1994 COMMONWEALTH GAMES

1994 COMMONWEALTH GAMES BOXING Story: By Brian W. Zelley, B.Com., CA -

.As I look back into the past and revisit the 1994 Commonwealth Games boxing event that took place
in Esquimalt, BC (Greater Victoria), I remember seeing Prince Philip sitting in the audience observing the
action, I remember seeing one of my old coaches BERT LOWES from 1968 volunteering as part of security
(in earlier years, he had been an referee and judge at International events and local club shows),
Then there was Gold River coach MONTY BROWN helping in the corner for one of the foreign boxers.

But the real story for amateur boxing begins in 1989 with the appointment of a boxing committee as part of
the sports committee - the original committee was comprised of Hassan Sunderani, Brian Zelley,
Mike Sartori, Glynn Jones and later Ian Weir and then others such as Bert Lowes and George Armson.

At the time of my appointment, I was a School Trustee with the Greater Victoria School Board,
but my term was coming to an end and there would be more time to get involved with the organizing
process. One of the first requirements was for chairman Sunderani to put together a report. As part of the report,
I put together a mini-history of boxing from Greater Victoria, but much of the data was from my previous work
when I was the editor of the "BC Amateur Boxing News" and publicity chairman for the 1984 Vancouver Island
Amateur Boxing Championships which was a big deal as it was a revival of a tournament that last took place in 1964
with one of the boxers being FRED DESROSIERS who would be one of our 1964 Olympic boxers.

As 1989 turned into 1990, the boxing committee needed to build a volunteer base that would make things happen.
To begin the process of reaching out to ex-boxing folks and supporters of the sport, a public meeting was
arranged in the boardroom of the Victoria Commonwealth Games Society - April 21, 1990.

The first public meeting:
Attending the first public meeting were John Stothart of the VCGS, and boxing committee members
Hassan Sunderani, Brian Zelley and Mike Sartori, and others including Dr. Dan Buie,
Wes Byrnell, Pud Smith, Ian Duddy, Bert Wilkinson, Rick Brough, Ian Weir.

(photo: Pud Smith)

From the first wave of volunteers, Victoria had a good cross section of experienced folks including two
former Vancouver Island Amateur Boxing Commissioners in BERT WILKINSON and RICK BROUGH.
Also, MIKE SARTORI was a boxing coach and at one time he was one of the Team BC coaches for
National competition. Dr. Dan had been a ringside doctor at some pro boxing cards. IAN WEIR
was one of the Victoria boxers that would be part of the revival of amateur boxing in Greater Victoria
in 1974. IAN DUDDY was one of the founding directors of the Victoria Athletic Association in 1976
and would serve for a couple of years as the manager of the VAA boxing program along with coaches
Lou Bujdoso, Brian Zelley and Mike Caird. Lou would later spin-off and form the Victoria Jaycees
Boxing Club of which Sartori and Zelley would join as coaches. Sartori would also continue to host
the BC Diamond Belt tournament after a revival in 1980 into the mid-Eighties such as the 1985 tournament.

GOALS & PLANS
1. Establish a training Centre,
2. Revive the Greater Victoria Amateur Boxing Association
3. Spreading the Word - A general public meeting for volunteers.

A GREATER VICTORIA VOLUNTEERS MEETING - May 13, 1990

The earlier meeting with 11 bodies was important, but there was work to do to reach out to more
potential volunteers at a public site. On May 13, 1990 the group of eleven picked a perfect public site
at the popular Princess Mary Restaurant . By the start of the 10:00 a.m. meeting the list of potential
volunteers was raised to 25 with more in future days.

Some of the additional persons with a backgound in boxing included:
Don Orr, Tommy Black, Alan Curtis, and Mike Caird.

JOURNEY TO SEATTLE - 1990 GOODWILL GAMES

Members of the various Sports Committees were given the opportunity to send at least two members to observe
the International event. For boxing, two of us were set to go but the boxing chairman didn't go. So, I went alone
but it was for the finals and not the beginning which would have been more of a learning experience. But it was kind of cool going to the event and running into folks like MONTY BROWN and RON WHALLEY. But due to the timing on the last day

photo RON WHALLEY



it was too late to get the proper ID to move freely and speak with official and competitors. And unless you get the right access
and freedom of movement, it is reduced to a moment of entertainment rather than an information gathering process to help
future planning.
C

                                             The Canadian Team some of the members.

THE NINETIES - Old Faces & the New Breed

CANADIAN AMATEUR BOXING-NINETIES: By Brian Zelley

Photo: Mark Leduc, Olympic Games Medal winner and Eddie Haddad

Looking back to the Nineties in Canadian Amateur Boxing created some new stars and a return to action by some veterans
in the ring wars. Also as in previous decades there would be action in the Pan Am Games, the 1994 Commonwealth Games
in Greater Victoria in 1994 and Games in other locations, plus the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games with some interesting
results.

Some of the stars of the Eighties that would see action in the Nineties would include
BILL IRWIN, MARK LEDUC, RAYMOND DOWNEY and GERONIMO BEI. But, as in past decades
there would be many new champions such as Domenic Filane Figliomeni, Michael Strange
and Robert Dale Brown. Along the way other names would appear such as Jason Heit and Shane Hinton.
In the closing years of the nineties some of the champions would compete in the 2000 Olympics in Australia.

1984 Senior Box-off & Olympic Team Training

Photo: STEPHEN NOLAN
Photo: SHAWN O'SULLIVAN
Photo: ALAN BROWN, VIC MURDOCH, BRIAN ZELLEY (1984)

SENIOR BOX-OFF COMPETITORS:
Steve Pagendam, Stephen Nolan, John Kalbhenn, Sylvain Thibeault, Peter Britt, Dennis Lambert,
Shawn O'Sullivan, Lawrence Rolfe, Rick Duff, Darrell Flint, Ken Johnson and Wayne Welsh.

