BOB "the Comeback Kid" PEGUES

THE COMEBACK KID, BOB PEGUES: 
By Brian Zelley

* The photo was from an old boxing
card in Nanaimo in the mid-Seventies
when Bob Pegues, one of the 
original members of the newly
formed Nanaimo Boxing Club in 1971
faced Olympic boxer Les Hamilton
who is considered by many as being
the best, or close to the best amateur
boxers of British Columbia in the '40's.

In May 2013, at Prince George, the
former boxer and now boxing coach
of a Prince George boxing club, and 
coach of two of BC's top rated 
senior open boxers, Kenny Lally and
Jag Seehra, will be making a comeback
in the ring when he faces current 
president of Boxing BC in a special
bout

The long awaited Comeback:
It has been a long long time
since boxer Bob Pegues
engaged in actual ring
activity with the boxing
gloves on instead of the
usual working tools while
cornering his boxers such 
as Lally and Seehra.  

Stepping into the ring to
face the now seasoned
veteran of BC amateur
boxing will be the 
President of Boxing BC, 
Mickey Sims who has 
been active in senior's
boxing which is listed 
as Master's boxing.

Looking back to the
boxing story of the
"Comeback Kid", Bob Pegues we need to step back in time
to 1969.  At the time, I had just returned to Nanaimo after
completing a year at UBC in Vancouver when a teenager
by the name of Bob approached me to ask about setting
up a boxing club following the final days of the 
Newcastle Boxing Club.  Some training was started at
a church hall for a brief period, but an official club would
not be opened until 1971. 

 the old boxing club
Newcastle Boxing
which closed in 1968

the old coach 
George Nepper still
had a vision that
boxing would return
to Nanaimo, and kept
all the old equipment.

* due in part to the 
visions of Mr. Nepper
and the opes of the
teenage, Bob Pegues, the Nanaimo Boxing Club was formed by
Dan Wright and Brian Zelley with assistance from Nepper and 
John Ormandy.  After the opening, Les Varro agreed to join and
assist in the coaching, then steps were taken to register theclub 
with the British Columbia Amateur Boxing Association. 

Those Early Years:

Bob Pegues would be one of the original boxers, and

during the Seventies, the club would grow and be

one of the top clubs in British Columbia with many

active boxers such as:  Dan Wright, Clark MacLellan,

Bob Pegues, Darreb Lussier, Wayne Peace, Mickey

Griffin, Barry Creswell and Jack Snaith.  Clark 

would also assist in coaching with other help from

John Ormandy and others.  

Beyond The Ring Activity of Pegues:

As time drifted beyond

the seventies, Bob still

had that dream for a 

boxing club, but it was

not Nanaimo that would

see him establish his 

own boxing club.  The

location was Prince George.

Bob in the dressing room prior to a fight for one of his boxers

over the years, Bob would not only train his boxers
in Prince George, but would also travel to such places
as England to be part of a coaching team for Canadian
boxers on a boxing tour, and be involved in hosting
various club shows and tournaments.

But, he would also travel within British Columbia to
corner his or other boxers and get them ready for action.

Boxer Jag Seehra along with Bob Pegues, participating in the
2010 BC Golden Gloves tournament held in Langford, Greater Victoria
in April 2010. (photo by Dorothy Zelley)

The Great Comeback in 2013:
So, Bob and the great boxing comeback, adds another element to 
the interesting boxing journey to the one they call Bob Pegues.