Lacombe boxer heads to competition this weekend on home turf

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But that hasn’t fazed the young athlete who has a love for the sport.

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“It’s a lot of violence in it; it’s tough and its brutal. It’s the most lonely sport in the world but I just love the art, the pain it puts you though. It challenges you to new levels when you go through a tough time. It’s just something that really grabs you and once you get a hold of it, you can’t let go,” he said.

A former student of Lacombe Composite High School, O’Keefe now works five days a week as a labourer in carpentry while attending Red Deer Polytechnic in Justice Studies to maybe one day become a police officer.

With his sport remaining his top priority, O’Keefe says he hopes to inspire young athletes from smaller towns and put the city of Lacombe on the map.

“Small towns really don’t get much praise and much love and much attention really. It’s tough because when you’re a young kid and coming from a small town like Lacombe, you grow up and then you’re like, ‘a lot of people don’t make it’,” he said.

O’Keefe described how it’s challenged his sports career, where many of the larger events took place in bigger cities like Edmonton and Calgary. Not always being able to take advantage of those opportunities, he says at times it has made him want to give up. However, his desire to become a world champion, he says, has kept him motivated to keep working hard.

“I hope I can open that doorway for them [young athletes]. Just because you’re from Lacombe doesn’t mean you can’t make it. You can always make it no matter where you are from.”

That mentality is how he earned his boxer name ‘Ace’. The drive to be number one almost earned him a spot as a 2019 Olympic Qualifier before a wrist injury and subsequent surgery took him out of the sport for two years. Luckily taking place during the pandemic, O’Keefe aims to try once again for the 2024 Olympics.

“It’s a challenge. I feel I can do it,” he said.

For now, O’Keefe will focus on his upcoming fight this May 28. Normally competing in the middleweight class (156 – 165 lbs), he will be fighting this time up a weight class, in the light heavyweight (165 – 176 lbs).

The event will begin with cocktails and an early supper at 3 p.m. Matches will start at 6 p.m.

Tickets can be bought on Eventbrite with or without supper.