SOUTH HILL and FIREFIGHTERS BOXING LEGACY

SOUTH HILL - FIREFIGHTERS BOXING: by brian zelley

INTRODUCTION
Part of the story of amateur boxing in British Columbia is the
legacy of the combined South Hill and the Firefighters Boxing
Clubs operated by  BERT LOWES and PAT WEST with
a few other trainers and coaches assisting to craft the legend.

                           BERT LOWES - Coach
          South Hill  and Firefighters Boxing Clubs
     One of seven boxing folk in the BC Sports Hall of Fame

As we reach into the boxing treasure chests of the two clubs,
there are a 1,000 or more stories of the coaches, the boxers,
the club shows, tournaments, the gyms and the travels.

JIMMY WALTERS - Multi-term champion and one of
the core group of 15 inductees in 2010 into the 
British Columbia Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame along with:
Harold Mann, Dick Findlay, Freddy Fuller and Frank Scott.

HAROLD MANN - Multi-term champion - Gold Medal 1962 
British Empire / Commonwealth Games, Inductee in the
British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame, the Prince George
Sports Hall of Fame and the BC Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame.
Also, served as a coach for the Spruce Capital Boxing Club in
Prince George and served as a Team BC Coach.

DICK FINDLAY - A star boxer of the Sixties.  Two time 
BC Golden Boy and a Golden Boy runner-up, winner of
numerous competitions and a member of the 1967
Canadian Pan Am Games team and the 1968
Canadian Olympic team.  Also, a core member
 and honorary director of the BC Amateur Boxing
Hall of Fame.  Dick also has served as an official
and a volunteer with Boxing BC.

FREDDY FULLER -  A long time star of BC Amateur Boxing
with numerous titles and awards.  Member of various boxing
clubs but a valued member of the Firefighters Boxing Club.
Was a champion in the 1968 Pacific Northwest AAU
championships/Seattle Golden Gloves and the 1965
BC Golden Boy.  Also, one of the most popular Canadian 
boxers to appear in Washington State boxing tournaments. 
Was a team member of  - Dick Findlay and Frank Scott
in the 1967 Pan Am Games and was a member of the 1970
Canadian Commonwealth Games team.
Freddy is also a core member inductee and an
 honorary director of the  BC Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame.

FRANK SCOTT - A former member of the Burnaby Boxing Club
and valued member of the Firefighters Boxing Club.  Frank was
another outstanding boxer with International standing earning
a Bronze medal in the 1966 Commonwealth Games and 
Following his active  boxing, he became the founder and
head coach of the Queensborough Boxing Club in 
New Westminster and thus passing his excellence to a
new generation of young boxers.  Frank is also an
inductee of the Canadian amateur Boxing Hall of Fame
and the BC Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame.

BRIAN ZELLEY - former Nanaimo boxer joined the
Firefighters Club and engaged in numerous tournaments
and club shows.  Also a co-founder of the Nanaimo 
Boxing Club in 1971 and involved with the revival
of boxing in Victoria in 1974.  Also served as a 
director with Boxing BC and served as an interim
chairman of the Boxing Committee for the 1994
 Commonwealth Games in 1991  Currently and one of 
the administrators of the BC Boxing Hall of  Fame.

Look through the tapestry of the BC GOLDEN GLOVES
and you will see many threads relating to the alumni of the
clubs.  Look through stories of JIMMY WALTERS,
 HAROLD MANN, DICK FINDLAY, FREDDY FULLER,
FRANKIE SCOTT, DAVE WYLIE, and GORDIE LAWSON
and we see traces of the South Hill - Firefighters legacy
painted on the wall.  Then take another look and see those
such as KALMAN SANTOSI, LINDY LINDMOSER,
LLOYD DUPAS, WINNIE SCHELT, BILL ADAMS,
BOB GINETTI,  PADDY CLARK, JIMMY MACMILLAN, 
STEVE TOHILL, DEL DEUGAU,  JOHN GAMBLE       
and  others - it paints  a glowing picture of amateur boxing.

