Introduction As we look back to the nineties and the year 2000, the steps leadingto the selection of Donnie Orr onto the 2000 Canadian Olympic boxing team was a story of dedication, determinaton and courage. Beyond Olympic Games, Donnie won a 2001 Canadian amateur boxing champion and then began a professional boxing journey from Boston to Hollywood and Arizona.
The Road To The Olympic Games
An Important Starting Point for Boxing in Vitoria in the Nineties:
*An important event that took place in Victoria, BC in the Nineties was the 1994 Commonwealth Games. After 1986, there was not much activity in boxing in the Greater Victoria area. But, starting in 1989, a boxing committee was formed on hehalf of the Victoria Commonwealth Games Society. The initial members wer Hassan Sunderani, Brian Zelley, Mike Sartori and Glynn Jones. One of the objectives of the committee was to have a revival in amateur boxing in the Greater Victoria area and obtain a group of volunteers to help organize boxing and be part of the Commonwealth Games boxing which also included a test tournament in 1993. Three of the various volunteers would be Don Orr, Mike Caird, and Ian Weir. Prior to the '94 Games they would work to get an active club operating, and one of the boxers would be DONNIE ORR.
Fighting for the trip: It all began in the year 2000 in the Canadian boxing box-offs. To make the team, Orr would need to earn two victories over the champion CODY KELLY. Donnie met the challenge and scored two wins to be on the Canadian A-team, but that was only the first step. The next step would be the Olympic box-offs in Tampa.
Along the way, Orr suffered a broken thumb, but that did not eliminate him from box-off competition. In the semi-finals, his victory over the boxer from the Dominic Repubublic earned him a spot on the 2000 Olympic boxing team.
THE GOLDEN MEMORIES OF DONNIE and OTHERS:
Itroduction:
Over the years, Donnie has paid an important part in amateur boxing in Victoria from the Nineties, but he has also been part of the history of BC, Canadian and Olympic boxing:
THE LONG BOXING JOURNEY OF BERT LOWES - by brian Zelley
Introduction
The story of the Bert Lowes boxing story, covers many decades and hundreds of boxers from the South Hill and Firefighters Boxing Clubs, to his role as head boxing official in British columbia and Canada.
He was well known in boxing circles on an International basis for officiating in numerous International tournaments such as the Olympic Games, and in 1994 served on the security detail at the 1994 Commonwealth Games
PAT WEST and BERT LOWES and their boxers
SOME OF THE ALUMNI OF BERT'S BOXING CLUBS Freddy Fuller Dick Findlay Dave Wylie Brian Zelley Gordie Lawson Jimmy Walters John Gamble Frankie Scott Lindy Lindmoser
BRITISH COLUMBIA SPORTS HALL OF FAME - INDUCTEE As of 2011, Bert Lowes is one of seven boxing names in the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame. The others to share this distinction are Jimmy McLarnin, Billy Townsend, Harold Mann, Tommy Paonessa, Dale Walters and Lennie Walters.
HERBERT A LOWES - INDUCTED 1993 - BUILDER
AWARDS and RECOGNITION Bert Lowes has received and given many awards. One of the most cherished non-boxing awards in the Harold Mann Achievement Award for distinguished long-term service to the sport of amateur boxing in British Columbia. Lowes was one of the early recipients of this annual award.
For several years in the Eighties, there was a special "Bert Lowes Award" presented to a excellent boxer
from British Columbia. One of the boxers was GARY ROBINSON.
THE HERE AND NOW 2011 Herbert (Bert) Lowes has been gone for 11 years, but his image and influence remains in the footprints of amateur boxing history. In October 2011, Bert was nominated for a place in the BC AMATEUR BOXING HALL OF FAME.
THE TONY DUFFY BOXING JOURNEY: By Brian Zelley and Barry Krangle (notepartoftheinformationwasfromtheVancouverIsland Boxing Newsand theBritishColumbiaAmateurBoxingNews)
Introduction: TONY DUFFY 1984 BC JUNIOR GOLDEN BOY
In recent days, former boxer Tony Duffy of the Sunshine Boxing Club in Gibsons was nominated in the JUNIOR/YOUTH BOXING CATEGORY for the 2012 selection to the BRITISH COLUMBIA AMATEUR BOXING HALL OF FAME.
