2012 THE BOXING STORIES REVISITED

ZELLEY ON BOXING STORIES in 2012

"Many heroes lived before Agamemnon, but they were all consigned

to oblivion, because they had no bard to sing their praises," - Horace.

Working backwards through the list of stories:

*THE WALL OF FAME of Canadian Amateur Boxing

*THE WALLY DOERN BOXING STORY

*BRIGHT LIGHTS TO FLASH IN 2013

*NICKY FURLANO, A Canadian Champion

*STANLEY F. SMITH

*1969 TACOMA GOLDEN GLOVES

*DOMENIC FILANE FIGLIOMENI,                                                                       His Boxing  Road of Excellence

*NANAIMO's MICKEY GRIFFIN

*THE ROAD TO THE OLYMPICS and                                                 BEYOND THE FINAL BELL

*BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

*CANADA WINTER GAMES,                                                                    Beyond The River of Tears

*BEYOND THE GOLDEN YEARS,                                                                 The Road To Glory 1969 to 1984

*MEETING MUHAMMAD ALI

THE WALL OF FAME of Canadian Amateur Boxing

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(note  this has been prepared by brian zelley, but it is through the efforts of many
folks including past and present members of the BC amateur Boxing Hall of Fame,
members of the Ontario amateur Boxing Hall of Fame, members of the various
committees, and members of the support group for a Canadian amateur Boxing
Wall of Fame and History and through the communications with some of the inductees)

The women in boxing builders:
*** Alison Arsenault *** Ginnie Brown ***
*** Marg O'Reilly *** Rosemary Page ***

THE CANADIAN AMATEUR BOXING WALL OF FAME

Introduction

This wall of fame is an attempt to recognize the many folks that have been 

involved in the sport of amateur boxing in Canada over many decades. It includes

boxers and builders that were engaged prior to the formation of the

Canadian Amateur Boxing Association (Boxing Canada)  in 1969

and the many that have been a part of Boxing Canada and the

various Provincial organizations and in some cases folks involved in

the sport that may be connected to associations and groups that are not

sanctioned by Boxing Canada and the Provincial organizations.

The Four Region:

To ensure a fair representation across Canada, the process has been divided into 

four regions including Western Canada comprised of British Columbia,

Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba then Ontario, Quebec and 

The Maritimes,

For British Columbia the names primarily were selected from the 

list of inductees of the British Columbia Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame

and the Ontario selection came from the lists of inductees and nominees

 from the Ontario Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame.  For Quebec and the Maritimes

the names were entered from the regional support sites.

ARMAND SAVOIE

ASIF DAR


















BILL ARSENAULT

BILLY IRWIN

BOB EDGETT

BRYAN GIBSON

CAMILLE HUARD

CHRIS CLARKE

CHRIS JOHNSON

DALE BROWN

DAVE HILTON Sr. 

DICK FINDLAY

DIDIER BENCE

DOMENIC FIGLIOMENI

DONATO PADUANO

ED BLANCHARD

EGERTON MARCUS

FRANK SCOTT

FREDDY FULLER

GABY MANCINI

HAROLD MANN

IAN CLYDE

JEAN PASCAL



JEAN-FRANCOIS BERGERON

JERRY SHEARS

JOE SANDULO

JOHN KAHLBHENN

KAI YIP

KIRK JOHNSON

LENNOX LEWIS

MARC LEDUC

MARK ADAMS

MARTY O'DONNELL

MICHAEL STRANGE

PAT O'REILLY

PAUL COLLETTE

PETER BRITT

RAY DOWNEY

RICKEY ANDERSON

ROGER ADOLPH

SCOTT MACINTOSH

SCOTTY OLSON

SHAWN O'SULLIVAN

STEPHEN NOLAN

TAYLOR GORDON

VERNON LINKLATER

WALTER HENRY

WAYNE GORDON

WESLEY SUNSHINE

WILLIE DEWITT

YVES ULYSSES jr.

