Two greenhorn boxers returned to Whitehorse with hardware following their first career bouts last weekend.

Brittni Waddington, 23, and David Quesnel, 26, both earned silver medals at an Alberta Boxing Gold Gloves event in Stony Plain that also included a Bronze Gloves division in which both Yukoners competed.

Waddington – who won her first fight by knockout – was the first female Yukon boxer to compete in the ring in 15 years, said Yukon Boxing head coach Jess Staffen.

“It was beautiful,” Staffen said of Waddington’s Saturday night fight against Albertan Ashley Dyer in the 60-kilogram lightweight division.

“Brittni caught her with a right hook on the chin in the second round. That knocked her down.

“She was thrilled. Exhausted, but thrilled.”

Waddington went on to lose to Calgary’s Jessica Sparrow in Sunday’s final.

The fight was called in the third round due to a nosebleed that couldn’t be controlled.

“That first fight took a toll on me,” she told the Star. “It wasn’t a walk in the park. I was weakened by the fasting I had to do to make weight, and I felt drained.”

Waddington, who took up boxing in the last half year, said she can’t wait to enter the ring again – with a new long-term goal of representing the territory at nationals.

Meanwhile, Quesnel also won his first bout in the 81-kg light heavyweight category before losing in the final.

The southpaw – who is currently sporting a shiner under his right eye – matched up with Cody Banner of Grande Prairie in his first-ever competitive fight, then took on Blue Ridge’s Philipp Engeroff in Sunday’s final.

Quesnel won his first bout by technical knockout, and he recalled landing 20 punches to Banner’s three.

Quesnel dropped the final by split decision.

“I’m very happy with my performance,” said Quesnel, who has been boxing recreationally for the better part of two decades.

“I feel like that gave me a little more experience and I can’t wait to fight again.”

“Alberta invited us down and these were the two boxers that were ready,” said Staffen, noting there were 180 boxers at the event.