough to help him get a boxing club going so he can pass on his experience to the next generation.
“I have the paperwork and I’ve registered to get the boxing club set up,” mentioned Nichols. “I have the experience and the knowledge, but I can’t do it alone. I’m hoping that this event has brought attention to what my intentions are. I want to work with kids and youth. I want to help boys and girls stay fit and out of trouble. If I can give back, I want to make that available.”
With the exact date of his next appearance in the ring still yet to be determined, Nichols said he was looking forward to healing up his wounds and spending some time with his kids. He spent his day after the fight at the Ardmore Duck races with his family.
“Today I might do a favour for helping out people trying to knock a champ off the duck tank or something,” joked Nichols. “We’re just going to take our time and see where it goes.”
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