Sanctuary Boxing Club earns medals at women's championships as gym builds momentum

The Sanctuary Boxing Club in New Kensington continued its impressive run, earning national recognition at the USA Boxing women’s championships Aug. 17-20 in Lafayette, La.

Makya Wade, 10, and Kabrynna Wiley, 8, won gold, and Katie Kerecz, 12, secured a silver and won the mitt competition with coach Rich Cantolina.

Wade, who clinched gold for the second time this year, dominated the competition, winning her gold-medal fight with a clean sleep on the judges’ scorecards.

“She used her length, her range again and was landing really, really good shots out there,” Cantolina said. “There was no question that she was winning that one. It was kind of hard in between rounds to tell her to go do anything other than what she was already doing and to not be excited.”

Wade said she doesn’t overcomplicate things in the ring.

“I try not to think about it,” Wade said. “I just go out there and fight.”

Cantolina said Wade’s focus and her ability to not show too much emotion when boxing is what makes her special. Nonetheless, she cracked a smile knowing she was about to take home her second gold medal.

“She doesn’t get nervous. She doesn’t get sad. She doesn’t get upset. She doesn’t get angry out there or happy, really, and she smiled ear-to-ear in that picture,” Cantolina said. “I think she’s starting to realize the accomplishment that she had of winning two national championships back to back within eight weeks of each other.”

Wiley, who’s nickname is Bean, fought an older competitor — who was days away from turning 10 — in her championship-clinching bout. That didn’t stop the southpaw from throwing her haymakers.

“I am left-handed,” Wiley said. “I throw them fast and hard.”

Cantolina was impressed with “Bean.”

“She put on an absolute show,” Cantolina said. “Bean, I would describe her as violent, and she’s very skilled for an 8-year-old girl. She put it all together in her fight and was landing really, really big shots. I thought they were actually going to stop the fight because it was pretty one-sided the whole way through.”

Kerecz, who took bronze in the previous tournament, took home silver and had a comeback for the ages, defeating the No. 2 seed, to advance to the finals. Cantolina said that fight was the one he was most proud of. Kerecz lost the first round but came back to win the bout 3-2.

“In USA boxing tournaments, 86% of people that win the first round go on to win the fights, so that’s why we’re it’s very important for us to win round one right away,” Cantolina said. “She’s now part of the 14% that came back to win the fight.”

Kerecz had three bouts and lost to seven-time national champion Zalia Souza. Nevertheless, she rebounded with a win in the a mitt event, which is a boxing skills competition that featured athletes ages 8 to 16.

“It was really good to win it, and it was just really fun,” Kerecz said. “It was a fun way to just have fun before the fight.”

Cantolina said the gym is picking up momentum, as it now has three gold medals, a silver medal and a bronze. He is proud of their leadership and their bond.

“The fight team is as close as it gets,” Cantolina said. “I would call them a dysfunctional family. These kids all love each other. They beat the crap out of each other every day. They joke around with each other. They hang out together outside of the gym, but I think the leadership shows in kids class. They stay after and they help me coach the little kids.”

Kerecz and Wade enjoy coaching the kids class and the special-needs class.

“It breaks it down more,” Kerecz said. “It gives you more of the basics and stuff, and it’s just fun to be with the kids and just help out. It feels good.”

Wade said working together and being around each other helps them as boxers and builds chemistry.

“Me and Katie work together a lot, so I think our friendship is very close,” Wade said. “Me and Bean’s moms are friends, and me and her are friend, too, so I think we’re close, too.”

Kerecz is seeing the success the gym is having and is prepared to keep it up.

“We’re on a good streak, and all of us have high confidence,” Kerecz said. “We’re having streaks now. For me, in December, I think it will be my next fight, so I’m just planning to be there.”

All three girls said they are grateful for their coaches, family and friends. Cantolina is grateful for all of the support since Day 1.

“I knew that these people that have been here since the beginning, would ride it out,” Cantolina said. “They’ve been here when there wasn’t paint on my walls or when there was just a concrete floor. … Now we’re at the highest level at USA boxing national championships, winning gold medals. There’s not really words to describe, like, when you finally see it all pay off.”