The young boxer has beaten older, experienced boxers on national and international grounds – a major feat for someone who has not played many international matches.
A career in sports is not for everyone. The decision to be a full-time professional sportsman is backed by passion, dedication, tremendous amount of practice and support, and strong will. A young Surrey-based boxer displays these sportsmanship qualities and has taken the boxing world by storm internationally and nationally. Team Canada’s Eric Basran, is merely 19 years old and already a silver and bronze medalist. Over the last couple of years, Eric’s wins and performance in the ring has accelerated rapidly. The young boxer has beaten older, experienced boxers on national and international grounds – a major feat for someone who has not played many international matches.
A few of Eric’s recent accomplishments need special mention: Winning the bronze medal for Canada at the 2018 Commonwealth Games; winning his fight against Luis Irizarry of Team Puerto Rico at the Melee Gala in Winnipeg last year; winning both his matches at the 2017 Ken Goff Memorial Boxing Classic against Cuba – he is the fifth boxer in the history of Canada to win against Cuba and the only Canadian to win both of his fights against Cuba; and being the 2017 title holder for elite men in the 56-kg category at the Canadian Senior Championship that won him a spot in Canada’s national team.
Eric was one of seven boxers nominated to represent Canada at the 2018 Commonwealth Games held in Cold Coast, Australia. He won his first two fights unanimous and lost to a close split decision against Ireland and earned a bronze medal. “This being one of my biggest international tournaments, [it] meant a lot for me to make it to the podium and represent Canada,” expresses the bronze medalist about his experience at the Games. Last March, Eric was named “Boxer of the Year for 2017” by Boxing Canada. Talking of this proud moment, he says, “It was an honor to receive this award being the youngest and newest member of the team.”
Robin Basran, Eric’s father, shares that his son was always a very energetic kid. Eric started learning boxing as a sport at the age of 11 and soon realized his passion for boxing. He thrives on the mentally as well as physically challenging nature of boxing. To be the best in the sport, the young boxer maintains a strict schedule. “As an elite athlete representing Boxing Canada which is the national governing body recognized by the Canadian Olympic Committee, I am involved in intense training six times a week and twice a day,” states Eric who is currently training in Montreal. His day includes workouts such as skipping and hitting pads, along with following a strict diet without carbohydrates. The boxing champion further adds, “If I have a fight coming up, I’ll go for a run in the morning for about two hours and then in the evening for about three hours.”
Eric’s glorious rise in the boxing world would have been impossible without the continuous encouragement of his parents. “I was very lucky to have the support of my family growing up and parents who had me heavily involved in sports,” says the thankful athlete. His mother, Vicky, is immensely proud of her son and credits her husband for taking out time all through his childhood to help him train. “It feels as if all the time and energy invested paid off,” she says.
Through his dedication and love for boxing, Eric wants to show other kids that you do have the choice to make right decisions. “If you put your mind and heart to it, anything is possible. I have always worked hard to get to where I am and will continue to work hard to achieve my dreams and goals.” For 2019, Eric is focused on training harder and being the “best fighter I can [be] to make my dream of representing Canada at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo became a reality.”
What expectations do you have for the coming year?
In 2019 there will be two major tournaments and my goal is to hopefully participate in both – the Pan American Games which are being held in late July in Peru and the Olympic qualifier which is the 2019 AIBA World Boxing Championships held in Sochi, Russia from September 7 to September 21.