Sports Briefs: Spence to fight for WBA title, OHL Draft preview, OFSAA medallists

1.Natasha Spence WBA title fight 2. OHL Draft preview 3. OFSAA gold medallists

Natasha ‘The Nightmare’ Spence is set to step into the ring in search of the WBA International Middleweight title.

Spence will face American veteran Maricela Cornejo in a rematch of a bout from 2025, in which Spence won unanimously.

The duo will fight at Yakama Legends Casino in Washington on the Night of Champions card promoted by boxing legend Roy Jones Jr.

Spence still is having a hard time finding opponents willing to go toe-to-toe with her after winning both her fights in 2025.

“It’s been almost eight months, but we went right back to the drawing board right away when I wasn’t happy with my performance at all,” said Spence. “The boys here were like, ‘Come on! You’re being hard on yourself.’ I knew I was sloppy. I was happy to get the W (win) but I am better than what I showed.”

She still feels surreal to be getting phone calls from Jones.

“I’m having conversations on the phone with him and it still doesn’t feel real to me,” said Spence. “My hard work is finally starting to show, and it’s starting to pay off. I’m just scratching the surface.”

This will be a 12-round fight for the title, but Cornejo is one of the few who is willing to fight her.

“The whole time we were hoping to fight, but It’s been eight months and I haven’t fought, so you tell me.”

London Jr. Knights OHL Draft Preview

The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) draft is going back to an in-person draft for the first time in more than two decades.

The London Jr. Knights are projected to have at least two players selected in the first round on Friday night in Kingston.

Drew Bate and Ryan Beaulieu are ranked in the first round, and Finn Butler could sneak in as well.

“I think Drew will go fairly high,” said Danny Syvret, who has coached the Jr. Knights for seven years.

“He’s a really talented, skilled forward who plays a two-way game really strongly,” added Syvret. “He’s a 200-foot player and tenacious, who is a good competitor. Ryan Beaulieu, a defenseman, and son of former Knight Josh Beaulieu, was my captain last year. He possesses the puck well and controls and commands the game, skates well, has a lot of skill and, very high hockey IQ. Finn Butler is a big 6’6”, 210-pound power forward. He’s got a big toolbox with the ability to skate, shoot and handle the puck.”

During his tenure of coaching the 16U AAA team, he’s seeing his former players excel.

“A lot of my players have gone through the OHL and some are in the NHL, are getting drafted in the NHL,” added Syvret. “It’s fun to watch and check the game sheet every night and see how they’ve done.”

The Knights selected three players in the U18 Draft Monday.

With the 14th pick in the first round, they chose centre Cam Godard of Oakville. He was followed up by goalie Andrew Menlove of St. Thomas and centre Ethan Hacklander of the London Jr. Knights.

Knights family loses long-time member

A man who helped the Knights for 31 years passed away this week.

Brian “Sticks” Dennis joined the club in 1974-1975 as a volunteer assistant trainer under Don Brankley.

According to friend and Knights Alumni President Rick Doyle, Dennis worked at a bakery and was a huge Knights fan.

He would deliver a dozen donuts to the London Gardens after work and would stick around and watch the 4 p.m. practice.

Brankley needed a helper and asked the then 15-year-old if he wanted a job. Dennis would end up as a member of the organization through their first Memorial Cup title in 2005 before leaving the year later.

An avid collector of hockey sticks, that’s how he earned the nickname.

Brian Dennis was 67 years old.

London-area athletes dominate OFSAA Spring Sports

WOSSAA athletes are bringing home a haul from OFSAA this spring.

On the pitch, St. Thomas Aquinas went back-to-back winning AAA soccer for the second consecutive year.

“I don’t think it’s really ever been done,” said Bella Martins, a Flames co-captain. “We have such a great group of girls and it was amazing. We lost a lot of Grade 12s last year, but we had such a deep bench that it didn’t even matter. We have a really good team environment where we’re very positive and we have each other’s backs.”

The Flames dropped their opening match but rolled through the rest of the tournament including a 5-0 blowout in the final.

Could a three-peat be in the cards?

“We are going to have a very young team,” said Martins. “I think eight of us are in Grade 12 who are going to be leaving. We’ll see if we can do it again.”

The Holy Cross Centurions from Strathroy won the A girls soccer gold medal.

On the track, seven athletes are bringing home gold medals.

Ryan Georgeson of Medway finished his high school career with a fourth straight gold medal in the 800-metre run.

“It was a pretty windy day at OFSAA, so I decided to just sit with everyone until last 250 [metres] and then kick it in gear and try and win,” said Georgeson. “Ever since Grade 9 when I first won OFSAA, it’s been a goal to win every year.”

He has the U20 Canadian Nationals up next before heading to Butler University in the fall.

Jenna Tunks of Oakridge helped her team win the Senior Girls title with a gold medal in the Sr. Girls Discus and the Sr. Girls Shotput.

Banting thrower Olivia Folk won the gold in the Jr. Girls Shotput with teammate Ali Jasinskas winning the Sr. Girls Pole Vault.

Zoey Shantz of Woodstock Collegiate Institute and Ezekiel Kerr of Clarke Road SS both won gold in the 100 metre Intellectually Impaired category.

Noah Mitoraj of St. Thomas Aquinas defended his Sr. Boys Discus crown.

“Winning OFSAA was amazing in my senior year before going to university,” said Mitoraj. “I was pretty nervous going into my discus because I felt like I had a lot to lose. I was not doing well at the beginning but then I went back to the basics … I did a normal, non-reverse throw and that was enough to get me the win. I didn’t know if I was going to win because the top three throwers were within a metre of each other.”