ROCKPORT, Maine — He’s grown up in a hotbed of high school wrestling as a student at Camden Hills Regional High School, where the Windjammers are perennial state championship contenders.
But 17-year-old Christian Fisk’s athletic preference has trended more toward a ring than a mat.
“I’ve always loved boxing, but for a while I never thought about actually doing it,” he said. “I had planned on being in the military my whole life but in the military you don’t make enough money and that’s my dream, to make millions and boxing is my biggest passion so that’s what I’m going to do.”
While such ambitions may seem extreme, Fisk is off to a promising start after rallying for a third-round technical knockout of Patrick Brothers of Lowell, Massachusetts, in their 141-pound amateur bout Saturday at the Skowhegan Community Center.
“He hurt me pretty bad early in the fight,” said Fisk, who earned fighter of the night and fight of the night for his comeback performance. “I went all black and I saw stars and got a little worried, but I settled down. When I realized I lost the first round I just listened to my coach. He told me to slow down and focus on what I’m doing and that’s all I had to do.”
That victory came seven weeks after his boxing debut in Berlin, New Hampshire, a three-round decision over hometown favorite Cullen Fortier.
“I didn’t prepare as well as I did for my first fight, but the outcome was better,” said Fisk. “I almost lost the fight and I think I would have lost if I hadn’t gotten the stoppage. I think I did pretty good. I’ve had a lot of distractions going on and I think I did pretty good for that.”
Distractions are an inevitable part of any teenager’s life, but those who have watched Fisk since he began training at Wyman’s Boxing Club in Stockton Springs a year ago suggest his focus on boxing has helped ground him in other areas.
“It’s the other side of boxing that people don’t get to see a lot, and I’m so glad I’ve been there to see it,” said Brandon “The Cannon” Berry of West Forks, who is 9-1 as a pro after his second-round TKO of Engelberto Valenzuela in Skowhegan.
“I remember the first day Christian walked into the gym, and I don’t know what kind of background the kid has but his attitude wasn’t the best. I left him alone because you see them come and go all the time, and I wasn’t going to engage with him but he kept coming back, he kept coming back. There are people that come and go steady, but he’s here every night and he’s part of the crew now.”
Fisk’s trainer, Ken “Skeet” Wyman, is working to instill a jab-first boxing philosophy in his young fighter with mixed results to date, but while Wyman is confident Fisk’s jab will become more of a featured weapon, he’s already pleased with the dedication the teen has shown to the sport.
“I’ve seen him grow to the point where he has taken a job and gotten so much more confident in life and in himself,” said Wyman. “He’s just become a more well-rounded kid, and it’s all part of growing up.”
“Some of it’s got to do with the discipline in the gym, I’m sure, but it’s up to the individual. It’s not something I or anybody else can instill. If someone’s there to guide them and they’re willing to accept it, it can work, and he was definitely willing to accept what we had to put out there for him.”
Fisk hopes to fight twice more this year.
“I hope to turn pro around 20,” he said, “but I’m only 2-0 right now and I just turned 17 so I hope to build up a pretty solid amateur record before I turn pro.”
