Beaten but not defeated

Brady Grove
Times Contributor

 

Strathmore local and owner of Apex MMA gym, Justin Schmit, took part in his first professional boxing match at the Teofista Boxing Series 19 main event at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino on June 25 where he took on Taber’s Joel Mills.
Although he lost the match, Schmit said he will use it to motivate himself for his next fight.
“The only way to sharpen steel is with sharper steel,” said Schmit.
During the match, Mills knocked Schmit to the ground twice in the first round of the four-round match. The second time Schmit made a conscious choice to stay down. He said he knew if he got back to his feet, Mills would do more damage to him and he worried it would be something he couldn’t recover from.
For Schmit, the smaller venue at Deerfoot Inn and Casino made the fight that much more intense because the crowd was so close to the action.
Despite most of the crowd being Mills’ supporters, Schmit loved the energized atmosphere of the chanting crowd.
Schmit felt he brought a good effort and wouldn’t take anything away from his opponent. He called Mills one of the best boxers in the country.
Schmit’s next fight is an MMA match in Lethbridge on Sept. 23. After that, he will return to the boxing ring in November.
“Going forward, the biggest thing for me is getting up to Edmonton and training with some UFC fighters to get that good competition,” he said.