I first watched Tony compete in boxing shows in the early Eighties. In the May 1984 issue of the BRITISH COLUMBIA AMATEUR BOXING NEWS I featured him on page 4 with the photo of him with the 1984 Junior Golden Boy Award and remember him in a special elimination bout with Victoria boxer Paul DeLuca to determine which boxer would be selected for the BOXING BC team to compete in the 1984 JUNIOR NATIONALS to be held at the BC amateur boxing training centre in Burnaby. In that bout, young Duffy won to join the BC team that included: Curtis Peterson, Aaron Wolfe, John Turner, Suraj Jaswal, Tony Francis, Manny Sobral, Clint Dumais, and Willy Curry.
coached by BARRY KRANGLE TONY DUFFY, 1984 BC JUNIOR GOLDEN BOY
RING ACTION
MARCH 12, 1983 Campbell River Club Show One of the many club shows that Tony participated in took place in the spring of '83 was that 19 bout card hosted by the Campbell River Eagles Boxing Club.
In that bout, Tony faced home town boy CORY WILLCOX in seventh bout of the night. For tough Tony it turned out to be lucky number 7 with a victory. Some other well known boxers in action among the 38 boxers were Paul Deluca, Lyle Jack, Mike Wood, Kit Munro, Jita Nagra, Gordy Jones, Tim Cessford, Alan Brown, Gary Wood and Ron Young. Host Club coaches were: George Shiels, Jim Howie and Charles John. Head official was Rick Brough, and other officials were Joe Swift, Bernie Brisch, Bill Donnelly, Bob Perry, Brian Zelley, Art Shiels, and Carson Samuels. Medical official was Dr. John Ross and announcer was T. Bently whie timekeeping duties by Jim Hardy.
EMERALD GLOVES CHAMPION - November 1984 One of the post 1984 Junior National tournaments that Duffy took part in was the 1984 Emerald Gloves that took place on November 17th. Tony would become one on nine contested champions in junior open bouts. In the final Tony won the championship with a victory over Victoria boxer Paul Deluca Jr. in the featherweight (125C) division. Other C division champions were Mike Marrello, Suraj Jaswal and Manny Sobral. For his efforts TONY DUFFY was the Emerald Boy runner-up with B class boxer Troy Taylor as top boxer. The Emerald Gloves was founded by Brother O'Grady and the first Emerald Boy was Mel Jacobs of the St. Paul's Indian School in 1951.
JUNIOR GOLDEN GLOVES - February 17, 1985 1984 Junior Golden Boy TONY DUFFY entered the 1985 Junior Golden Gloves in the lightweight division and in the championship bout he defeated Bud Rellor of Kelso. Some of the other champions in the C class were Curtis Peterson, Mike Marrello, John Allen, Kevin Lyons and Justin Migneault. RING OFFICIALS: Chief of Officials: Bert Lowes, and officials: Fred Fuller, Al Young, Jim Gallagher, Jack Mellor, Larry Carney, Rene Serriani, Bob Seckler, and Brian Zelley. Others: Dot Lowes, Dr. Sandhu, Gordie Jones and Boyd Bayne.
There would be many other club shows and tournaments and training under the capable hands of BARRY KRANGLE
April 1, 1985: Maple Ridge Club show, and as reported in the "BC Amateur Boxing News", two of the standouts in the show were Gordie Jones and Tony Duffy.
1985 TONY DUFFY, CANADIAN CHAMPION
COACHES' CORNER - The Golden Memories of Barry Krangle:
The early years - stepping into the Sunshine:
Following the 1984 and 1985 Nationals, Tony continued to engage in activity. The following are some thoughts by coach Krangle about 1987 activity
BACK TO TRAINING:
1988 THE OLYMPIC YEAR, Tony's moments, through the eyes of the coach with a few words from Tony about some of the moments and the continued friendships with those he fought or trained with throughout the Eighties.