  

SOUTH HILL BOXING - FIFTIES

PAT WEST - BERT LOWES

A NEW DECADE - SIZZLING SIXTIES

1960 BC GOLDEN GLOVES

South Hill Champions

Winnie Schelt - Bill Adams - Bob Ginetti

Lindy Lindmoser - Paddy Clark

  

DAVE WYLIE  - 1967 DIAMOND BOY

1967 BC GOLDEN GLOVES - FIREFIGHTERS

A JANUARY 1968 FIREFIGHTERS BOXING CARD

An important boxing card  hosted by the Fire Fighters took

place on January 5, 1968 in Vancouver but the key objective

was to assist in the selection of the BC Team for the

1968 Tacoma Golden Gloves which would kick-off

the tournaments in the PACIFIC NORTHWEST.

Firefighters in the first 7 bouts were John Gamble,

Alf Cool, Danny Gontes, Eddie Ostapovich, 

Nicky MacDonald, Jake Wiebe and John Carr.

The top four bouts in-order featured

Brian Zelley, Frank Scott, Freddy Fuller, Dave Wylie 

A sample of the open class opponents were

Brian Gray, Jim Dixon, Chester Douglas,

Dave Allerdice, Ron McEcherin, Derek Austin

Ken Henderson, Pat O'Reilly Jr., Les Vegas

Coaches in attendance were

Len Barker, Jack Lucas, Walter Austin, Earl Thompson,

John Wylie, Elio Ius, Terry Cooke,

Pat O'Reilly, Bert Lowes, Pat West.

Continuity and Gloving - Timekeepers

Tommy Yule, Henry Wolfe, Bob Smith

Bill Cowie and Barney Deslauriers

Garry Wallace and Geo. Metkovich

CON ETHIER  KEY VOLUNTEER

BCABA BOARD

Len Robertson - Dave Brown - Ron Hollard

Stan Smith - George Sargen

A PERSONAL TOUCH

For a moment in time, I was a member of the Firefighters.
Three of the former members of the club would be part of
 another legacy - DAN WRIGHT and BRIAN ZELLEY
would be the co-founders of the NANAIMO BOXING CLUB
in 1971 and in 1973 JACK SNAITH would be the first Nanaimo
Canadian champion.  Part of the Nanaimo legacy
can be traced to the FIREFIGHTERS, Lowes and West
and every boxer that trained with the club.

                                 Dan Wright - Brian Zelley in 2010

POST 1968 -  coach PAT WEST retired and his place was filled by
former boxing star Lindy Lindmoser and others.  By 1970, two of
 the key boxers were JOHN GAMBLE and GORDIE LAWSON
 also FREDDY FULLER would be in the game for 1970 
while FRANKIE SCOTT formed a club in New West. 
called the Queensborough Boxing Club.

However, in the Seventies coach Bert Lowes  would  primarily
focus on Officiating - refereeing & judging and hosting clinics

                                     LINDY LINDMOSER
            Best known on an International basis for fighting Cassius Clay
                                   now known as Muhammad Ali
                                     1957 USA National 
                            Light-heavyweight Champion

1967/1968 A YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY

 There were also other young boxers that would be part of
 the club such as Gordie Lawson and Jack Snaith. 
 Gordie made and impression when he entered the
 1968 Silver Gloves in Richmond.  but that was nothing 
like his performance in the 1975 BC Golden Gloves.
He scored the only knockout that left his opponent
on the deck for over a minute.

The Firefighters of March 1968 :
SCOTT  -  MACDONALD - FULLER - ZELLEY- GAMBLE

1968 OREGON GOLDEN GLOVES - Portland

Three Firefighters in the finals were - 
SCOTT - ZELLEY - JAKE WIEBE
Other BC boxers in the finals were
Earl McLeay, Dick Findlay, Wayne Boyce,
 and Pat O'Reilly.  Former Firefighter Findlay was
competing for the East Vancouver Optimists club.

1968 BC GOLDEN GLOVES

At the end of the tournament, the trio of Lennie Walters,
Bill Dickinson and Don Bullough had the task of
selecting  - GOLDEN BOY  - GOLDEN BOY RUNNER-UP
Runner-up was former Firefighter DICK FINDLAY and
GOLDEN BOY was Portlandès own RAY LAMPKIN.

Firefighters in semi-finals and or finals
Frankie Scott - Brian Zelley - John Carr
Dave Codville - Ted Kellenger  - Nicky MacDonald
1968 SEATTLE GOLDEN GLOVES 
- PNW AAU CHAMPIONSHIPS-

 Of the 19 BC Team, the Firefighters were:
 Zelley, Gontes, Wylie, Scott, Fuller, Carr,  Sinitsin, and MacDonald.

