For boxers, Sale brothers John Cortejos and Peter Pirona seem laid back about training and their chosen sport.
At Bairnsdale’s RUfit gym at noon, they’re watching a press conference play out about their next bouts, gently pedalling bikes, casually watching with crossed arms and working lactic acid from their legs after the morning’s run.
Both are training five days a week as the next round of Wildfighter RoundX hits Bairnsdale Aquatic Recreation Centre on Saturday.
They’re not the only local names; fronting up also will be local hero Max Reeves, hailing from Stratford, and Bairnsdale’s Blake Wells.
Wells – his bout is the main event – is training hard, six days a week, running in the mornings, strength training during the day and boxing in the afternoons.
He’s spending plenty of time on the road, travelling to Melbourne because it’s hard to find sparring partners locally.
“It’s a lot of work, but I love it,” he said, “for the last three or four years I’ve been working hard, I’ve going decided I’m going to give it a good crack.
“I’ve really ramped it up in the past year,” said the 29-year-old, “less work, more training”.
Blake has just nudged into the top 100 professional fighters in the world for his weight.
He’s more precise than the other fighters about his weight – 76.2 kilograms.
“I’m shooting for number one in Australia and want to make the top 50 in the world rankings,” he said.
“I’ve won an Australasian title as a light heavyweight, I put on a bit of weight in COVID,” he said.
Next month he’ll be fighting at super middleweight. “That’s comfortable and my most efficient weight,” he said.
He’ll be fighting against Fiji’s Silivini Nawai and loves fighting in front of his home crowd, so he’s hoping there’s a good turn out to cheer him on.
Jhon Cortejos, 28, will be fighting Izak Handley in the super featherweight class.
“I’m just trying to get myself moving right,” he said of his lead-up preparation.
“There’s a lot of repetition and discipline, that’s how you get better, you’ve got to sharpen your tools.”
Jhon’s brother Peter Pirona, 24, will be fighting New Zealander Villiami Liava.
“I’m running pretty hard, about six kilometres in the mornings, more if I’m feeling good, I listen to my body,” Pirona said.
“I’m just having a crack to see where it takes me.”
Max Reeves is ranked number six in Australia at the moment and will fight Fijian Robin Hazleman, former Fijian super middleweight champion.
He’s running at 5am each morning and works full-time, wedging his training around his work as an electrician for Boltz Electrical.
And Max is circumspect about his career: “I’ll probably peak in my late 20s, I’m 22 now, but I’ll watch it, I want to be able to speak at the end of my career.”
He wears head protection when he’s sparring.
East Gippsland Shire deputy mayor, Arthur Allen, was at the gym spruiking the benefits of Gippsland and how hosting a fight would be great for Bairnsdale and local fight fans.
“Locals will be able to come and see the fights,” he said, “it’s not so accessible if they’re fighting in Melbourne.”
Council organised the venue for fight promoter Wildfighter.
