Saint John teen travels the world for boxing glory

Charlie Cavanagh, a St. Malachy's Memorial High School student, lives a double life.

In school, the 16-year-old is a good student, taking AP chemistry so she can study medicine.

In the boxing ring, she's a true warrior, travelling to Puerto Rico to fight opponents inoutdoor basketball courts.

"We had to go out into the middle of the jungle," the Grade 11 studentsaid.

"It was crazy because there was a tropical storm that day."

She left for the trip in October and returned the day after Thanksgiving. Now the young fighter is looking to hit the road again.

Searching for bouts

This weekend, Cavanagh,she was in Campbellton, looking for challengers after her opponent cancelled. Soon, she and her coach want to travel south again. This time, they'd like to compete in New England.

Cavanagh fought twice in Puerto Rico. Once on a basketball court, the other at a televised event.

While she lost on the court, she won in the arena.

RAW: Charlie Cavanagh fights in Puerto Rico

8 years ago

Duration 2:35

Charlie Cavanagh, a St. Malachy's Memorial High School student, is a warrior in the boxing ring.

Overall, she has won seven fights, lost two.

Typically, there are two types of boxing. People tend to either throw punches on the inside of the body, looking for intense hits, or on the outside, keeping opponents at a distance.

Cavanagh mixes both but is an aggressive boxer.

"Once I'm inside, power is a big thing that I rely on."

Cavanagh likes travelling abroad, andit's a necessity.

A small group

In New Brunswick, and Canada overall, there aren't many women boxers her age.

"We were eager to take any fights we could get because it's hard to find opponents," she said about the trip. "When I went to nationals, there was only one other girl in my weight class for me to fight."

One of the major differences between Canadian and Puerto Rican boxing is the amount of support.

She said in the U.S. territory, boxing is a major sport, with many fights being free to attend.

"The public was all there," she said. "There were like nine-year-olds going all out. It was great."

Joe Blanchard, Cavanagh's main coach, works at the Golden Glove boxing club in the south end of Saint John.

She started sparringless than two years ago, after her father, who is also a coach at the club, and a friend introduced her to the sport.

Learned quickly

There's a huge learning curve in the sport, but Cavanagh is a fast learner, he said.

"Most times, people will try our gym for approximately three or four months before they decide they'd like to see the sparring and [what] the more advanced athletes are doing," Blanchard said.

"Charlie was able to surpass that time limit very quickly."

Cavanagh said the best advice Blanchard gave her was: despite the hours of training, a boxer is only in the ring for six minutes.

"It's going to be hard, but it's worth it," she said. "That's when it's your time to show what you're capable of."