STARS OF THE SEVENTIES:

Other one time Firefighters  in the Seventies:
Steve Tohill, Freddy Fuller, Frank Scott, John Gamble and others.

JOHN GAMBLE reported as a Scientific Boxer, but 
lost a decision to  FRANK SCOTT (former Firefighter) 
but now in New Westminster.  

1970 BC AMATEUR BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Firefighters in action:
Larry Sinitsin, Gordie Lawson,John Gamble,
Tommy MacDonald, Steve Tohill. Dave Wylie

1970 CANADIAN CHAMPIONS 
A Team Photo including Frank Scott and Freddy Fuller

1968 OLYMPIC GAMES

 Donato Paduano and former Firefighter's Dick Findlay
preparing for the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.

                           -DIRECTORY -
          THE PARADE OF BOXERS and COACHES
        Vancouver, British Columbia
      South Hill - Firefighters Boxing
Alf Cool - Bert Lowes - Bill Adams - Bob Ginetti - Bobv Lohvin 
Brian Zelley - Butch O'Gurien - Colin Coleridge - Dan Wright 
Danny Crawford - Danny Gontes - Dave Wylie - Del Deugau 
Dick Coulson - Dick Findlay - Eddie Ostapovich - Frank Scott
Freddy Fuller - Fritz Breismeiser - Gordie Lawson - Harold Mann
Jack Snaith - Jake Wiebe -  Jimmy Walters - John Cowan 
John Gamble - Kalman Santosi - Ken MacDonald - Larry Sinitsin
Lindy Lindmoser - Lloyd Dupas - Nick MacDonald - Paddy Clark
Pat West-Pete Key-Sandy Lorenzen-Steve Tohill-Winnie Schelt  
Dave Codville  - Jimmy MacMillan - Terry Eastman - Roger Adolph
     Ted Kellenger   - Tommy MacDonald -  Phil Ethier  - Kai Yip
(note - these are not all of the boxers that fought for the clubs, but they
represent many of the known boxes - other names will be added if possible)

                          Roger Adolph - South Hill boxer

ONCE WE WERE YOUNG AND WARRIORS
("It all fades so quickly, like a sunny summers day" - Phil Ochs)
- Training in the dusty old gyms and touching gloves under
the bright lights. But, soon the lights fade to black and we move
in a hundred different directions looking for the answers or searching
for some lost or hidden treasure with no guarantees of success.

                              GORDIE LAWSON -  DAVE WYLIE
                         LINDY LINDMOSER - BRIAN ZELLEY

                                               1970

BOYCE FAMILY of Boxing

  THE BOYCE FAMILY BOXING STORY:  by Brian Zelley

                           FOUR ACES OF BC BOXING 
                                THE BOYCE FAMILY

Earle Couper has done some excellent boxing reports over
the years and the TOMMY BOYCE story is another one
that could be considered a flashback
to the Bridge of  Golden Memories for some of us.

The story also touches on the Hastings Boxing Club
 and the Astoria Boxing Club and the likes of  PAT O'REILLY, 
WALTER and WAYNE  BOYCE,  and  DICK FINDLAY.

It also mentions the time ROCKY MARCIANO  was in 
Greater Vancouver.

That was in 1967 for the Diamond Belt Tournament which by many 
could be considered to be one of the best all-time tournaments
in British Columbia.

TOMMY BOYCE -  THE BLOND TIGER
(A Canadian Boxing champion and multi-term
Golden Gloves champion in various location).

                                        TOMMY BOYCE                             

A Tommy Boyce story by Earl Couper

- Takes us from his days in the boxing ring to his retirement.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/sports/116875558.html

Looking back many of us that were involved in amateur boxing
during the Sixties and beyond would have some involvement with
and experiences with one or more members of the BOYCE 
family.

I remember Tommy in the 1966 BC Golden Gloves perform so well.
But, I also had the opportunity to fight WAYNE BOYCE three times 
in 1967 and 1968.

