Martin to battle Toney at 'Rage on the River' in her second professional bout

On Saturday, October 15, former Dodson resident Megan Kirkaldie Martin will step into the ring for her second professional boxing match against Wendy Toney in Lewiston, Idaho.

Martin is the daughter of Dottie Simanton of Dodson (who is also the school's head cook) and made her professional boxing debut against Wamnee Ereaux at the Fort Belknap Casino in Harlem, Mont., on August 10 of this year with the fight ending in a draw.

"It was the fight of the night, that is for sure," said Martin of her first bout. "I fought well. I was supposed to lose, but hard work and heart prevailed and I earned a draw."

Martin's first match against Ereaux consisted of four, two minute rounds. Since the fight was close to home, Martin had a large group of supporters in the audience and boosted both her energy and confidence.

"I could hear them shouting for me," she said. "The ref asked the crowd who they thought had won and when they raised my hand the crowd went wild."

Martin said that she stillsfeels that she won her first match, but is looking forward to the fight with Toney this Saturday on a night which boasts nine fights and three "toughman" undercard bouts.

"There is going to be a lot of very good fighters there and I am lucky enough to be on the card," she said. "I plan on representing my town, my family, and the whole state of Montana to the best of my abilities."

Martin is a 2004 graduate of Dodson High School where her mother is the head cook. She is currently living in Havre, Mont. where she is attending school at MSU-Northern, studying for her AA in diesel technology. Martin is a single mother of two; Jaymie, her 10-year-old daughter, and Joseph, her six-year-old son. She said the children lover that she is pursuing a career as a professional boxer, are very proud of her and they both hope to learn to box when they get older.

Martin has been training hard since the fight against Ereaux. Ted Reiter is Martin's head trainer. He is a Montana Boarder Patrol Trooper who is currently stationed in Havre, but also spent time living in Malta where he ran a fight team in Phillips County for six years and helped bring MNA fights to the area.

"Ted is just a great all around guy and if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be where I am today," said Martin. "We first trained in my uncle Doug Simanton's garage in Malta. Uncle Doug contacted Ted, told him about me and my team was formed. Now we are training out of the Zoo in Havre. Dreams do come true, but you have to be willing to work your ass off for them."

Martin was a freshman at Dodson when she fought in her first smoker as a member of the Malta Boxing Club. She said she watched her cousin Willy Kirkaldie box when she was younger and her Uncle Eddie Moore was a former Golden Gloves Champ. She said that boxing is in her blood (her mother was also a boxer in her day.)

Martin is one of at least four professional boxers from the Fort Belknap Reservation, including Ereaux (Martin's first fight), Jon Mount and Warren Brockie (who will also be on the card in Lewiston as he takes on Eric Hempstead). Martin said that as far as her boxing skills, the area she needs to work on most is her jab, but said that her strongest attribute in the ring include her will to keep fighting.

"Quit is just not in my vocabulary and is not an option," she said. "I am going to give it my best each time I am in the ring."

Martin is one of no less than 20 fighters to be featured at the "Rage on the River" event this Saturday in Idaho's Clearwater River Casino. The main attraction for the night will pit Patrick Ferguson (4-0, 4 KOs) against Leo Bercier (8-19-1, 4 KOs.) Ferguson, who in 2015 claimed the U.S.A. National heavyweight amateur title, turned pro in April of this year and has claimed four wins since.

As for Martin's fight at "Rage on the River," she said she doesn't know much about her opponent (Toney is currently 0-2 as a professional) but added that she doesn't care who she is fighting.

"This is my chance," Martin said. "I'm going to go out there and leave everything in the ring and have no regrets."