Canadian boxer and Olympic hopeful Mary Spencer poses for a portrait at her home gym in Windsor, Ont. March 13/2012. (Photo by Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail)Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail
Three-time World Champion boxer Mary Spencer suffered her first loss in over a year on Saturday, settling for silver instead of gold.
The Canadian Olympic hopeful fell to Claressa Shields of Flint, Mich. Saturday in the 75Kg final at the 2012 American Boxing Confederation Women's Elite Continental Championships in Cornwall, Ont.
"I think that Claressa fought a great fight, and at the same time, I think you learn more from a loss than you do a win," said Spencer, a nine-time Canadian Champion, from Windsor. "It's been over a year since I've had a loss and it's about time that I had a learning experience like this.
"So it's good for me at this point of the game - before the Worlds and before the Olympics - to get that loss under my belt. I'm just looking forward to going back into the gym and training."
Shields, a 17-year-old U.S. champion who was named the most outstanding boxer at the recent U.S. Olympic trials, beat Spencer 27-14 for the gold medal. It was the teenager's first competition at the senior level.
Canada took bronze in the 51kg (Mandy Bujold) and the 60 kg (Sandra Bizier) at this event. Canada did win a gold today in a non-Olympic 69 kg weight class - Myrian da Silva defeated Kimberly Gittens of Barbados.
All the boxers must still qualify for the Olympic Games at the Women's World Championships, May 9 to 20, 2012, in Qinhuangdao, China.
Rachel Brady