WAYNE BOYCE - 1967 CANADIAN
 FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPION
***The first recipient of the special "Jimmy Symes Award"***

          Wayne Boyce showcases the awards of Tommy and Wayne

GERALD BOYCE  

 Gerald known as "Tubby"  Boyce is one of the Boyce Family 
nominated for the BC AMATEUR BOXING HALL OF FAME.

WALTER BOYCE  -  COACH AND ADMINISTRATOR
- Founder of the Astoria Boxing Club in 1966 
- a  Boxing BC ***president***  mid- Seventies. 

  STANLEY F. SMITH  -  WALTER BOYCE  -  TOMMY PAONESSA
it is of great interest that all three are being considered for
induction into the British Columbia Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame

WALTER BOYCE  approved the
 appointment of HOWARD CURLING as a
 Vancouver Island amateur Boxing Commissioner.
this would help with 12 years of growth and achievement 
 on Vancouver Island between 1974 and 1985.

ASTORIA BOXING CLUB - 1966 and BEYOND

GOLDEN MEMORIES and SILVER MOMENTS
-  From the memories of Tommy Boyce and other
Friends of Boxing in British Columbia.

"The east end of Vancouver has a lot to be proud of
The Boyces were born there and I'm sure that the
name will long be remembered in the amateur boxing world,
as far away as Tacoma, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco
and Edmonton, Alberta.  Here in Vancouver, we know them as
the 'Golden Boys' (Wayne and Tommy)...

AL PRINCIPE on TOMMY and WAYNE BOYCE

"Tommy's open senior tenure
 included garnering the Triple
 Crown (Tacoma, Portland, 
Seattle  Golden Gloves),
 representing Canada at the
AAU Nationals and a Canadian title..."

"In Canada's Centennial Year, 
Wayne brought  honor  to BC 
amateur boxing from Golden Gloves 
Tournaments.  Gold was also Wayne's in the 
Canadian Championships in 1967."

GLENN MCGEE and RICK FLECK

Two former Astoria boxers  Glenn McGee and Rick Fleck
remember THE BOYCE Family and their contribution to
amateur boxing and the East End community.

A look back at 1967 and 1968, Wayne also prevailed in
the 1967 and 1968 Diamond Belt tournaments.

GORDY RACETTE speaks-up

Gordy was an outstanding professional boxer that fought out of
Port Alberni, Nanaimo and Vancouver and faced the likes of 
Jimmy Young and Champion Trevor Berbick.  
The above comments are a few highlights
 of a message about the BOYCE FAMILY.
 


Flashbacks -
BOYCE WINS BOXING AWARD
(reprint from page 3 - BC AMATEUR BOXING NEWS - May 1984)

WAYNE BOYCE was named BC's outstanding boxer
for 1967 Tuesday night by the BC Boxing Commission.

Boyce who battles for the Astoria club coached by his
father WALTER BOYCE, was the unanimous choice
of the five-man committee and will receive  the first
annual JIMMY SYMES MEMORIAL TROPHY at
the Bronze Gloves November 17 - 18.

Boyce fights at 125 lbs., the featherweight division
in amateur boxing.  He had an outstanding year
that included titles in the Tacoma, Seattle and
Vancouver Golden Gloves and the Diamond Belt award.

At the Canadian championships and Pan-Am Games
trials in Montreal, Boyce slashed his way through
three fights to take the title but he lost his
opening bout  in the Pan-Am Games in Winnipeg.


Boyce was recommended for the
honor by his high school TEMPLETON.

             THE FOUR CORNERS
                  - 1967 and 1968 -
                  Zelley - Lampkin - Boyce - Scott

Looking back to 1967 and 1968, we all had our individual
 stories, but each of our stories will touch on the
 boxing journeys of the others with a mixture of reasons
as competitors and/or team mates, and Alumni of the 
Golden Gloves. 

Update 2017: good news

 Wayne Boyce nominated for the 2018 selection of the
British Columbia Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame
along with Bob Decker, Brian Zelley,
Clarke McLellann and Dave Wylie

                              
                           Dave Wylie, 1967 Diamond Boy

                                           Brian Zelley, former boxer and builder

ALAN BROWN's boxing story

            ALAN BROWN - BC BOXER and CANADIAN CHAMPION

 THE ALAN BROWN BOXING STORY:  By Brian Zelley (assisted by Alan Brown, and Steve Wood, and past members of various BC boxing clubs and some non BC boxing champions)
INTRODUCTION
As  we look back through the history of amateur boxing in British Columbia one  of the elite junior and youth boxers  was Vancouver Island boxer - ALAN BROWN,  a member  of the Campbell River Eagles Boxing Club and then the  Gold River Boxing Club.  For a brief period he also trained in  Vancouver at BOB DECKER's Shamrock Boxing Club along with MANNY SOBRAL. Alan  would also be a member of the  NANAIMO BOXING CLUB that was formed in 1971.

