Since competing in his first boxing match close to a decade ago, Austine Bayani has been steadily building towards an opportunity to becoming a pro.
Bayani, who moved from the Philippines with his family to Brantford when he was 11-years-old, recalled his start in the ring.
“I didn’t really get into boxing until after high school…living in Eagle Place, I would always walk by a gym called the Brantford Blackeye Boxing Club. And one day I decided to go in and try boxing and from there I just kind of fell in love with it,” recalled Bayani. “Around 2016, I had my first bout. It was in London, Ontario and I won it by a unanimous decision. I remember sweating a lot when I was trying to weigh in, because I had never been in a fight before, let alone, in a boxing match…I won the bout, but I remember being the most tired I had ever been in my life. Despite that, it was a fun experience and decided to keeping boxing. I just loved it so much.”
While the boxer has fought in over forty bouts, the tenth fight stood out for him.
“It was my first open fight, which was against Leo Kamara. This was also in London. The first couple fights I had been only been two minutes, and this one was going up to three minutes with a more experienced fighter. Before the fight, I asked myself…if I should go through with it…at that point, that was my tenth fight so I [persevered]. Although I would lose the bout, I realized I could hang in there with a more experienced fighter…that gave me the additional push to keep fighting,” Bayani explained.
During this time, Bayani fought out of the Brantford Black Eye Gym. He would eventually move to APT Boxing in 2019, where he trained with another rising boxing star, Owen Paquette.
“Jackie Armour and the team at Black Eye taught me and the other boxers how to fight in the ring, it was a good start and when I transitioned to APT, Darryl Paquette started to train me on the basics like feet placement…how to throw a jab and how to move. The last five or six years I learned everything that matters which has made me into a better boxer,” he said. “I also met Owen there who was just a kid and now he’s become a good friend and a really solid boxer. Overall, the gym has been a great place…the training was tough especially during my first couple of months there, but they are really committed in teaching you the fundamentals from the start and how to box properly.”
However, during the few years of the pandemic, Bayani had to remain focused despite the scarcity of bouts.
“After working night shifts at my job, I would get home to sleep for a bit, and then I would go to the gym to train. Or sometimes I would go to boxing first and then go to sleep. It was a tough time because everything was locked down. Although I was training a lot it was very difficult to stay motivated as there were no competitions to look forward to,” he recalled. “But the good thing was I got a chance to improve my technique and really get back to the basics. I took that time to really dismantle everything I had learned before and work from the ground up.”
Nevertheless, in 2022 would get a chance to get back into the ring with an important bout in Italy.
“That was a big match for me. I was a bit nervous because it was my first real international fight, being outside North America. Another thing was that I was fighting two weight classes heavier than my normal weight class, which added to the intensity. But when I went in there and fought my opponent, I settled in and boxed well…it was back and forth during the whole time…and I got hit a couple times pretty hard. I ended up losing a split decision, but I was really happy with the experience because it showed me, I could hang in there with an international boxer,” he reflected.
In the summer of 2024, Bayani made a decision to move back to the Philippines to start school there. He would also get a chance to fight in front of family and friends.
“It was nice to see my family and it was an interesting experience transitioning from working every day to concentrating on school. I went to study physical therapy, which is something I might want to pursue, but there is a possibility I will switch over to paramedics. [Regardless,] I want to be in a medical field in some way,” he said. “While there, I also had a chance to compete in two fights…[and] I found that the skill level was higher here in Canada. They don’t have any weight class restrictions…so anybody can fight anyone, which I found interesting. And during a festival, my parents had a chance to see me fight which was great. My mom, especially, had never seen me fight live so that was something that was special.”
After a year in Philippines, he decided to move back to Brantford in June 2025 and is now focused on training pro.
“While it was great to be with my family whom I haven’t seen for a long time, I still missed Brantford. I grew up here and I consider it my home now. When I was overseas, I missed so many people in town…I grew up with many of my friends like Owen…and many of them are like brothers to me,” he noted. “Now that I’m back, I’m trying to get training again because during the last few months, I was preparing for the exams in the Philippines and didn’t have time to box. And recently, I started to think about the fact that I’m getting up in age…so, I have been considering turning pro because it’s now or never. After all the years of training and all those bouts, I want to make it all worthwhile…so, turning pro is something I want to do. And the thing I love about boxing is that you can’t blame anyone else for your mistakes or outcome in the ring; it makes you accountable, and it’s something that drives me to be a better boxer, especially in taking the next step in my boxing career.”
