NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. -- On Friday night in Richmond, local boxers will fight in the first sanctioned event since COVID-19 - when the sport was put on pause.

Slowly, athletes have been returning to gyms like Griffins Boxing and Fitness facility on the North Shore.

The sounds of leather gloves pounding speed bags, bells ringing and instructions on how to jab echo throughout the gym where owner and vice-president of Boxing B.C. Dave Brett is at the helm.

"Boxing is on a great trend," Brett told CTV News. He's seen an increase of clientele interested in boxing, but it's the high-level athlete that takes up Brett's time in the ring.

One of those serious about the sport is Nyousha Nakhjiri.

Twenty-three-year-old Nakhjiri went to the gym five years ago to get in shape, stepped into the ring and fell in love with it.

"Boxing was the first sport that really challenged me. It was intriguing: how to improve and get better at it," said Nakhjiri.

Over the years, Nakhjiri has seen a change in the mostly male-dominated sport.

"It's really great to see more girls coming into boxing."

On Friday, Nakhjiri will be fighting in the main event. Her opponent just happens to be her friend Jordan Conrad, a Boxing B.C. teammate.

"We are both very competitive, we're both good athletes, but our friendship is put to the side when we get in there to fight." Nakhjiri said after a recent workout.

Nineteen-year-old Jonathan Hannah is a boxer who's been training at Griffins for the last seven years.

"It's my main commitment in my life; it takes up most of my time," Hannah told CTV News. He hopes his daily routine and work ethic will earn him a spot on Canada's Olympic team.

His first impressions of the gym were mixed. He wasn't in shape but he thought he'd give it a shot.

"That is what first drew me to boxing, was being that fat little kid that was kind of insecure…It was something I just instantly took to even though I was not really in shape, I just loved it and wanted to come back," Hannah said after a recent workout.

Now, both Nakhjiri and Hannah are on the road to success in their chosen sport.

Hannah has over 50 amateur fights – most are wins – and Nakhjiri is training five days a week. And when she's not in the ring she's out running.

"They have a goal, these two athletes want to go to the Olympics," stated Brett. "They're natural athletes…they're just built for it."

But their workout routine came to a halt when COVID-19 hit.

"I kind of didn't do anything. It was weird not boxing, there is no anything. The world might be ending. I don't need to go out and do a run," said Hannah.

"When corona broke out it was a couple of rough months. Everything stopped. The gym closed," said Nakhjiri.

Now both fighters are preparing to step back into the ring.

"It's really exciting to have that opportunity," says Hannah.

Empire Boxing Promotions developed a plan to safely set up an event for local boxers. There will be limited attendance with just fighters, support staff, referees and judges.

"We're following all the protocols from all the health organizations across the province," said Brett.

No fans will be allowed with the strict guidelines. A live-streamed broadcast will be available with proceeds going to Boxing BC.

Nakhjiri summed up her boxing experience: "It's such a good and close community and being able to be a part of it, basically it's a second home for me. I spend almost every day there."