FAST FORWARD TO 2011 - A Date With 2012 Tony was nominated in October 2011 in the Junior/Youth category of the BRITISH COLUMBIA AMATEUR BOXING HALL OF FAME for 2012. The final decision will be made by September 2012. Looking through the many years of activity, Tony would be a worthy inductee.
SIXTIES CANADIAN FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPION ROGER ADOLPH
The Early Years of the long journey
Throughout the 1950's and 60's, it was part of the Golden Age of Amateur Boxing in British Columbia with many excellent boxers, coaches and trainers. Of the many boxers, one of the finest was ROGER ADOLPH. Roger started his boxing at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, but would also move to the Vancouver region and become a valuable member of the South Hill Boxing Club later known as the Firefighters under the coaching of BERT LOWES and PAT WEST.
In 1963, he would win his first National title on the team coached by coaches Bert Lowes and Elio Ius. Also, Roger would be engaged in numerous club shows and tournaments in the Pacific Northwest.
Recent Activity In recent years, Roger has been involved with the Just-Do-It organization in Lillooet, BC also he is a coach along with others.
ENGLAND SWINGS - 1966 to 1968
Roger would turn pro in the Sixties and move to London, England and live in North London in the land of the Spurs and Gunners. However, his pro experience was cut short due to problems with cuts. Many of his ten bouts were fought at the Town Hall in Shoreditch.
Introduction: As we look back into the history of amateur boxing in the Sixties there are many excellent boxers. One of those was Roger Adolph. In 1966, he moved to London, England as a professional boxer. As a pro boxer, cuts made his time as a professional boxer cut short. He returned to Canada in 1968 and would become a First Nstions Chief, a position that he would hold for many years during the time when excellent leaders were necessary in dealing with treaties and self-determination for the Native Indians of Canada.
In recent years, he has been involved with the "Just-Do-It Society"
One of our fine young amateur boxers from the Province of Alberta
is expected to make his professional debut in December 2011.
Before the pro debut, PAUL "P-Mac" MACKENZIE had an
interesting amateur journey with multi-Provincial titles and
activity in many bouts from local club shows to National
competition. This story is about Paul's first journey in
amateur boxing and continues with the next journey
of his pro debut.
THE CROSSROADS - TURNING PRO
All senior open boxers reach the crossroads when they must make
an important decision and select one of three positions. Remain
an amateur boxer, turn to professional boxing or retire from active
competition. For PAUL MACKENZIE, he has arrived at the
crossroads of his amateur boxing journey, and the decision was
made official in a story by Murray Greig titled:
"P-Mac eyes pro career". The announcement appeared in the "Edmonton Sun", October 7, 2011.
One of the quotes by P-Mac in the article tells us a lot: "After seven years of amateur boxing wars I'm at the right age, the right maturity level. And, of course, I'm excited by the crowd. I've dreamed about it. I love the crowd." - Paul MacKenzie
He will be trained by John Mendonca at the Sheldon
Hinton's "Beverley Bronx Gym" along with boxer Adam Trupish and is expected to make his pro debut on
the KO's boxing card on December 9th.
P-MAC'S AMATEUR BOXING JOURNEY
It all began in Edmonton's COUGAR BOXING CLUB. One of the first important individuals in his boxing journey was the late LARRY FLEMING who served as a coach and motivator for P-Mac's positive journey along the amateur path. Paul will always remember Larry and in his own words
says:
"I owe a lot to Larry Fleming and will never forget him or the Cougar Boxing Club."
2009 International Event Great Britain vs Western Canada Doug's Place Challenge, Edmonton October 2, 2009.
As documented by BOXING ALBERTA, P-Mac was named Best Boxer in the all-star event:
Over the years, Paul would engage in many boxing shows/
In the 2010/2011 season, he was Alberta Provincial champion
and engaged in the Senior Open National Boxing Championship.
