During their competitive boxing careers, Kenny Lally and Jag Seehra did a lot of winning. Provincially, nationally, and in Lally’s case, internationally, they were awfully hard to stop.
But, they didn’t do it alone. As fighters with the Inner City Boxing Club, they always had coach Bob Pegues in their corner. The three-way partnership was so successful that, by the mid-2000s, they were all members of the Canadian national team.
A little over a year ago, Lally and Seehra got back into the game. They re-opened the Inner City club, in the same location as before — upstairs at the Prince George Roll-A-Dome. They’ve been coaching a new generation of boxers ever since, and bringing championship titles back to Northern B.C.
And, last week, with three Inner City Wardogs getting set for the 2025 Alberta Golden Gloves tournament Lally and Seehra welcomed Pegues back to the gym.
Now a young-looking 71 and still passionate about the sport, Pegues came from his home in Quebec to work with fighters Thunder Innis, Josh Greenwood and Ben Ruttan. With the Golden Gloves a go for Saturday and Sunday in Lacombe, Pegues wanted to help get the three boxers to their peak performance levels before they step into the ring.
“It’s great when he comes around, and what’s cool about this time too, he actually called me and said, ‘Hey, when would you like me to come? What would you like me to do?’” said Lally, a seven-time national champion as a boxer. “That’s so cool. Having a five-star coach, on call anytime we need, it’s great.
“Jag and I, we talk so highly of Bob, and we have a right to,” Lally added. “He’s had the most national champions of any coach in BC.”
Seehra added that it’s valuable for boxers to get a different perspective on training and fighting from a high-level coach they don’t normally work with on a day-to-day basis.
“With his expertise and his knowledge, we know that’s what the kids need at this moment,” said Seehra, a four-time national medalist. “We’ve taught them what we know, and when Bob comes in, he knows a different avenue of boxing so it’s always a pleasure to have Bob here.”
For Pegues, meanwhile, being back in the familiar surroundings of the Inner City gym — and having the chance to work alongside Lally and Seehra — was a special experience.
“I am so proud of these boys,” he said. “They have taken it to a whole other level, and it feels so good to be back in here. It’s almost like an old home to us. They’ve spruced it up quite a bit and they are doing a great job. Kenny’s very motivated, he’s a leader in every way, and Jag is an incredibly skilled coach. He had to learn everything as a boxer, and he teaches it like he learned it. Jag is a brilliant coach – one of the better coaches in B.C. And I wouldn’t just say that. Jag is a wonderful coach.”
As for the boxers themselves, Pegues liked what he saw.
“Thunder is one of the most gifted boxers I’ve ever seen,” he said. “If he sticks with it, he’s probably going to be in Kenny’s league, I would say. I’ve held hand pads for him, I’ve watched him spar, and he’s just a brilliant, brilliant boxer. And he’s on a mission. You can see it. He works very hard and he’s very fit.
“And Josh, he’s a very nice, tight, disciplined, hard-working boxer. He’s a very determined young man. And Ben, he’s a southpaw but his right hand is as hard as his left hand, and I think he’s got a future if he sticks with it. All three of them, the same thing.”
At the Alberta Golden Gloves, the 16-year-old Innis will be fighting in the 80-kilogram class. He’s in a group with two other boxers. Depending on the draw, one of the three will go straight to the final, and the other two will clash in a semifinal for the right to move on.
Heading into the tournament, Innis already holds titles from the B.C. Bronze Gloves, the Alberta Sub-Novice and the Alberta Silver Gloves. He’s ready to add another championship to his list of accomplishments, and he’s feeling more well-rounded than ever before after the training time with Pegues.
“I’ve learned how to throw my body punches better,” Innis said. “He’s so cool as a coach, he’s such a great coach the way he holds the pads and the way he explains stuff.”
Greenwood, 18, is competing in the 65kg-and-under division at Golden Gloves. He’s coming off a gold-medal performance at Canada Cup 2025 in March in Calgary, and he’s looking to continue that type of success in Lacombe.
“I found out what works to win the fights and I’m just keeping that in my mind and getting ready to work on that at the Golden Gloves,” said Greenwood, who will be up against just one other boxer.
Greenwood’s focus will be on winning the first round and then keeping up the pressure against his opponent. After spending some time with Pegues, he’s excited about stepping back into the ring and trying out some of his new weapons.
“He’s really helped me learn some new combos — like my weight transfer, he’s helped me with that quite a bit — and he’s just helped me improve some little things, just refining my abilities,” Greenwood said. “He does a lot of stuff the same as Kenny and Jag, but it’s definitely different, too. I like his style. On the drills, he doesn’t give you any time to breathe, basically, so it’s just like, go, go, go.”
Ruttan, 17, will throw punches in the 90kg-and-over division at Golden Gloves. Like Greenwood, he has one other fighter in his division. This will be Ruttan’s first real bout since December — a victory at Rumble 33 in Quesnel — so he can’t wait to get back in there and do his thing.
“It’s definitely been a huge mental game,” he said. “I’ve literally been dreaming about fighting.”
With all the training of the past four months, Ruttan is feeling fit, and particularly sharp with his footwork. Having the opportunity to top everything off with some one-on-one time with Pegues was valuable for him.
“Training with Bob has been awesome,” Ruttan said. “He’s very straightforward. Technique, he’s been helping me with the pads and stuff, like working on my left foot and my left hand. He’s a great coach to work with, and I’m really happy that I got to meet him and work with him.”