ALISON ARSENAULT

GINNIE BROWN

MARG  O'REILLY

ROSEMARY PAGE

THE WALLY DOERN BOXING STORY

THE WALLY DOERN BOXING STORY:
by brian zelley.

Introdution

Looking back over the years, we can 

break the Wally Doern boxing story

and his 2 Rivers Boxing Club into

two very interesting parts.

Before 2009, Wally was one of the many 

former boxing coaches that had been 

part of the boxing scene of  British Columbia
and over the years, up to the early 2000 to 2009 period, he had been
recognized by many as being a caring and excellent boxing coach
and the teacher of life skills to his many boxers.  As expected,
Wally had earned his share of awards and recognition along with
the boxers of 2 Rivers in Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada.

The New Beginning - 2009

Through the desire of former boxers and trainees of the club,

a new journey would begin for Wally with the revival of 2 Rivers

in 2009 thus beginning a fresh new journey along with past boxers

and a new family of new trainees that would start their own

boxing journey with the help of Wally and the dedicated and

caring members of the club.

The Next Bend In The Road 

Beyond today, the next stop along the boxing highway will be

the hosting of a boxing card in a few days at the Bouchie Lake Hall.

Back To The Beginning Years of 2 Rivers

*This part of the story will take us back in time
 pre-2009 through the records and the golden
 memories of those that were there
 for the journey that would

change all of their lives forever. 

*Part of any great coach and club is the
time and effort of hosting a major
Provincial tournament.  Over the
years in the early years in after the
start of the new beginning, Wally
and 2 Rivers would host many a 
tournament from Bronze Gloves,
to Silver Gloves and Buckskin Gloves.
But, their basic contribution was those
many club shows that were well
appreciated by fans, friends, officials
and through the voices of other
boxing clubs scattered throughout
the Province.

Victory at the end of  the match:

BC Team In the calm before the storm:

The Here and Now between 2009 to 2012

This part of the story looks an the New Beginning and the journey

from the revival to the December 2012 boxing show,

The Coach in Action:

In The Gym - Wally shows them the way:

In The Dressing Room Drama - demonstrating a move or two

In The Ring: Between Rounds

At the tournament between the bouts:

From The Treasure Chest Of Golden Memories

This part of the story is an opportunity for the many to reach back 

to their own treasure chest of golden memories with a focus on

the role Wally Doern has played in their boxing journey and life skills.

FROM THE WORDS OF A FORMER PRESIDENT OF
BOXING BC and BOXING CANADA:

BRITISH COLUMBIA AMATEUR BOXING HALL OF FAME:

Round One of the Hall of Fame Journey -  the 2013 Nominees:

Wally Doern is one of  29

listed nominees for 2013

There are no guarantees

that he will be picked.

In the Builders category

there are some quality names:

Boyd Bayne
Dick St. Louis
Ed Williams
George Nepper
Ian Gibson
Jim Gallagher
Jim Howie
Ralph Galloway
Ron Whalley
Stan Smith
Todd Alain
Vic Murdoch
Wally Doern

friends of 2 Rivers boxing past and present.

BEYOND THE SELECTION PROCESS:

***  THANKS TO ALL THOSE THAT HAVE 
BEEN A PART OF THE BOXING STORY AND 
JOURNEY OF 2013 INDUCTEE ***
WALLY DOERN, a worthy Builder
of Amateur Boxing, and a worthy 
inductee in 2013 of our own
BRITISH COLUMBIA AMATEUR
BOXING HALL OF FAME.

Breaking News

Wally has agreed to accepting a position of

one of the honourary directors for

BC Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame

effective immediately Feb. 2014

A video presentation:

* prepared July 2014

More News: 2017

Wally wins big award

for what he does for

the sport and community

BRIGHT LIGHTS TO FLASH IN 2013

THE PARADE OF BCABHOF NOMINEES:

The Nominees for 2013"

- by brian w. zelley, former boxer, coach and official of British Columbia.