Golden Memories from the Boxing Treasure Chest:
A number of boxers, coaches and others have said some positive comments about Paul: Prince George, BC boxer Marcus Hume:
Also, Paul has been a great supporter of amateur boxing in Canada and has issued praise to many other boxers such as Calgary's ALEX TORRES RYNN, senior national champion and 2011 A-team.
THE PERSONAL GOLDEN MEMORIES with more in the future:
.No story is complete until the final bell rings and the bright lights
fade to black. This story has just touched on some of the steps in
the journey, as time flashes by there will be many more to add to
the treasure chest of Paul's Golden Memories. But, only Paul can
outline the memories and fill his treasure chest of boxing memories:
A FEW OF THE MANY GOLDEN MOMENTS WITH SILVER LININGS:
LAS VEGAS WITH EYES WIDE OPEN:
Prior to the pro announcement, Paul took time to visit the Floyd Mayweather Gym to meet various boxers and trainers in the sport of professional boxing.
Paul MacKenzie and boxing champion Zab Judah
BEYOND THE BRIGHT LIGHTS AND THE ROAR OF THE CROWD Beyond bright lights and the glow of the boxing ring, Paul is very active in fund raising efforts for a worthy cause or stepping up to the plate to score a home run for some boxing promotion be it an event or a cause.
FUTURE DAYS and the PRO JOURNEY
There can be no predictions as to how long the journey will be or where it will take P-Mac. Beyond the twist and turns in the road, from December 2011 and into future years all we can hope for is that Paul has "The time of his life with many positive experiences and a treasure chest full of magic and golden moments to remember."
VOICES FROM THE HEART - ROUND ONE: .As one moves forward along a new path, there is a time to look back and remember how one got to the opening bell of another round. For P-MAC, a few of his thoughts as he stands by for the opening bell to ring and the bright lights to shine on his every move as he slowly moves from the ring corner to the center of the ring to shake hands and come out fighting.
P-MAC "THE WARRIOR"
( photo from the Paul MacKenzie collection - the fights)
P-MAC and FRIENDS - ALL THE SMILING FACES - TREASURED MOMENTS
COACHES CORNER - A John Mendonca Moment of P-Mac: (No story of a boxer is complete without a few comments from the coaches' corner)
"...we fought the British Army, Paul was just a boy fighting a man, and I was worried about the power difference. So, I told Paul to fight cautious. He tells me with confidence 'I GOT THIS COACH', and sure enough he had this."
A NEW JOURNEY BEGINS WITH PRO DEBUT
(a "P-Mac" creation)
SUPPORT AT HOME WHILE THE HOME FIRES BURN
Throughout the month of October, there has been a steady wave of support for Paul during the training stage of this important journey. Not only past and present club mates but former and active pros such as ALAN FORD, SCOTTY OLSON and ADAM TRUPISH. Both Scotty and Adam are Olympic boxers, and Scotty was a former IBO world champion. Adam is an active pro boxer that began following his participation in the 2008 Olympic Games. Alan Ford was also a skilled amateur and pro boxer that made it to the top rankings in the lightweight division.
THE FIRE and THE ICE (bzcomment-Itishopedthatfollowinghislastdayoftraining, hewillbringintothefight,theperfectblendof"FireandIce" The FIRE to be the DESIRE and DETERMINATION and the HOT FLASHING FISTS, the ICE will be his patience and thought process with a cool mind and the right amount of ice in his veins to strike when the opportunity arises.)
Adam Trupish speaks about the P0Mac journey
(thoughts from Jamie Yablonski)
The Here and Now *** March 2014 Paul has now retired from boxing competition. but he still is involved in giving back.
January 2018 Update: Inductee of BCABHOF
Pleased to be one of eight inew inductees into the
BC Amateur Boxng Hall of Fame.
The select eight authorized by Al Cool and Mehran Hotstuff are
Barry Krangle, Bob Decker, Brian Zelley, Clake McLellan,
Dav Wylie, Rudy Bianco, WayneBoyce and the 2 Rivers Boxing Club
as approvedby Alf. Cool and Mehran Hotstuff.
