Windsor boxer hopes recent national title helps punch path toward 2028 L.A. Olympics
Rosalind ‘Soup’ Canty, 21, won gold at Under 23 championship in Quebec
Rosalind 'Soup' Canty says ever since the first few first fights she saw live, she knew she wanted to be a boxer.
"I was sitting next to my grandpa, and I was like, 'I need to do this,'" said the now 21-year-old fighter.
She's been around the sport her whole life: Both her parents boxed and coached.
But fresh off a gold medal at an Under 23 women's national championship in Quebec, Canty says it took quite a long time to convince her dad to allow her to get into the sport.
Her mother, Margaret Sidoroff-Canty, won several amateur and professional titles during a short but decorated career in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Her dad, Josh, now serves as one of Rosalind's coaches.
"He's the best coach in the world," she told Windsor Morning host Amy Dodge.
"He said that the only way he was going to train me is if it was for soccer, so he started training me just to get in shape for soccer," she said. "And then I started sparring and I had my first fight April of 2022."
She trains out of the Border City Boxing Club in Windsor, Ont., and also works out across the border in Detroit, Mich.
Canty has 55 fights under her belt in a fairly short period of time.
"I've had a lot of fights," in roughly three years, she said.
Aside from her recent gold, Canty also recently trained in Montreal with the national team after being carded as one of the top four female fighters of all weight classes in Canada, she says.
"I have to go there multiple times to work on my training, get good sparring and get assessed by the national team coaches — [it's] amazing."
Now she's eyeing the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to represent her country.
"That's the goal," she said.
Canty says her pump up song before a fight is "Around the World" by Daft Punk to "get moving," saying it reminds her of how she felt when she first started watching boxing matches.
"Was just so high energy and everyone yelling … was just surreal. It was crazy."
According to Canty, like her parents, she makes sure to try and help others out with their training.
"I train a bunch of kids at the gym and there's a couple of little girls that really look up to me and I'm in love [with them]."
Where did the nickname 'Soup' come from?
Canty says she got the nickname "Soup" from her dad while growing up playing soccer.
She says he used to call her "Super Ras."
That was shortened to "Soup" because it was a little too long to yell while she was on the field, and that's now translated into her boxing career.
Canty says her next fight will more than likely be later this month as part of a local Border City Boxing Club card.
"It's a really nice community, surprisingly, since the sport is literally punching people in the face."
Canty says she believes boxing is important for young people, especially girls, because it teaches them how to protect themselves and instills mental confidence.
"To not be scared if you're alone out in a dangerous situation," she said. "I think even if you don't want your kid to fight, I think boxing is a skill that most people …should learn. I think it's important."