As a boxer, Josh Greenwood brings valuable skills into the ring — fast hands, surprising power, excellent stamina, and a high level of intelligence.
In addition to these qualities, the 18-year-old member of Inner City Boxing PG has an insatiable desire to keep learning and improving. Recently, in Calgary, he brought all these elements together to earn a championship title and national recognition.
Greenwood was part of an Inner City Wardogs team that competed at Canada Cup 2025, a Boxing Canada-sanctioned event. In the 65-kilogram novice division, he won both his bouts, including one for gold on Saturday, March 22 against Ontario’s Cash Littler.
The victory not only earned Greenwood a shiny new souvenir for his collection, but also made him Boxing Canada’s top-ranked novice fighter in his weight class.
Greenwood had his first-ever fight about a year ago. It ended in a loss. He also lost his second match but started to mix in some wins with more setbacks.
To be where he is today is rewarding indeed. “The process was very hard,” he said. “I definitely had to keep pushing through at times. I kept losing and losing, but you just keep coming back to the gym and focus on the next fight. Don’t look at the past in a bad way – just learn from your mistakes and keep improving.”
When the referee raised Greenwood’s hand on Saturday night, the young fighter savoured the moment.
“It was awesome, and I had my whole team there for it,” he said. “They’re all happy for me, I’m happy. It was a very good experience.”
Against Littler, Greenwood narrowly dropped the first round and trailed early in the second. But then he took control. During a slight break in the action, he glanced to his corner and saw coaches Kenny Lally and Jag Seehra telling him to try to catch Littler with a straight right hand. Greenwood threw a right that just missed, but a split second later, he rocked his opponent with an upward-angled jab to the head. The referee stepped in and gave Littler an eight-count. When the fight resumed, Greenwood stayed on the attack, and his aggressiveness earned another eight-count.
“It was something else, man,” Greenwood said. “I was so happy. I gave him the eight-counts, tied up the match, and it was great. I was just pumped after that.”
In the third round, Greenwood relied on his superior fitness, kept up the pressure, and was announced as the winner.
At the Inner City gym, Lally and Seehra have been with Greenwood every step of the way, and they couldn’t be prouder of his latest accomplishment.
“I shed a tear when his hand was raised, for sure,” Lally said.
“He’s definitely come a long way in a very short period of time. Eleven months ago, we began our competition season with Josh. He lost his first two fights, then went to the B.C. Bronze Gloves and lost in the final. Then he got a win, but went on another two-fight losing streak. He never quit. That showed us so much character in this kid. Through all the losses, it never fazed him. He just worked harder.”
For Greenwood and his coaches, a turning point came after a loss at the Alberta Silver Gloves in January in Medicine Hat.
“After Medicine Hat, after that loss, Jag and I believed it was up to us as coaches to identify what was going on and correct it,” Lally said.
After some analysis, Lally and Seehra decided that they needed to help Greenwood improve his balance. They had him start working with medicine balls to increase his strength and agility. This was in addition to his regular training, and Greenwood embraced it. The work paid off, making him more stable on his feet and more confident in his boxing stance.
“Everything came to fruition at Canada Cup,” Lally said. “It’s like a Cinderella story for the kid.”
Lally and Seehra aren’t the only ones tipping their hats to Greenwood. His Inner City teammates are also thrilled for him, including Thunder Innis, who started training at Inner City around the same time.
“I’m really proud of him,” Innis said. “I’ve been to every single one of his fights. I’ve seen him lose and come back. I’ve seen him lose again and again, lose the BC Bronze Gloves title, and I’ve seen him keep coming back and trying. Each time, he comes back, and I really respect him for that. Now he’s the No. 1 novice fighter in Canada.”
At Canada Cup 2025, Inner City was also represented by Melissa O’Flynn in the 54kg female category. O’Flynn – who fights out of 2 Rivers Boxing in Quesnel but was training at Inner City in preparation for Canada Cup – faced current Canadian champion Scarlett Delgado in two separate bouts. The 29-year-old O’Flynn lost both times but left a lasting impression on everyone in attendance.
“Melissa did great,” Lally said of O’Flynn’s performance. “She did amazing in the first fight. Scarlett won an international tournament this year, and Melissa looked like she belonged in there with her. Then she got a walkover (default) win, made it back to the finals, and did her best. Scarlett, being an international champion, adapted very well. They probably did some video analysis, found some holes, and capitalized. Unfortunately, we got stopped in the last round, but it was a great experience for her.”
Three other Inner City boxers — Innis, Ben Ruttan, and Audrey Edmunds — were hoping to get onto the fight card at Canada Cup but only participated in sparring matches. Innis and Ruttan faced each other, while Edmunds stepped into the ring three times and showed the form that earned her the Alberta Silver Gloves championship earlier this year.
With Greenwood’s title at Canada Cup, all four members of Inner City’s current fight team now have championships on their résumés in their first year of action.
“It’s a great feeling,” Lally said. “This is what we wanted to do. We wanted to bring champions back to Prince George, and I think we’re doing a pretty good job so far.”
