His body was telling him to pull out of the fight; his pride wouldn't let him.
In hindsight, it seems a sick, overweight and out of shape Ken “Heavy Hands” Huber made the wrong decision stepping into the ring in Richmond on short notice after a six month layoff on Oct. 3, where the Kamloops-based amateur boxing champion by way of 100 Mile House was easily beat by an East Vancouver boxer, Samuel “The King” Moses, via four-round decision.
Huber says the Silver Gloves Championship bout – which didn't see his CombSport B.C. heavyweight or cruiserweight titles on the line – was “the weirdest experience” of his career.
“Basically I took the centre of the ring and caught punches... I just couldn't let my hands go.”
Before he was a punching bag for Moses, Huber was 20 pounds overweight after a carefree summer camping with his kids, an ill 31-year-old desperate to cut weight and get back in shape, and an understandably distracted fighter after a pre-fight examination revealed he has an irregular heart palpation.
After close to 10 years in the fight game and 30-plus fights, that news was a first and came as a big surprise. Because he's a veteran, the doctor gave him the benefit of the doubt and let him fight, he says.
“I was good enough where I thought I could still do it. It was just not my night. I don't want to seem cocky, but [Moses] is well below my skill level. To be honest I was maybe 60 per cent. I was no where near ready to fight, mentally or physically.”
Huber, who typically prides himself on his fitness, was embarrassed to reveal he even threw up after the bout.
“If there's anything I could take away from this loss, it's that I know now you can't lie to yourself. I was telling myself I'm tough, I'll fight through it, I'll be fine. But you have to trust your gut and trust your body.”
Organizer Mark Friedman gave Huber more credit, but admits the champ looked sluggish.
“The event was awesome,” says Friedman, founder of the Pack Of Wild Dogs Combat Club, which hosted the fights. “Everyone went home asking when's the next one. [Huber] put up a good fight, but the extra weight showed. 'King' Moses boxed extremely well. The rematch should be interesting.”
Asked about that rematch, Huber says there's no doubt in his mind he'll “make this right” and prove he's the better fighter. But his number one priority now is seeing a doctor about his abnormal heartbeat and finding out how serious it is.
“Once that's cleared up, then absolutely. If the doctor tells me there's nothing wrong and I'm good to go, I'm starting to train for the rematch right then and there.”