“I have a purpose now when I go into the ring. I have a plan.”

Truth be told, the boxing plans of Owen Paquette extend well beyond those moments when he steps into the squared circle, preparing for the thrill of mano-a-mano sporting competition.

With an eye towards the 2024 Summer Olympics, the 16 year-old native and current resident of Brantford has put the wheels in motion, as much as humanly possible (given the conditions) to plot a trail that ultimately might lead to Paris.

So what exactly does all of this have to do with Sudbury sports?

For starters, Owen is the son of Darryl Paquette and nephew of Andy, both of whom are products of the Sudbury Minor Hockey Association and both of whom suited up at one time with the Sudbury Wolves.

And from the perspective of what lies ahead, Owen has hitched his boxing wagon to coach Gord Apolloni and the Top Glove Boxing Academy, training on a regular basis with the Olympic caliber ring mentor for the past two and a half years.

Ironically, both sports mentioned above come into play when looking at the genesis of this journey.

“I started boxing when I was nine, just to help with my conditioning for hockey,” said Paquette, now a provincially carded pugilist, aided in part by Quest for Gold funding. “The sports started conflicting and I had to make a choice. I like the individual aspect of boxing, the ability to just focus on myself, having to rely just on myself.”

Oh, and there was that small matter of winning nine of his first ten bouts before he was even a teenager. “I felt pretty confident in my abilities,” he said. “Getting in there wasn’t a problem. I was having fun and enjoying it – even the training. And when competition came, it was awesome.”

Paquette does not look the part of a brawler. Standing just over six feet tall, it is his overall quickness that catches your eye the moment the workouts begin. It permeates his entire body, whether through a flurry of punches that can leave opponents bewildered and dazed, or through his footwork that is readily on display the moment he has a jumping rope in hand.

From the sounds of things, much of this athletic base was there early on.

“I could always move nicely, avoiding punches and coming back quick,” said Paquette.

All of which is fine and dandy, until you start eventually running into opponents who are equally as quick, equally as adept at dodging your hooks and jabs and uppercuts.

That is when the reach out to Apolloni occurred.

“I wouldn’t say that my dad knew Gord well, but he knew of him from his time of playing with the Wolves.” Having spent time in the pro hockey ranks, in the AHL with Portland and in the ECHL with Hampton Roads, Darryl Paquette understood the dedication that would be required for Owen to reach the next level.

“Because my dad was a pro athlete himself, he understands the whole sport and preparation aspect of things,” said Owen. “I was very fortunate to have him there, growing up.”

At just 14 years of age, Paquette would join Apolloni and his crew for a training camp in Marquette, Michigan. Fair to say that the fit was near-perfect, right from the get go as the young fighter took a step back before taking several steps forward.

“When you come to Top Glove, you start with the basics and learn properly and go through everything so that you are prepared for everything that will happen in the ring,” said Paquette. “We’ve really worked on becoming an all-around boxer. We want everything to be a strength, having the ability to fight all styles and be prepared for anything.”

“It was difficult at times because I had fought before,” Paquette. “Quite successfully” could have easily been added to the end of that quote. “It was probably difficult for him (Apolloni) too, because I thought I knew certain things. We focused on nailing the basics and applying it in the ring and it slowly emerged together.”

As for “Paquette the Planner”, that can be seen in the systematic approach the middle child of three in the family takes on a fight by fight basis, as well as a much more macro scale as well.

“It’s not about big knockouts or all that stuff; it’s about executing the plan, instead of being wild and going off your emotions,” he said. “Your plan is not only based on what you are trying to do, but also the fact that you have to try and put your opponent in the situation that you want him to be in.”

“The more and more you are in the ring, the more it comes naturally.”

Now with 40 bouts under his belt, Paquette has not only traded punches right across the province, but has also gone toe to toe with adversaries from the United States, Scotland and Ireland as well. Based on the win/loss total, which is impressive, it’s clear that he’s developed several key facets to his boxing arsenal.

“My composure is good – I really try and stay calm,” he said. “I’m technically sound, but I do have some flair to my style. And I make sure to change it up, not being repetitive.”

All of which should augur well for his pre-Olympic calendar.

“In these next two years of fighting, I will have to get on the national team, get some international experience and really test my skills out,” said Paquette, who was two weeks out from the 2020 nationals when COVID took hold of the country.

Even the small issue of that global pandemic did little to deter the ultra dedicated athlete.

“COVID has been a bump in the road for everybody,” said Paquette. “I utilized it to focus on developing my skills, really being prepared.”

Sounds like a plan.