Winnipegger follows her Muay Thai dream to championship bout
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/04/2024 (871 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
No one would’ve blamed Amber Berg if she threw in the towel on the fight game.
It looked like the Winnipegger’s passion was going to be nothing more than just a hobby after starting her Muay Thai career with four consecutive losses.
“Pretty much only me and my coach believed in me at that point,” said Berg.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Muay Thai fighter Amber Berg and her coach, Jerrick Hodge, train in Winnipeg on Thursday.
“It’s about knowing what you want and going for it. It’s such a healthy thing for the ego to take all those losses and just keep going.”
That’s exactly what she did, as that losing streak is far behind her. Now, 20 years after she first started, the 38-year-old is preparing to make her pro debut April 20 in Calgary when she challenges Lethbridge’s Kate Clements (4-1-0) for the Canadian bantamweight title in a Muay Thai World Cup event. Berg has rebounded to a 10-8 career record after her rocky start.
“It’s been a longtime dream of mine. It’s a big show, and if I do well, then I think there’s big opportunities coming my way,” said Berg.
She never thought she’d make it to the professional stage after stepping away from the sport when she had her son, Nolan, who’s now four.
“I thought I was done. I achieved a number of things, and I had gotten a lot out of it. So, I thought, ‘OK, time for the next phase of my life,’” said Berg, a part-time bartender/waitress at a hotel.
“And then, I came back to the gym about four and half years later and I felt the pull. So, I figured ‘Let’s give it one last go.’”
“If I could say I did one good thing for myself in this life, it was to just follow this dream no matter what when everybody else thinks you’re crazy.”–Amber Berg
She dropped a pair of fights after her return but has since won two straight to earn a title shot.
Berg has travelled far and wide to compete as she’s been to Thailand, San Francisco, Texas, Iowa, Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary.
“If I could say I did one good thing for myself in this life, it was to just follow this dream no matter what when everybody else thinks you’re crazy,” she said.
She first got into Muay Thai after attending a professional wrestling show in the basement of the old Lincoln Motor Hotel — now Four Crowns Inn — on McPhillips Street with her mother. The night started, oddly, with a Muay Thai exhibition in the ring and Berg’s interest was piqued right away. She picked up a pamphlet that had a free pass to Double Dragon Kickboxing & Muay Thai in St. James and that’s been her home gym ever since.
Owner Jerrick Hodge has been with her every step of the way since she was 18.
“I’ve learned so much from him. It’s a big responsibility to be here day in and day out and deal with all the things these people come to you with because a lot of people come to the gym for an outlet when they’re having other problems in their lives and he helps all these people,” said Berg, who also met her husband, Craig, at Double Dragon.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Berg will be competing in the Muay Thai World Cup later this month in Calgary, where she’ll be fighting for a Bantamweight title and potentially a professional contract.
“There’s the mental part, the emotional part, and by training your body, you become stronger in so many other ways. It’s his gift that he shares with us, and it just changes all of our lives.”
Hodge, 71, has a rule in his gym where fighters can’t date one another but he’s made an exception for his prized pupil.
He started his mixed martial arts career in 1979 and went on to become a two-time Canadian champion in taekwondo. Hodge has been operating Double Dragon for more than 30 years and still teaches.
“Before she goes to the ring, I always ask her, ‘Is there anything you want to talk to me about?’ And she will shed a tear and say, ‘I thank you for everything you’ve done for me.’ And I’ll be like, ‘Well, now you return the favour,’” said Hodge.
“She’s one of my best students… She wants to be here, she wants to be a fighter, and she showed me she has the heart.”
Berg hopes her journey can inspire more moms to do what they love.
“I’d be happy if it did because I never would have thought that this would be coming my way this point in life,” she said. “The experiences I’ve had over the last year and a half have been some of the best experiences of my life. It just shows me that you never know what’s next and there’s always good things in life ahead of you. You just have to be open to being surprised.”
taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca
X: @TaylorAllen31
Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.
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