At the age of four, Calgary’s Jacob Pagaling was introduced to martial arts such as taekwondo and Muay Thai by his father, a black belt martial artist.
After he turned 10, he started boxing recreationally as a way to lose weight, stay in shape and lead a healthy life.
When he turned 13, his hobby to stay active turned into serious competition. He started winning fights and, eventually, tournaments.
At 16 years old, Pagaling is now representing Calgary in boxing bouts across Canada and the United States.
“A lot of these fights that I’m going abroad for, I’m representing Calgary, just like, coming from Calgary,” he said.
He’s a three-time Alberta provincial champion, has won the national championship, competed at international tournaments and won several medals and belts in various boxing events.
Pagaling has always been enamoured with Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, and his dream is to fight professionally, win world titles and become one of the best boxers of all time.
“When I was 13, I didn’t really expect for me to come this far in my boxing journey. Things didn’t look the best because I wasn’t really in shape,” Pagaling told CBC News. “But, I had a dream. I stuck to my high training intensity. There were days where I didn’t feel so good, I still put in the work.”
Pagaling says, as the wins started to rack up, he started believing that he could one day achieve his dream.
‘The results started showing’
Terry Coveney, head coach of the Calgary Boxing Club, told CBC News that Pagaling has been easy to train, and was able to overcome his physique to become a formidable athlete.
“He used to have a bit of a weight problem, he was a little bit bigger,” he said.
“I’ve always had good fighters over the years, good dedicated fighters, but this kid’s something special.
“He’s got all the necessary ingredients. He’s got good parental support, which is huge in this game, and a lot of kids don’t have that, right? He has that. He has a desire to be the best.”
WATCH | What brought Pagaling to boxing and how far his dreams go:
Sixteen-year-old Jacob Pagaling didn’t set out to become a rising star in his sport. Even so, his dedication to training is helping him carve out a place in boxing’s history books, while reigniting the dreams of his longtime coach.
Coveney has been training Pagaling since he was 13. He said Pagaling came to train with him after losing his first fight while training with a different boxing club. Since then he’s taken the young boxer under his wing and watched him grow.
Pagaling’s status as a prodigy was evident shortly after he began training at the Calgary Boxing Club, when Coveney arranged a match with a 13-year-old from another gym.
“And it wasn’t until I seen the other kid walk into the ring. I looked at Jacob, I said, ‘Oh my god, you’re going to kill this guy.’ You know, 12-, 13-year-olds aren’t like him, they don’t got muscle,” Coveney said.
“I said, ‘Please, don’t go hard with him.’ Right? He listened. The referee stopped the contest in the second round.”
Coveney said the difference in skill between Pagaling and his opponent was drastic. As a boxing coach for 42 years, he said Pagaling has a talent that reignited his passion for the sport.
He says he’s trained thousands of kids at the Calgary Boxing Club and other clubs, and Pagaling has the potential for greatness. He says he’d like to see him make it to the Olympics to represent Canada.
“He’ll probably make the Canadian team sometime in the future. Three years maybe, I’d say he’d be on the Olympic team. And he’s tough to beat, he’s got a good chin, he’s got fast hands, he’s a hard puncher, always fit,” Coveney said.
“I think that the sky’s the limit for him.”
Sacrifices made, rewards gained
Pagaling said his family put a lot of time and effort into nurturing his passion for boxing, he says it’s what keeps him motivated.
“As I was putting in the work, they were also putting in work behind the scenes,” he said. “Every day they remind me that I could be something great if I really put my mind to it. That’s what drove me.”
A typical day of training for Pagaling is somewhat akin to a montage from the Rocky movie franchise.
Strength conditioning early in the morning followed by a three- to five-mile run with some calisthenics and shadow boxing midday. Then in the evening, skill drills, technical sparring, hard sparring and punching bag work in the boxing gym.
For him, boxing is equal parts fun and stressful.
“The intent is to put hurt on the other guy, but I have fun in there,” Pagaling said.
“I’ve traveled so much as a boxer, going to places like Orlando, going to Toronto, going to Vancouver, that wouldn’t have been possible without my boxing … But it’s also a sport I take very seriously. When I’m in the gym, I’m working hard.”
First, he’s hoping to accumulate accolades in amateur boxing, before turning pro and becoming a great boxer.
“I’m reaching for it, really, to cement myself in the history books like Manny Pacquiao,” Pagaling said.
“It’s an honour representing Calgary and Alberta internationally and other places, there’s a lot of pressure, but I feel honoured.”