THE BEGINNING - CAMPBELL RIVER EAGLES 

                               The Eagles of  Campbell River                              (coaches George Shiels and Charles John)                                        (the Steve Wood collection) Those early days in Campbell River was an important learning experience in the basics of boxing skills.  Some of his Eagle team mates were Jim Fiddler, Jim and Tim Hunter, Jita Nagra, Andrew Swim, Cory Willcox and  Steve Wood.  The Campbell River  Eagles have an interesting history beginning in the Seventies through the efforts of JIM HOWIE and BILL WALKER, but other coaches like GEORGE SHIELS and CHARLES JOHN would play a part or add a few threads on the ALAN BROWN BOXING TAPESTRY.

The above video combines Alan's shots

with a random sample of other

Inductees

To add them all would be

a challenge, but elsewhere

We can see the full body of inductees.

In his early years in Campbell River, he quickly demonstrated the qualities of a champion.

(from the ALAN BROWN boxing treasure chest of Golden Memories)

THE GOLD RIVER AMATEUR BOXING CLUB In the early Eighties, MONTY BROWN would form the GOLD RIVER BOXING CLUB and Alan would be the shining star.  Some of the other Gold River boxers were: Kevin Archer, Wayne Hinchcliffe, Jason Adair, and Paddy Nelson
OTHER CLUBS -  GAINING EXPERIENCE

                             Manny Sobral - Alan Brown                                  SHAMROCK BOXING CLUB                                                (coach -  bob decker)
During the late Seventies and Eighties, Alan would train at various clubs to expand his skills and experiences such as the club in Victoria, Port Kells, and two  Vancouver clubs including  the Shamrock Boxing Club and Astoria Boxing Club. In 1987 Alan trained at the Nanaimo Boxing club. SPECIAL AWARDS - THE JIMMY SYME AWARD For junior boxers in British Columbia, one of the special awards that stand above all the rest would be THE JIMMY SYMES AWARD. The award was first presented in 1967 and over the years  the best of the best have been recognized such as CHRIS IUS - 1970 and 1971, MICKEY GRIFFIN - 1974, JOHN HERMAN - 1977,  CLIFF BALLENDINE - 1979. Alan's turn to shine and be recognized as the outstanding junior boxer of BC was  1982. BEST INTERMEDIATE (YOUTH) BOXER - VANCOUVER ISLAND

In 1984, Alan became only one of twenty boxers between 1964 and 1984 to be declared a Vancouver Island Amateur Boxing Champion.  Also, in the 1984 tournament held in Parksville Brown earned the distinction of being named the BEST INTERMEDIATE (Youth) BOXER of Vancouver Island.

                    Alan Brown - the man with the medal and the  award CLUBS SHOW - Serve as an important tune-up for Provincial and National action.
Over the years, Alan would participate in a number of club shows. A sample of these were:
.October 30, 1982 - Campbell River - Alan  Brown wins over Astoria  Boxing Club's   RAY ABRAHAM.
.March 12, 1983 - Campbell River - Alan Brown wins over USA boxer SCOTT BELINC of Evertett, Washington.
.May 7, 1983 - Gold River - Alan Brown wins over  Shamrock Boxing Club's MANNY SOBRAL.
.October 29, 1983 - Campbell River - Alan Brown wins  over USA boxer MIKE PAINTER.
.December 3, 1983 - Gold River - Alan Brown wins over Parksville Boxing Club's SCOTT CESSFORD. Spring of 1984   - Gold River Invitational Show ALAN BROWN (Gold River) over JIM HUNTER (CR Eagles). In the awards process - Alan was declared "Best Boxer". Some other boxers represented various Island clubs and one boxer from Vancouver was Manny Sobral - he dropped a decision to Tim Cessford.  Some other boxers were Steve Lincoln, Paddy Nelson and Wayne Hinchcliffe.  Head official was RICK BROUGH.

PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS and BC TOURNAMENTS
Over the years Alan has won his share of Provincial titles.
In 1984, as an Intermediate boxer in the featherweight division, Alan Brown demonstrated his excellence with a significant  victory over a Jimmy Symes award winner JAMIE BALLARD of the noted Cranbrook Eagles Boxing Club in Burnaby, BC at the BOXING BC Training Centre.

                  1984 - Brown - Murdoch - Zelley
1984 Provincial intermediate/Youth Featherweight Champion ALAN BROWN in attendance at the BC boxing training centre in July 1984 having a photo  with other BC Golden Gloves Alumni -  VIC MURDOCH and BRIAN ZELLEY during the training of Canada's 1984 Olympic  Boxing Team. 
   NATIONAL ACTION:
1980  JUNIOR NATIONALS
"SIX EXCELLED  AT PEI" - By Brian Zelley, (as published in   the "Sportcaster,  July 2, 1980)
A team of six  junior boxers including ALAN BROWN of Gold River, and CLIFF BALLENDINE of Victoria excelled at the Canadian junior boxing championships at O'Leary, PEI June 26-28th.  BROWN was one of three gold medal winners in the three day tournament.  Other champions included GREG LABOUCAN  and RANDY GALLER.  Ballendine was one of three silver medalists along with GORDON JONES and LARRY ADAMS. 
Team coaches coaches were Mike Caird and Gary Oakden while JOHN O'SHEA was team manager. An  Official from BC was BCABA President FRED FULLER.  (balance of article not included as it touches on "tough guy" bouts in Nanaimo). 1983 JUNIOR NATIONALS Coaches  Wally Hill and John Kovac Boxers:  alan brown, willy curry, deep butter, manny sobral, paul deluca, aaron wolfe, mike wood, tony francis, and scott bannink 1983 Champions from BC - BROWN and CURRY. 1982 JUNIOR NATIONALS bc team -  coaches - Tommy Hibbert and Ralph Galloway team manager - Jim Gallagher boxers - alan brown, gordon jones, willy curry, jamie ballard, paul simpson, blaine downie, scott bannink.   GOLDEN MEMORIES Alan became the first selection in 2011 for the Junio/Youth category for the BC Anateur Boxing Hall of Fame

TOMMY PAONESSA, boxing pioneer

TOMMY  PAONESSA

BC boxing pioneer

THE TOMMY PAONESSA BOXING STORY:  by brian zelley
(special thanks to JOHN PAONESSA for his support and contributions)


Travelling through the pages of the boxing history
                       in British Columbia
TOMMY PAONESSA  stands out as a boxing icon and a pioneer and
an inductee to a number of sports halls of fame including the
BRITISH COLUMBIA SPORTS HALL OF FAME - 2001 and
 BOXING CANADA. In 2009, he earned another level of recognition
 - Italian Cultural Society - HALL OF FAME - SPORTS.

This is a part of his boxing story.

LAYING A FOUNDATION

The boxing story of one is a thread on the tapestry of the sport
 of boxing. But, the story of one also touches on the boxing story
 of many others.  As a coach. TOMMY PAONESSA would
influence the story of many boxers such as
 BILL BREMNER, ELIO IUS, DENIS LABOSSIERE and PHIL PALMER.


NORTH WEST EAGLES - THE BEGINNINGS

                  AN EARLY BOXING CARD - NORTH SHORE - 1961

COACH - TOMMY PAONESSA

    One of the boxers to become a boxing start was Brian Bremner

Stan Smith presents the Harold Mann Award

to Tommy Paonessa

THE ALEX TORRES RYNN BOXING STORY

                                    ALEX TORRES RYNN
                         "Azteca de Oro" - The Golden Aztec
                                Canada's "Mexican Warrior"

                               (courtesy of Alex Rynn)

THE ALEX RYNN BOXING STORY:  by brian zelley

Introduction

At the present time, ALEX RYNN  of Calgary, Alberta, 
is a member of Boxing Canada's 2011 National Boxing A Team.
That position was secured in January 2011 at the
Final Team Selection Box-offs.  Alex joins other fine young boxers,
 such as Kenny Lally and Joey Laviolette. to
represent Canada in International boxing tournaments.

