“Not even probably, it was the best performance of my career.”
Ken “Heavy Hands” Huber was all smiles following a unanimous decision win on Vancouver Island on March 21. The amateur boxing champion, who grew up in 100 Mile House before relocating to Kamloops, had his British Columbia cruiserweight championship belt slung over his right shoulder and proudly displayed five outstretched fingers to symbolize its fifth successful defence.
Huber, 31, beat a tough, solid competitor in Surrey's Aaron Downey, a natural heavyweight who came down in weight to meet Huber in the five-round main event for the B.C. Combsport title. Hundreds of fans packed the Pearkes Recreation Arena in Saanich for the amateur boxing and kickboxing card, dubbed “Resurrection”.
Looking back on the fight, Huber says he outboxed Downey beautifully.
“I was on my game. I came ready and it showed. I trained real hard and put extra pressure on my shoulders to have a good comeback fight. It worked out. We went toe-to-toe, and I had the upper hand on him the whole way through.”
Huber was pounded and lost via unanimous decision in a national title fight in Ontario back in October. The Downey fight meant a lot to Huber, who also coaches and operates the Kamloops Boxing Academy.
“This fight was going to be gauged if it was time to taper down and start coaching more, whether I still had it in me. Clearly, I still got it in me and I'm hungry.”
Indeed, Huber is already looking at a potential bout for Combsport's vacant classic heavyweight title with No.1 contender Bob Larson of Fernie on April 11. The short notice fight isn't a sure thing just yet, but Huber, who also works as a mechanic in Kamloops, is hoping to make it happen and win another belt.
Huber's in fine shape following his last bout and he's confident his boxing ability will neutralize any size advantage Larson might have. The cruiserweight limit is up to 195 pounds, while the classic heavyweight limit is 195 to 220 pounds. Huber's currently tipping the scales at around 190.
“The only concern you have with a size difference is if he hits you with a clean shot the chances are you're going down. But I worked on a lot of slipping, on countering, on defence, to just make 'em miss and make 'em pay.”