* So far  as we close in on the end of 2012, we have nominees galore for

our 2013 selection process that should begin in July 2013.  So who are they

and what have they contributed to gather the support of boxing folks and

win the day from those that have the difficult task of selecting some of the many?

Early Support for Eight of the Nominees:

*Support may or may not equal success, but the eight leading nominees

with good early support include:

Ron Whalley, Mickey Griffin, Derrick Hoyt, Gordie Lawson,

Jack Snaith, Sid McKnight, Gary Wood and Jim Gallagher.

*But some of the others are getting a little support:

Three of those folks are Teresa Taylor, Jim Howie, 

 and Ed Williams.

* It is expected that folks like Dick St. Louis, Vic Murdoch,

Cliff Ballendine, Ralph Galloway, and Boyd Bayne will win

 some more support.

But, likely the late George Nepper from the Sixties will get 

overlooked as he is not known to many of the folks that are

members of the facebook site.  There are others that may

do well by July 2013 such as Jeannine Garside.

*   the late Ron Whalley is a well known 

official in British Columbia, 

Canada and from International 

tournaments

Gordie Lawson rocks on
to another victory in 
Boxing.  
Lawson began his boxing
in September 1967 as a
new member of the Vancouver
Firefighters Boxing Club.











The Progress Continues with more names:

newest nominee is Wally Doern, builder

2 Rivers boxing coach 

Wally Doern to the left 

of Prince George coach

Bob Pegues at the 2010

BC Golden Gloves.

A new addition to the list; GEORONIMO BIE:

NICKY FURLANO, a Canadian champion

http://www.facebook.com/groups/421613924515423/
The official fan site for Canadian boxer Nicky Furlono
established by noted boxing authority Lou Joshua Essen.

The Nicky Furlano boxing journey: by brian zelley

Introduction:

I first heard about Nicky Furlano many years ago during his early days

as a professional boxing, but in recent years, I have got to communicatie

with Nicky and many of his friends and fans.  In recent months, Nicky was

one of 18 folks that became the core group of inductees in the 

ONTARIO AMATEUR BOXING HALL OF FAME.

     *a showcase of some outstanding boxers form Ontario over the years

Nicky like many top professional boxers had his beginnings in

amateur boxing.  He would box from Ontario and would be a

classy amateur, but his path in the sport would not travel 

through the CANADIAN AMATEUR BOXING ASSOCIATION.

To understand and appreciate the excellence of Nicky, it

is important to get back to the about section of the 

"the official fan site of Nicky Furlano" prepared by

Lou J.  Essen:

"The official Nicky Furlano FB Fan Page is dedicated  to

celebrating the tremendous accomplishments both in and

out of the ring of one of Canada's most beloved athletes and

greatest ever lightweight champion Nicky Furlano."

THE FURLANO PRO JOURNEY

Nicky had an interesting pro boxing journey that lasted from 1976
to 1984 with some Canadian, North American and word titles on 
the line.

Furlano made his pro debut on October 23, 1976 with a victory over
Danny Stokes, and closed out in 1984 with a stoppage of boxer
Rick Spencer at the Varsity Stadium in Toronto, Ontario.

In the interim, Nicky fought his share of world class bouts against
some of Canada's and the world's best boxers.  Some names that
must be mentioned include:
Al Ford, Gaetan Hart, Davey Lee Armstrong and Aaron Pryor.

* when another boxer things so much of  one of the all time greats such
as Willie Pep, it is likely they would produce some of the same skills.
And, by all accounts, Nicky Furlano was one of Canada's technically
skilled champions who understood the importance of effective movement.

NICKY FURLANO  Photos:

STANLEY F. SMITH

THE STANLEY F. SMITH BOXING STORY:

- by brian w. zelley

Introduction:

When we look through the long history of amateur boxing

in British Columbia an important figure was that of 

Stanley F. Smith who was always there on the front lines,

or behind the scenes getting things done, organizing and

recognizing the many others in the form of nominations,

presentation of awards or assisting a boxing team.