                              Joey - Kenny - Alex

The rise of Rynn as a boxing star can be compared to a fast
moving wind that appears from nowhere and ends up going
far and wide.  The important trigger for this journey was  2007
when Alex joined the CALGARY BOXING CLUB at 20 yrs.

Alex began life as Alejandro Torres in a poor neighbourhood in
Veracruz, Mexico and did not catch the active boxing bug until the
age of 18 and for two years it would be a learning experience
by trial and error.

Now in Mexico he is called "Azteca de Oro" - the Golden Aztec,
but for Canadian's,  he is  our "Mexican Warrior".

   Some members of Canada's A Team
    Rynn - Ulysse - Lally - Laviolette
          (2011 Boxing Canada - Final Team Selection) 

                                       BOXING CANADA

2007  -  NEW BEGINNINGS  -  CALGARY BOXING CLUB

For Alex Rynn, joining the CALGARY BOXING CLUB
would be an experience with coach KEVIN MCDERMOTT.
Kevin is remembered as being one of the important coaches
for champion DALE BROWN.

The Preparation - begins in the gym, then comes the preliminary
action before the bright lights and the sound of the opening bell
with the bandaging, gloving and the warm-up before the
long march to the squared circle for glory or regret.

2008 -  THIS MAGIC MOMENT - A STAR IS BORN

Alberta Provincial Champion

At a point in time, there is a moment that stands out as a very
important moment.  For  ALEX RYNN that moment in time
was a victory over experienced boxer SLEMAN USMANEE
in a pre-final bout in the 2008 Alberta Provincial  Boxing
 Championships.  Following that victory, 
Alex moved on to the finals and won gold with Norman Bradford
 earning the silver medal.  But, it was the Usmanee victory that turned
Alex into Alberta's newest boxing star with Western
Canadian and National activity down the road.

From underdog to champion, likely only Alex and his coach
would have believed that the "Mexican Warrior" would prevail.

                            
                     ALBERTA SENIOR OPEN CHAMPION

2008 Western Canadian Champion - November 2008

Another step in the ALEX RYNN boxing journey towards the
road of excellence was his victory in the Western Canadian
Championships in Edmonton. Alex "Azteca de Oro" scored a one-two
 punch with victories over Cam O'Connell and Norman Bradford.

2009 and 2010  HAPPENINGS:

It would be a two year period of Provincial, National
and International competition and regardless of the
results, it was all valuable experience that will assist
in greater experience for 2011 and beyond.

One of the interesting tournaments for that much 
needed International experience was the
"Francophone Games" in Lebanon 

(An Alex Rynn photo - Francophone Games, Lebanon)

2010 COMMONWEALTH GAMES - DELHI, INDIA

In the beginning, it was necessary to select the Canadian Team of which Alex was one of the boxers.  The full expected team was as shown in the following documentation by
BOXING CANADA:

By the time the opening bell was ringing, two of the Canadian boxers would not be on the team.

For Canadian lightweight team member RYNN, the lightweight 
division was rich in talent but Alex would have a couple of 
victories.   In one of the early rounds, the action was first class. 
Some of the boxers that shined Tom Stalker,  Josh Taylor and Moala.

A Break From The Action - 2010 Delhi

THE TREASURE CHEST OF GOLDEN MEMORIES
Through my eyes, I have seen the progress of Alex in the last couple of years but much of that has been by following the news.  Through the eyes of others, they all see or have been part of 
the ALEX RYNN boxing story:

KEVIN MCDERMOTT (February 15, 2011) -  In discussing the boxing
journey of Alex, two important qualities that Rynn has shown from those
early days- "Determination" and "Hard Work" and the desire to improve.

PAUL P-mac MACKENZIE on ALEX RYNN
.the key point is "hardest working amateur boxer"

Another Goldem Memory

Marc Whelton on Alex

BEYOND TOMORROW - Hopes, Wishes and Dreams

BEYOND THE BRIGHT LIGHTS OF THE RING

A trip To Mexico to visit family and friends

Azteca De Oro - meets - Azteca De Oro

BOXING ALBERTA NAMES ALEX RYNN
"Best Male  Open Senior of 2011" in the annual special awards


ALEX RYNN MOVES FORWARD IN 2012
January 2012, Alex regains his National title for another
charge towards the starting gate at the 2012 London Oympics.