One of the most delightful sports interviews of 2011 was conducted recently with Canadian Boxer Mary Spencer.
Spencer is a Pan Am Games Gold Medallist, having won the 75 kilogram division at Mexico with a 15-11 win in the final over Yenebier Guillen of the Dominican Republic.
The win by Spencer carries major significance on a variety of levels.
First of all, Spencer is representing Canada and as such a Gold Medal is for all Canadians but especially for those in Windsor where she lives and trains and also for those at Cape Croker and along the Bruce Peninsula where she was born and maintains exceptionally strong ties.
Second, the victory by Spencer is meaningful because she has become a tremendous ambassador for the sport of women’s boxing, in Canada and beyond.
With the victory has come a great deal of attention, attention she likes, but only because it enhances the image and profile of her sport. Otherwise, Mary Spencer would be just as content to spend her day to day activities in anonymity.
Finally, Spencer’s victory was a verification of hope for the upcoming London Olympic Games where she might be Canada’s best bet for a Gold medal.
Through the interview you get a sense of how genuine Mary Spencer is and any talk of Olympic Gold is quickly balanced by her assertion that qualifying through the Canadian and then International trials will be every bit as tough as the Olympics.
I spoke to Mary Spencer for 5 minutes recently, in fairness, you could easily speak to her for 5 hours on a variety of topics, but most of all, it will be interesting in these parts and across the country to see how she does over the next 5 to 9 months.
I’m Fred Wallace