Seventeen-year-old Jullian Wilson is training to represent Nova Scotia at the Canada Games, one of seven boxers fighting for the province when the games begin on Feb. 18 on Prince Edward Island.
Through his amateur career he has already travelled from his home in Hammonds Plains, N.S., around the world for fights. His 25-3 record includes key wins at Ontario’s Brampton Cup and the European Monkstown International Boxing Cup in Ireland.
“Once I had my first fight, I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” Wilson said during a break from studying for winter exams. He will finish high school later this year.
Boxing at a high level has a cost. Wilson trains six days a week, year-round.
“Sometimes if my friends are doing something I either miss it or go late,” he said. “You have to make sacrifices, though.”
When he’s not in school or training, he works with his father, who owns a refrigeration company.
Wilson credits some of his love for boxing to his family. His great-uncle was Canadian middleweight champion Ralph Hollett, and his father, Jerome Wilson, boxed when he was younger.
His longtime coach, Peter Martell of Titans Martial Arts and Fitness in Halifax, has helped hone his natural talent.
“He’s a good boxer, he’s got a lot of potential,” Martell said.
“Sometimes I think things come almost a little too easy for him. The challenge is keeping him hungry.”
Before boxing, Martell taught Wilson jiu-jitsu.
“He basically won all the tournaments he went in, and won by submission,” Martell said.
“And then one day [he] said, ‘I just want to focus on boxing.'”
Wilson was trained by former Olympian Wayne Gordon for a time, travelling and fighting, before returning to Martell’s gym.
“There are a few benchmarks in sports,” Martell said. “If you can represent your province, that’s pretty impressive and desirable.”
Provincial coach Brad Ross likes Wilson’s chances in the Canada Games.
“He’s a very smart boxer,” Ross said. “He uses his head a lot. His defence is very good, he moves well in the ring, he has a really good knowledge of where he’s at in the ring. Ring generalship, we call it.”
Ross noted that Nova Scotia has always been known to have some pretty talented boxers for a small province.
“We do quite well at a national level, and right now we’re trying to develop our youth,” he said.
There are five male and two female weight divisions in the Canada Games. Nova Scotia will compete in every class. Wilson will be competing in the 63.5-kilogram category. All competitors are 18 and under.
“We have a strong team. I believe right now Jullian is probably our best chance for a gold medal,” Ross said. “He won gold at the Brampton Cup last year, and he’s been very competitive over the last year, even through COVID.”
Wilson is focused on bringing home gold for his home province. But he expects to be tested. An Ontario fighter named Owen Paquette, who will be in his category, delivered one of Wilson’s three defeats in the ring.
“It’s kind of a grudge match,” Ross said of a potential bout between Paquette and Wilson.
The two may or may not end up competing, depending on the draw.
“Hopefully, I’ll get to avenge my loss,” Wilson said.
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