A Rapid View teen recently got a taste of what it’s like to box on the world stage. Havanna Demers represented Canada while in Bangkok, Thailand March 8-15 for the Futures Cup, an event that served as a qualifier for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games scheduled for next fall in Dakar, Senegal. And, while she won’t be stepping into the ring for that occasion, Demers gave it her all in what was her first international competition.

“The tournament was world class,” remarked Demers’ father and coach, Quenten Demers of Demers Boxing in Rapid View. “Havanna had 28 competitors in her division. We got a tough draw out of the gate, however, and ended up boxing and losing to France in the opening round.” Shanon Cabane was the name of the French opponent. She ultimately ended up fifth overall as she could not advance to the medal round because of an injury, but, according to Quenten Demers, Cabane was definitely a medal contender. “We learned a lot during our match,” he added. “The boxing at the world stage is different from how we box here in Canada. We went in trying to hold the centre of the ring and pressure our opponent to the ropes, but we were forcing our attack which was leaving us in a position to be countered.”

At this level, Quenten Demers added, his daughter needed to set up her attacks with feints. “We needed to set up our shots by creating openings,” he said. “They were able to capitalize on a couple holes we had in our game – that’s something no one in Canada has been able to do up to this point.” In the end, Havanna Demers’ final world ranking was 17th. “It’s not the result we were hoping for, but a valuable learning experience,” Quenten Demers noted. Havanna Demers did not let the loss keep her down, however. Even though she was eliminated form the tournament, she still took the opportunity to get work in with other boxers. “Havanna sparred two days with Australia and Belgium, as well as one day with Poland, New Zealand and Italy,” Quenten Demers said. “A couple of these girls were in the top 10. Havanna had ultra-competitive rounds with all these girls and definitely showed she belongs to be at this level. She gave as good as she took, she was able to take her lessons learned from her loss to France and step up her game.”

Upon returning home, Demers missed nationals because of jet lag, but is now in the process of trying to pick up a few fights. She may be heading to Halifax in April to box where she could fight the 54-kilogram national champion as well as the 60-kilogram bronze medalist. “I was really grateful for the opportunity to be able to test myself at an amazing tournament like this,” Havanna Demers said with regard to her experience in Thailand. “The experience and lessons learned were amazing. I’m going to learn from my mistakes and come back stronger. Thank you to all who have supported and sponsored me.”