Local boxer looking forward to defending his welterweight title in the ring

By Brian Lockhart

When you're at the top, there is always an up-and-comer who is going to try to knock you down.

That is especially true in the boxing world as new fighters try to make a name for themselves.

Local pugilist, Josh Wagner, now holds the International Boxing Association (IBA) Intercontinental Welterweight Championship belt after a 9th round TKO over opponent Jorge Perez at the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) Centre in Brampton on Sept. 9.

The scheduled ten-round fight, was pretty close, with Perez coming out on top in points in the first few rounds.

On the advice of his coach, Wagner decided to come out and end the fight in the ninth.

“If you don't win these last two rounds you're going to lose this fight,” Josh's coach told him in the corner.

Josh acknowledged he had a slow start and gave up the first three round.

It was a hard left hook early in the ninth round that dropped Perez to the canvas. Seemingly unhurt, Perez got right back on his feet. A second volley dropped Perez again, except this time he was looking a little wobbly when the ref gave him a standing eight-count, and told the men to continue boxing.

Pushing Perez into a neutral corner, Josh delivered a left that buckled Perez' legs and the ref stepped in to stop the fight.

Josh said he got ready for the fight by training for a 12-round affair.

“It's nice to know I'm in 12-shape,” he said after the win. “I was being too hesitant on the right hand. As soon as I started letting it go, that was the game changer.”

With a championships belt, Josh knows that other boxers will be trying to take that away from him.

“I think maybe, mid or late November,” he predicts when his next fight will take place. “There's no easy fights from here on out. We're ranked 47 in the world now and we got to keep doing it. Hopefully by the end of 2023 we're top 15 and we're getting those big, big fights.”