Boxing: Alexandria area’s Corey Thompson ready for next opportunity after state title fight canceled – Alexandria Echo Press

ALEXANDRIA — Alexandria-area boxer Corey Thompson was dealt a major blow recently when his state light heavyweight title fight against Mengistu Zarzar and other fights scheduled for the night of June 21 were canceled due to payment issues between the promoter, Vivid Seats, and the venue, the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Bloomington.

Immediately after learning the fight had been canceled, Thompson, who lives in Sauk Centre, returned to work at the Nordic Warriors Boxing Academy in Alexandria, preparing for his next fight.

On the night of June 18, Thompson said he trained late and into the early morning hours of June 19, putting his frustrations about the fight cancellation behind him and honing his craft for his next fight.

Although no official date or opponent has been set for his next fight yet, Thompson says there are opportunities for him to fight and he will be ready to go.

“Every time I have a fight scheduled and it gets canceled, I get disappointed and upset,” Thompson said. “I’m angry, especially this time. It made me want to train even more. I trained from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. that evening (June 21). My hands are still sore from this. It lit a fire in me. I can’t tell you how many promoters have managed to reach my manager all over the country. There is a lot of interest for me. In Minnesota, it’s really hard for me to get a fight scheduled. »

Fight cancellations have not been uncommon this year for Thompson. Thompson said three fights this year alone have been canceled for one reason or another.

And every time one of his fights was canceled, Thompson adapted. He remains focused on trusting his process to get where he wants to be.

“I’m focused on my training,” Thompson said. “It’s probably something I’ve been doing since I was a teenager. When I was a teenager, I told everyone that I would be a professional boxer when I was older. But then something would happen, like I lost a fight or I didn’t perform as well as I would have liked, or I had a bad sparring session. And sometimes it ruined my motivation. I sometimes thought, “Oh, maybe I’m not a professional boxer now.” » But now, any kind of injury or setback adds fuel to the fire. After that, I’m like, “Let’s work on this body part,” and so on. I learned to roll with the punches. »

In addition to resuming his training regimen, Thompson spent his time returning ticket money to those who purchased tickets to the fight in Bloomington.

“It was a hectic time for me to return the ticket money,” Thompson said.

Thompson that through this cancellation, his sponsors remained by his side.

Thompson said there is a chance he could fight in the Twin Cities in early August if an opponent is found. There is also an opportunity for him to fight in Washington, D.C., in the near future.

No matter who he faces next, Thompson, who is 5-2 since turning pro in 2012, is focused on what he can do to improve and win his next fight.

“What my manager wanted me to do was build myself up against strong competition,” Thompson said. “At this point, I’m looking to fight anyone, even if I’m an underdog going to someone else’s hometown. (Promoters) are trying to put me in the ring with guys from top tier who have thousands of dollars behind them So I guess being able to compete against some of the best in the world has lit a new fire in me to train even harder and make sure I get home safe and sound. my family. “

Sam Stuve covers a variety of sports in the Douglas County area. He is also responsible for writing reports.