Boxer takes ‘old school’ training approach
Lucas Bahdi staying in shape to chop down opponents by chopping wood
Big Lights, Big Fights are nowhere in sight for boxer Lucas Bahdi nowadays, and they won’t be until it’s safe for contact sports to return.
Stringent COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings have postponed indefinitely a sevento eight-fight card the 26-yearold Niagara Falls native was promoting along with his new manager, Phil Lo Greco, who went 29-4 as a pro before retiring two years ago.
Billed as Big Lights, Big Fights, a marquee event originally to take place Saturday, May 16, before upwards of 2,000 hometown fans at Gale Centre, the show was being counted out to help propel him up the world rankings. With nine wins in as many months, all by knockouts, Bahdi was clearly on a roll.
Word from Ontario’s Athletics Commissioner that there would be no shows until at least the end of May was the last thing Bahdi and his manager wanted to hear.
“It was really disappointing just because of how fast I’ve been moving. It was a big, big fight for me, for an international title,” he said in an interview. “It would have given me a really good ranking if I won that fight.
“It kind of put me into a little bit of a setback, but everyone is in the same boat. Everyone is kind of at a standstill.”
But not “everyone” had been fighting at the pace the A.N. Myer Secondary School graduate had been setting since turning pro last year. For Fallsboy Promotions, Bahdi’s company, and Lo Greco Promotions, the postponement was definitely much more of a roadblock than a speed bump.
They didn’t let that throw them for a loop, though.
“As far as what the plans are going forward, we’re looking at other options, in either the States, where they’re going to have shows with no attendance,” Bahdi said. “As soon as the border opens, we’re going to look at those options, either the States or back down in Mexico. Just to stay busy fighting.”
With everything up in the air, until shows are allowed again, Bahdi has a lot of time on his hands these days. But he has decided to make the most of that time by taking an “oldschool approach” to training.
To get down to a “walk-around weight” and to stay in shape — and prevent the temptation of second helpings of his mother Lina’s cooking — Bahdi has been living out of a motor home in a wooded area on private property.
“It’s the better way for me to isolate myself from everybody and also focus on what I have to do to stay on weight and maintain a lower walk-around weight while keeping the social distancing,” said Bahdi, who until about 1 1/2 weeks ago had been staying with his family in Niagara Falls.
He has come to appreciate his new-found solitude. An absence of distractions frees him to focus on the goals of getting into fighting shape.
“It’s something that keeps me disciplined and keeps me sharper. It also keeps me in shape because there’s nothing really to do other than go for a run,” he said with a chuckle.
Bahdi, who is moving down five pounds to lightweight from light welterweight, wasn’t necessarily gaining too much weight eating his mother’s cooking but conceded “it’s very hard to lose weight.”
“It was very, very hard to lose weight when you have your mom cooking amazing meals and you have the TV in front of you,” Bahdi said. “You’re sitting down all day.” In the motor home, he is making his meals, following a strict diet recommended by Callum Cowan, a naturopathic doctor from Burlington.
“When you’re making your own meals, you have no one to blame but yourself,” he said. “For me, it’s just easier to stay on track and stay disciplined when I’m alone and cooking for myself.”
Bahdi weighs himself every morning. On Saturday he tipped the scales at 149 pounds, four pounds lighter than he was two weeks ago. The top limit for lightweight is 135 pounds.
“We’re on the right path, we’re going down.”
As a bonus, the TV in the motor home is not hooked up.
“It’s another way to stay positive because watching the news and watching all the things that are happening all over the world is so negative,” Bahdi said. “It helps me stay positive and keep a positive mindset.”
His daily workouts consist of running and chopping wood. Lots of wood.
“It’s an extremely good way for explosive exercise. It’s also can be used for interval training,” Bahdi said. “It’s really good for everything, to be honest, like muscle endurance.
“They did it for years, and it worked for them. It’s bringing it back to the basics.”
He has no worries about running out of things to chop any time soon.
“There’s wood everywhere,” he said with a laugh.
Stevie Bailey, his coach from Guelph, visits about three times a week and supervises workouts “from a safe distance.”
“We never really measured it, but we stay far enough apart.”
At first glance, the duration of his workouts — about 1 1/2 hours each day — seems on the short side, but not to Bahdi.
“I’m not training as I would be for a fight. I’m training enough to stay in shape and maintain,” he said.
“I don’t want to be training twice a day and burn myself out for no reason.”
He emphasized the goal right now is to stay in shape. “That way when the phone call comes and everything is back to normal, I am ready right away.”
Lo Greco said the restrictions couldn’t come at a worse time for the up-and-coming fighter.
“He’s being robbed out of his best time right now. He’s 26 years old, it’s prime time,” the manager said. “He’s ready for takeoff.”
He praised Bahdi for deciding to the most of a bad situation.
“The moral of this is, he’s staying focused and he’s not letting the distraction become the attraction,” Lo Greco said. “I’m very proud of him.”
“It was very, very hard to lose weight when you have your mom cooking amazing meals and you have the TV in front of you.” LUCAS BAHDI PROFESSIONAL BOXER