People of the Passage March 2025

by Kyle Davis—When you have a nickname like The Bad Boy, your reputation precedes you. 

Ask Brett Beaton how he got the label, and the scrappy 29-year-old pulls no punches.

"When I was younger, I used to race around on my dirt bike, fistfight, and be a little on the bad side. So, they started calling me Bad Boy Beaton," he begins.

Two or so decades removed from those mischievous years growing up in Cow Bay, Beaton is still antagonizing people and throwing punches. Except now, he's preparing to go to war for one of Canada's most prestigious boxing crowns. 

On March 29, Beaton (6-2, 4 KOs) challenges John Michael Bianco (8-1 4 KOs) for the Canadian Super Middle Weight Title in Hamilton, Ontario. The eight-round main event clash is Bianco's first title defense and the biggest bout of Beaton's 15-year career. 

Getting to this point - competing for a professional Canadian Boxing Federation championship - has been anything but a smooth ascent: grueling training sessions, heartbreaking losses, and never mind that, from a medical standpoint, the odds have been very much stacked against Beaton from even the earliest part of his life. 

"My condition was discovered when I was just an infant. I had a hole in my heart," he reveals. "The doctors informed my parents, that I may not ever be strong enough to do physical activities."

After his son's heart surgery, Brett's father David was determined to see him overcome the predicted limitations of his condition. Dad enrolled Brett in minor hockey and had him riding dirt bikes before he could tie his shoes. 

"Needless to say, my heart was stronger than ever."

For Brett, his boxing obsession began in earnest as a form of escapism. At 10 years old, his older cousin was tragically killed, and it profoundly affected Brett's young mind. Carrying a weighted bag of grief, anger, and confusion, as he entered adolescence, the sport helped him channel those emotions into something more productive. By age 14, he had competed in his first amateur match - a fight for the ages. 

"It was a complete war; we had the crowd standing on their feet. It was a controversial split decision loss. I even knocked my opponent's pants off," he says with a smile.

"But that’s the fight that made me realize how much I love boxing."

It was the beginning of his journey. 

As he entered adulthood, Brett's amateur career gained momentum as he established himself in the East Coast boxing community. At 23, he simultaneously held the Maritime Amateur Championship and Nova Scotia provincial title. Then one night, his bad boy reputation reared its ugly head, nearly costing him everything.

"I was at a bar—a place I shouldn’t have been—and I got stabbed five times, just missing my lung. That experience shattered my confidence. It derailed my amateur career."

Brett's road to recovery was paved with hard work while enduring the pain of his injuries. He returned to the ring fairly quickly and began planning his professional debut. A pivotal moment in his career, that first pro fight at Scotiabank Centre in late 2021 also served another lesson in resiliency. It's one that still lives with him.

"I got knocked out in just six seconds in my hometown, right in front of all my people," Brett says, with frustration still palpable in his voice. 

"The loss tested my will and love for the sport. I almost gave up."

In boxing, how you respond to a defeat is a litmus test about who you are as a competitor. Staying true to himself, Brett refocused and kept pushing forward. The hometown debut loss to Daniel Beaupre was followed by five wins in his next six fights, the most recent of which last December secured this upcoming title match with Bianco. 

"It's such a dangerous sport, you never know if you will walk out of the ring the same way you went in," Beaton offers matter-of-factly.

"The only thing differently I’m doing in preparation [for the BIanco fight] is dialing in on my mental, and spiritual work."

For the upcoming tilt, he'll have his hometown in his virtual corner. The event will be streamed live on Canadian Boxing Television's YouTube channel, and The Buffalo Club in Eastern Passage is hosting a watch party on Friday, March 29, beginning at 9:00 p.m.

The boxing world is in no way glamorous. Delivering knockouts—and getting knocked out—are inevitabilities. As Beaton enters the final leg of training ahead of the biggest fight of his career, he takes a moment to pause and reflect on what he's overcome and accomplished and how he'd like to be viewed years from now.

"I intend for my legacy to be remembered as a slick, hardworking, brave fighter. With a big heart inside and outside the ring."

For a guy who wasn’t supposed to be strong enough to fight, Brett Beaton has spent his whole life proving that toughness isn’t just about throwing punches - it’s about getting back up.