As Ryan Young prepares ahead of his May 27th showdown with Montreal’s Shakeel Phinn for the IBO Super Middleweight Americas belt, there are no secrets or surprises.
At age 38, with a full and fruitful career behind him, Young (15-4, 11 KO) knows what it will take to beat Phinn in a clash of two battle-tested Canadian fighters with a long list of victories — many by way of knockout — on their respective resumes.
“It’s a great matchup for Canadian boxing,” says Young, an Oakville, Ont. product who has never said no to a challenge. “In Ontario, there’s been a theme of building records for some guys, (but) I never shy away from competition.”
The signature wins — Canadian title victories over Ryan Wagner and Tim Cronin, and revenge well-taken against Jamaica’s Tsetsi Davis last November — are indeed impressive.
The peaks and valleys of boxing have presented themselves, in spades, over the course of his career.
There was the highly-contested majority decision defeat to Patrice Volny in 2018, followed just five months later by the dominant performance against Cronin to claim the Canadian Light Heavyweight title; through it all, the one constant has been his unwavering fan support.
“Beyond the two Canadian titles, being able to fight in front of friends and family, everyone who’s been so supportive throughout my career, is a highlight,” continues Young, who co-owns and operates the Oakville Boxing Academy.
As one might expect between two established professionals at this stage of their careers, pre-fight fireworks or a war of words are notably absent between Young and Phinn.
“Look, Shakeel is a stand-up dude in the interviews I’ve seen, nobody speaks poorly of him,” cedes Young, who is undefeated in three fights at the CAA Centre. “Inside the ring, I know he is coming to put pressure, push you backwards (and) throw multiple punches.
“He’ll be at that same output for 10 rounds, if it goes the distance.”
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Seven years ago, legendary Toronto Sun columnist Steve Buffery interviewed a Young — then undefeated and the reigning Canadian super welterweight champion — that was adamant: He might fight until 35 or 36, but no further.
Fast forward to present day, however, and Young — a lean 38 years old, still with heavy pop in both hands — is fighting for a continental title with the promise of bigger paydays should he prevail.
“When you hear 40, you associate stopping your career at that time,” reflects Young. “Then you get older, go through COVID, and having a career that didn’t start until 25…I’m not too worried.
“When I get the win on May 27th, it’s going to put me into the upper echelon of boxing on the North American and European scene,” he predicts. “Bigger and better things once I win this title — we always keep it pushing.”
The fighting pride of Oakville will have his vintage roaring crowd behind him in Brampton, and is unequivocal about the outcome.
“I have the boxing skillset to weather his storm and catch him in between with shots,” he summarizes. “The game plan is to stop Shakeel Phinn on May 27th.
“That’s the only way I see this fight going.”
Ryan Young faces Shakeel Phinn for the IBO Americas Super Middleweight Title on May 27 at Brampton’s CAA Centre. Tickets are available now at Ticketmaster.ca!
Ringside with Carlos is a column written by United Promotions Ring Announcer Carlos Verde, featuring reflections on Ontario boxing, fighter profiles and feature stories on those in the fight game.
