PAN AM GAMES

CANADIAN PAN AM GAMES BOXING:
PAST and PRESENT CANADIAN BOXING
by brian zelley

As Canadian boxers prepare to participate
in the 2011 Pan Am Games in Mexico, it is
a good time to flashback to past tournaments
to touch on the history and the acnievements
of the many boxers such as 1975 Gold medal
winner Chris Clarke. One of the 2011 boxers
that hopes to follow in the footsteps of Clarke
will be BRODY BLAIR.

FLASHBACKS 1967
As we look back one of the teams was the
1967 team including Walter Henry, Frank Scott,
Wayne Boyce, Gerald Ratte, Dick Findlay,
Freddy Fuller, Donato Paduano and Marijan Kolar.

THE BEST OF THE BEST AMATEUR BOXERS

THE BEST OF BOXING CANADA: by brian zelley

Attempting to select the top 25 Canadian amateur boxers of all time is a subjective game based on our understanding of the sport and our experiences. Thus, it is likely the same 25 would not appear on all lists.

As a starting point, the select seven would stand a good chance of being on many lists:
EDDIE HADDAD, HAROLD MANN, DONATO PADUANO, WALTER HENRY, IAN CLYDE, LENNOX LEWIS and MICHAEL STRANGE.

For BRITISH COLUMBIA amateur boxing, some of the other ones that should be considered are:
JIMMY WALTERS, DICK FINDLAY, FREDDY FULLER, FRANK SCOTT, LES HAMILTON, CHRIS IUS and DALE WALTERS.

1970 - THe Start of A New Decade

1970 - Changes In THe BC Golden Gloves

From 1939 to 1969, the BC Golden Gloves was always the standard for excellence in Boxing Tournaments
and quality competition. One exception was the 1967 BC International Diamond Belt tournament that
sets the mark for excellence in competition, organization and public awareness..

However, in 1970 the BCABA (Boxing BC) changed the ground rules of who would host and sponsor
the annual event. And for 1970 that who would be the British Columbia Amateur Boxing Association.
In other provinces, they were also dealing with start-up issues with the new era of CABA -
Canadian Amateur Boxing Association (Now called by the name of BOXING CANADA).

For Canadian boxing, the big National Tournament would take place in New Westminster, British Columbia
at the Queen's Park Arena in May of 1970. At the end of the tournament, except for 1969 light-flyweight champion
NEIL AUSTIN, the "69 crew were replaced. Of interest, one of the new champions was New Westminster's FRANKIE SCOTT/
Frankie, however, was no fresh young rookie. In 1966, he won a bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games.

When the tournament ended and the bright lights were turned off, the champions were"
Austin, Cooke, Scott, Arneson, Fuller, Doiron, Malish, OLsen, and Meda.

For heavyweight JACK MEDA of Prince George. he had come a long way since tha first venture
into open class boxing in 1967 when he lost to Seattle's WESLEY CRAVEN in the 1967 BC Golden Gloves..

BC's CANADIAN CHAMPIONS & CONTENDERS

THE HERE & NOW and CANADIAN FLASHBACKS: By Brian W. Zelley

THE 2010 SENIOR NATIONALS

For the 2010 Senior Nationals, the BOXING BC came up short with no Canadian Champions. One 2009 senior champion.,
KENNY LALLY from Prince George dropped a decision to Nova Scotia's JOEY LAVIOLETTE, and 2009 Cadet champion
STEFAN MELIDEO of Nanaimo stepped up to see action in open senior competition and lost. Then there was Prince George boxer MARCUS HUME who dropped a controversial decision. Other BC boxers also lost in early competition.

The various BC boxing clubs have received a wake-up call that they all need to step-up to meet future challenges
and reawaken the achievements of past decades when BC boxers did well such as the Seventies with such champions as
Chris Ius, Darryl Olsen, Derrick Hoyt, Frank Scott. Freddy Fuller, Jack Meda, Jack Snaith, Joe Cooke, and Les Hamilton.

In the Eighties we had the likes of Dale Walters, Wayne Welsh, Joe Pendry, and Manny Sobral
then came the likes of Jason Heit and Donny Orr.

Donny Orr was the Victoria warrior that despite injuries came back in 2000 to defeat the Canadian champion
twice in box-off competition to earn a spot on the 2000 Canadian Olympic Boxing Team, then followed-up with
the Canadian title in 2001.

Looking at those champions such as Fuller, Scott and Olsen, they were products of the Sixties,
and earned their accomplishments through a lengthy process with many actual bouts from numerous
club shows and tournaments including Golden Gloves activity in places like Vancouver, Portland, Seattle
and Tacoma. For instance between all of the heavy tournaments in 1968, they took time to travel with others
to engage in high level club shows such as an All-Star club show in Seattle which included some top level USA
competition.

Looking back from 1966 to 1984, in the lighter weight classes, how could we forget about the many boxers, fighters and warriors with the two brightest shining stars being FRANKIE SCOTT and DALE WALTERS.