VANCOUVER ISLAND BOXING HISTORY

INTRODUCTION TO BOXING: by Brian Zelley

(Photo: This is a photo of 
me winning my last official
bout in boxing in 1973 in a
bout that took place in 
Nanaimo against boxer
Clark MacLellan.) 

My primary term in boxing
took place between 1963
to 1986 as a boxer, coach,
official a for a couple of 
years as a director of the
BC Amateur Boxing
Association.  



And, during 1989 to 1992, I was a member of the boxing committee for
Victoria's preparation for the 1994 Commonwealth Games which included
a one year term as the boxing chairman.  During this time period, I helped
along with Mike Sartori plans for the revival of the Greater Victoria
Amateur Boxing Association.

This is a blog about the history of amateur boxing on Vancouver Island

from the Forties to 2013 and will attempt to outline the history through

my eyes and ears  since 1963.

Some Early History: The Forties

* Some of the early activity of top amateur boxing for Island boxers

took place in various tournaments such as the Sun Golden Gloves

sponsored by the "Vancouver Sun" newspaper and also the

Seattle Golden Gloves.

*Some of the names of Vancouver Island boxers from the period

1940 to 1948 were:

Victoria's  Vic Murdoch, Fraser Clark, and Art Burgess.

Cumberland's Buddy Welsh, and  Alberni's Everett Biggs.

A top ranked boxer from the Royal Canadian Navy 

stationed in Esquimalt was Eddie Haddad. 

VIC MURDOCH
*Boxer and Builder of
BC Amateur Boxing from 
the Forties to the Eighties.

(Photo: Forty years after winning
a Golden Gloves title in the 1944
Seattle Golden Glovees, Vic was
with former Eighties Golden Gloves
boxer Alan Brown and Sixties 
Golden Gloves boxer Brian Zelley
to attend the training camp of the
1984 Canadian Olympic boxing team.

EDDIE HADDAD, the best of the best
*Eddie Haddad is one of the best all
time boxers that was part of the
Vancouver Island boxing history.

Eddie is a member of a number of
sports and boxing halls of fame
including the Manitoba Sports
Hall of Fame, the Canadian 
Military Sports Hall of Fame,
the Greater Victoria Sports 
Hall of Fame and an inductee of
the British Columbia Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame.

Island Boxing in the Fifties:

*Throughout the Fifties there would by many
folks involved in the action with the staging
of club shows, golden glove tournaments and
other tournaments.

One of the best Vancouver Island  shows
would be the 1954 V I Golden Gloves
sponsored by the "Victoria Daily Times"
and the Greater Victoria Amateur
Boxing Association which would be 
staged at the Bay Street Armoury.
It would include a good cross section
of Island boxers and a few from the mainland.

Some of the fight details are as follows:

Names:
Al Duval
Dusty Mair
Howard Culing
Eric Pyrah
Bob Edwards 
Jerry Weicker
Len Lightfoot
Jim Allen
Tom Crabbe
Bob Chambers
Bert Wilkinson
Dave Errigton
Tom McGaw
Bobby Bates
Lloyd Tahouney
Bernie Hamilton
Eddie Robertson
Trent Ketchison

(Image: Was put together for an
isssue of the "BC Amateur Boxing News"
in the mid-1980's by editor B. Zelley.
The original poster and photos were
supplied by the late Howard Curling}
Profile shots include:
Bert Wilkinson, Paul Calvie  and
Fred Curtis.  The group photo
includes Vancouver boxer who 
was the Golden Boy runner-up/)

Also in 1954 there would be
a Vancouver Island Silver Gloves
tournament.  There would also be
club shows.  Subsequent to 1954
another boxer that would win a
title would be Skimp Williams of
Chemainus.



Many of the boxers and coaches of the Fifties would also be involved in the
1960 Golden Gloves in Vancouver which was part of the 1959/60 season.
Some of the Vancouver Island boxers would be
Tommy Black, Tony Lilach, Al Curtis, Skimp Williams, Bruce Baille,
Gordie McGaw, Gordon Rabey, Danny Daniels and Mike Caird.
Skimp Williams would be a finalist in a ring war with Bill Adams,
but the bout between Williams and Frank Jordison would be declared
the best bout.  The Chemainus boxer Skimp Williams would also earn
the trophy for "the most Aggressive fighter". Al Curtis would be the
one Island boxer would be on the BC team to compete in the 1960
Olympic trials along with Micky Mazur, Winnie Schelt, Bill Adams,
and Paddy Clark. Team coaches would be Vancouver's Bert Lowes
and from the Island Nick Lystar.

Island Boxing in the Sixties:
*An important host of many boxing shows in the mid-Sixties was
the London Boxing Club under the direction of Harry Morris.
Port Alberni also hosted some shows and they were under a team
of folks such as Jim Hills and  Sammy May. 

NOTE: THE SIXTIES will be on a fresh page.