Stan was involved in the pre-Boxing Canada era that

began in 1969 and continued to volunteer in the

new era of 1969 and beyond.  He had even served on the

Board of Directors of the BC Amateur Boxing Association

in the eighties, and stayed in contact with many ex-boxers

and builders long after his active years.

Stan Smith in 1971.

ADMINISTRATION PLUS:

(original photo courtesy of Freddy Fuller at one of the

Golden Glove tournaments: Stan Smith with Freddy Fuller, 

Elio Ius, Clint Page and Bert Lowes.)

In the sixties, he was not only involved with the East Vancouver Optimists Boxing Club but would also travel to some of those Golden Glove tournaments in Washington state such as  the Tacoma Golden Gloves or the Seattle Golden Gloves.

STAN still rocking in the Seventies 

*Following the formation of Boxing Canada, and
 the revision of the British Columbia Amateur
Boxing Association, Stan  was still active in
many areas and could always be seen at

ringside at the many boxing tournaments
while serving in some capacity.

This routine followed into the Eighties.

Honorary Life Member of The BCABA:

*With his long and outstanding service to amateur boxing,

Stan Smith would become a life honorary member along

with some others such as:

*Pat West, Joe Magri, Al Decarie,  Don Cowan, Dave Brown and Harry Twist.

*Stanley F. S;mith takes the role of 

announcer with the presentation of

a special award to the pioneer of

BC amateur boxing 

Tommy Paonessa.

Tommy is also a honorary 

life member of Boxing BC.

2013 NOMINEE FOR THE BC AMATEUR BOXING HALL
*A well deserved nominee for 2013, Stan smith is one of 30 nominees
that will be considered for selection.  For many years, Stan was involved in
recognizing and praising boxers, coaches and officials and presenting 
them awards or recommendations for some special
award of selection process/

TACOMA GOLDEN GLOVES

BOXING BC Boxers Plan for 2014 Tacoma Golden Gloves
Boxing BC has been invited to attend the 2O14 tournæment/
Boxer KENNY LALLY is expected to be one of the team boxers.

BC AMATEUR BOXING IN 1969: by brian zelley

Over the decades, BC boxers have competed in 
the Tacoma golden gloves, Oriegon golden gloves
and the Seattle golden gloves.  

1969 TACOMA GOLDEN GLOVES
The Tacoma Golden Gloves was always a good tournament
to kick-off the serious boxing period between January and May
of each year.  Often BC boxers would have a good showing
with a reasonable share of boxers in the finals.  

The year 1969 was no different.  At the end of the tournament
eight BC boxers would compete for the various titles with
four winning titles.  The four were:

Firefighters boxing club: Frank Scott and Kenny MacDonald.
Prince George - Paul DiBenedetto, North West Eagles - Earl McLeay.
Earl was training in Calgary but would compete for the 
North West Eagles in the 1969 tournament.

Four boxers would compete in the finals but would not win titles.
They would include Buzz Montour, Chester Douglas, 
Joe Cooke and Norm DesLauriers




(photo of the 1973 tournament to recognize the silver anniversary of 
the Tacoma Golden Gloves organzied by the Tacoma Athletic Commission)

The 23rd Annual  tournament in 1971.

Alumni of the Tacoma Golden Gloves.
Brian Zelley, Ray Lampkin
Wayne Boyce, Frank Scott

Many boxers over the history
of the Tacoma Golden Gloves
have been from BC clubs.

Two standout boxers that
faced each other in the 
finals of the 1967
Diamond Belt were
Dave Wylie and 
Fred Fuller.
And, in 1970
Gordie Lawson would
enter the tournament

Gordie Lawson, Alumni of the Tacoma Golden Gloves