Havanna Demers, left, poses with her coach and father Quenten Demers after her bout at the Titans Boxing Club's Clash of the Titans: Rise to Glory at the Cold Lake Energy Centre on June 21, 2025. (submitted/Quenten Demers)

By Kenneth Cheung

LOCAL TALENT

Rapid View’s Havanna Demers wins boxing bronze at junior nationals, eyes 2026 gold

Jul 27, 2025 | 10:45 AM

At just 15 years old, Havanna Demers is already one of Canada’s top youth female boxers.

 ”It’s definitely a science when people say boxing is a science, it definitely is… you’ve got to use your mind a lot and really think. It’s totally on you,” she said.

The teen from the small community of Rapid View won bronze this spring in the 57‑kilogram division at the Junior and Youth Nationals in Quebec City. It was her second trip to nationals, and she has already built a résumé that includes the 2025 Alberta Golden Gloves title and three Saskatchewan provincial championships.

“I was training really hard and I was really excited,” she said.

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Demers’s first taste of nationals came in 2024 in Calgary, at the Junior and Youth Nationals held alongside the Canada Cup where she won silver. Her match wasn’t just her debut — it was the very first fight of the entire event.

“I find that really cool because it’s important at the same time, not so important, but it’s like you just kind of made history. You’re the first bout of junior nationals and I found that very, very cool.”

Quenten Demers, her dad and coach, said that fight was a milestone for them both.

“I’m there for every moment of her training. I understand the work that she puts in and it’s very gratifying to see,” he said. “Everybody dreams about having that one athlete that you can take and compete at that level with. And I’m just blessed that it’s my daughter.”

He noted that she hasn’t had any easy bouts and everybody she has fought “has been a provincial champion at least.”

When asked which fight stood out most to her, Havanna couldn’t choose just one.

“All of them, I think of almost every single fight I have had, and I learned from them and they are all very important to me because they have all helped me in some way,” she said.

“I just want to keep getting better after every fight and just keep pushing yourself to get better.”

A family affair in the ring

Quenten boxed competitively himself and once tried out for the 1996 Olympic team. He has coached for more than 30 years and sits on the executive board of Boxing Saskatchewan.

In 2024, he opened the family’s boxing club in Rapid View, where Havanna trains and now helps coach.

“She’s very tall, she’s nearly six feet tall,” he said. “She’s a good 10 inches taller than everybody else. She’s very long and she boxes very smart. She uses her reach to her advantage, but not just that, she puts the work in, she’s got the experience and in the last year, she’s really been tough to beat.”

Havanna said boxing became a passion early on.

“I started boxing when I was around seven. Not competing, just just training and stuff. And when I was 11, I got really interested in it and started looking into having matches,” she said.

“I’ve been pretty competitive every year, getting as many fights as I can and I really enjoy it. It’s a lot of work, but at the same time it’s a lot of fun and it’s a very rewarding sport.”

Her training schedule is relentless. Most days involve running, sprints, kettlebell work and sparring in the ring.

“You’re like, just keep going, get through. You’re gonna be better because of it, stronger. And all this hard work you do in training will pay off in the ring,” she said.

“You train hard and fight easy.”

(submitted/Quenten Dermers)

Building the sport for others

Outside of competition, Havanna is a coach at her family’s gym, which will reopen in September with classes for kids, adults and women.

“We’re looking at adding some new classes because boxing can be a sport that’s for everybody, you can compete or not compete,” she said. “We can have just classes for women, classes for young kids, classes for people who just want to come work out and classes for people who want to compete.”

Quenten said boxing has been growing across Saskatchewan and that women’s boxing is a key priority.

“Women’s boxing is one of the priorities that we’re pushing as the provincial organization, and to have her at the head of that movement is very nice. She’s known all across the country and it’s very gratifying to see someone, and that it’s my own daughter that is the poster child for it.”

Havanna said she wants to inspire the next generation of young female boxers.

“I like to be a role model, especially with all the young girls who are coming up. Women’s boxing is actually growing as well. You see quite a bit of girls in the gym just as much as guys. I love to be a role model for those young kids and it is great.”

Looking ahead, with nationals set to return to Calgary in 2026, Havanna plans to keep training to climb even higher on the podium.

“I’m trying to get as many matches as possible before it comes…getting myself ready for each individual match leading up to the actual tournament,” she said.

Anyone interested in learning more about the boxing program can contact Quenten at 639‑537‑0052 or email DemersBoxing@gmail.com.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com