Paul Bzdel was born and raised in Saskatoon. The 31-year-old enjoys playing sports like hockey and baseball, like many people in Saskatchewan.
But his passion lies with a sport that isn’t incredibly popular in the province – boxing.
Bzdel is the Canadian Middleweight Boxing Champion. And he’s getting ready to hit the ring again on Saturday night in Saskatoon at the Battle on the Prairies. The event is organized by Page Professional Sports Promotions.
When he was 18, Bzdel went to the boxing gym for the first time as an amateur. But after a few quick months, he suffered from an injury that forced him to quit the sport for a few years.
At 21, he was ready to return. Since then, he’s been training and competing consistently. His hard work and dedication allowed him to become a professional about seven years ago.
Bzdel said he wasn’t naturally a good boxer.
“I’m just a regular, everyday guy. I work hard, and that has gotten me to where I am today. Working hard and working hard at it. That’s probably the biggest asset that I have as a boxer,” said Bzdel.
Initially, Bzdel had success as an amateur boxer. He made it to Nationals a few times. Eventually people started talking about the possibility of him having a pro career.
“That’s when I started realizing I might be better at it than I thought,” added Bzdel.
One of those people was his coach John Devison. Devison has been his coach for nearly eight years.
“I was helping him train one of his fighters at the time, and then I won him over as a coach. He’d tell me to do something and I’d sit there and work at it,” said Bzdel.
Bzdel has rarely had the opportunity to compete in front of a home crowd. He said boxing isn’t very big in Saskatchewan, so he’s spent most of his time competing on the road.
But he said there’s a huge difference when you get in front of your own crowd. That’s one of the biggest reasons he’s looking forward to this weekend’s event.
“They’re cheering for me instead of other guy,” he said. “I’ve been cheered against a lot in my career.”
“I’m looking forward to having a lot of family and friends out to see what I do, instead of having to watch it on YouTube. It’s a lot different live than it is on T.V.”
The last time Bzdel competed was back in October, which is when he won his Canadian Middleweight title. Since then, a number of fight cards have fallen through due to circumstances out of their control.
“Usually we fight every few months,” said Bzdel. “In a good year, there will be six fights in [total].”
Boxing has brought more than cuts and bruises to the Saskatoon athlete.
The boxing gym was where he met his wife.
“I have full support from her and everything,” said Bzdel. “But it’s hard for her to watch. It’s a little different when it’s somebody you care about.”
Bzdel said his wife has hung up her boxing gloves, but in the past he has watched her compete and had the same feelings – it’s a lot harder to watch a loved one than to watch a stranger.
When he’s not boxing, Bzdel spends a lot of time working – he owns his own business. He also likes to play hockey and baseball.
“But right now, the focus is on boxing. I can’t risk getting hurt,” he said.
Bzdel and other fighters who are competing on Saturday night have been training together for weeks. He said now they’re just looking forward to it.
“It’s going to be so much fun, the hometown crowd is a cool feeling and the energy of the crowd is a big benefit,” said Bzdel.
The Battle on the Prairies takes place on Saturday, Apr. 29 at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon. The main event will see Paul Bzdel take on Montreal’s Adam Green. In addition, there will be six other events throughout the night.