1984 Canadian Junior Championships

1984 CANADIAN NATIONAL JUNIOR BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS - May 25 - 27th.
BCABA Training Cenre, 250 S. WillingdonAvenue, Burnaby, BC

CABA Executive Committee

Herb Embuldenya, Omar Gagnon, Jerry Shears, Bill Starr, Dick MacLean
Taylor Gordon, Allan Tummon, John Raftery, George Fraser,
Dr. Joseph Falletta, Jpe Hajnal and Bill Arsenault.

B C Amateur Boxing Executive:

George Armson, Bill Long, Sid and Shirley Knopp, Marg O'Reilly, Larry Carney,
Bert Lowes, Glynn Jones, Brian Zelley and Dave Thompson.

An opening statement in the June 1984 issue of the "B C Amateur Boxing News"

"The 1984 Canadian National Junior Championships was a smashing success due to the efforts of the
boxers, coaches, managers, ring officials, CABA Executive Committee, BCABA Executive Committee,
the many helpers, and the support and effort of Lois Jackson and the staff of the Pacific Vocational
Institute's "Redford House". Also, the senior boxers and their coaches involved in box-offs for the
Canadian Olympic Team selection provided additional variety to this gala event. The EVENT provided
an exciting and action packed conclusion to the 1983/84 amateur boxing season in BRITISH COLUMBIA
and much goodwill that should assist us in hosting EXPO'86 amateur boxing competition." - B. Z.

JUNIOR BOXERS:

Norman Tynes, Guy Dugal, Edgar Davis

Curtis Peterson, Dean Jeffries,
Wesley Sunshine, J. Forte, Corey Burton

Barry Christie, D, Sebileau, Aaron Wolfe, K. Moore

Eric Grenier, Leonard Petrie, Harvey Claveau, Shane Poole,
Charles Beaudry, Paul Mashiskino, John Turner

Suraj Jaswal, Trent Latham, Rene Cadran,
Wm. Blackburn, Troy Dickie, Terry Profeit, Scotty Olson

Chris Robichaud, Jeff Hill, Tony Francis, Dwayne Loppie,
Giles Basilion, Peter Oxtoby, Mario Bergeron

Steve Trenholme, Dan Jackson, Jeff Beliveau, Eric Henson,
Tony Kelsie, Paul Dube, Tony Duffy,

Ray Wiswell, F. Toulouse, Jamie Sparks

Shawn Downey, Richard Gauthier, Manny Sobral,
George Davis, John Walker, J. Greenwood

Clint Dumais, Ricjard Olson, Stewart Hilton,
Steven Penrod, Ray Downey, W. Johnson

Tom Glesby, P. Desrochers, Rodney Walsh, R. Kovacs

Mike Reuter, R. Stowell, Danny Stripe, R. Malley

Willy Curry, J. Letourneau, Brian Hatfield.

SENIOR BOX-OFF COMPETITORS:

Steve Pagendam, Steve Nolan, John Kalbehn, Sylvain Thibeault, Peter Britt, Dennis Lambert,
Shawn O'Sullivan, Lawrence Rolfe, Rick Duff, Darrell Flint, Ken Johnson, Wayne Welsh.

BEST JUNIOR BOXER - ERIC GRENIER
Special Awards Judges: Glynn Jones, Tommy Yule & Brian Zelley

Referee & Judges: Bert Lowes, Fred Fuller, Ron Whalley, Bob Carswell,
Morgan Williams, Len Johnson, Al Tucci, Jean Paul Ricard, Stewart & Nolan.

Others: From CABA - Jury - Jerry Shears, George Fraser and Allan Tummon

Gloving Tommy Yule, Gordon Miller and Lindy Lindmoser,
Timekeepers: Larry Krangle & Jack Mellor
Announcers: Stan Smith and Jack Mellor

THE CHAMPIONS - 1984 CANADIAN JUNIORS

NORMAN TYNES - COREY BURTON - AARON WOLFE- ERIC GRENIER -
SCOTTY OLSON - MARIO BERGERON - JEFF BELIVEAUX - JAMIE SPARKS -
JOHN WALKER - STEWART HILTON - TOM GLESBY - MIKE REUTER - WILLY CURRY

THE ROAD AHEAD:

Some of the boxers that did not win Junior Gold in 1984 bounced back
in Senior Nationals as the years slipped away -
A few names to remember are:
JEFF HILL - MANNY SOBRAL - RAYMOND DOWNEY - WESLEY SUNSHINE -
All four seized the moment and the 1984 experience to become Champions.

Others that d continue to win titles on a senior level were:
 TOM GLESBY WILLY CURRY -
COREY BURTON - SCOTTY OLSON 

Canadian Olympic images - Govt. of Canada archived

Thanks to all that participated 

1984 was a very good year for

amateur boxing  in Canada

and British Columbia.

But, it was also a historic year

for Vancouver Island with a

revival after 20 years of the

Vancouver Island

Amateur Boxing 

Championships

They were previously

held in 1964.

TWO IMPORTANT YEARS IN CANADIAN BOXING - By Brian Zelley

Following the setback of the 1980 Olympic Games, Canadian amateur
boxers bounced back to do well in the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games
and some of the International tournaments such as the
Commonwealth Games of 1986.

As we blast through 1984, there is an important connection between
1984 and 1988with the 1984 Canadian National Junior Boxing
Championships and Senior Box-Offs and both the 1984 - 1988 Olympics.
Aside from individual boxers like LENNOX LEWIS, SCOTTY OLSON and
RAYMOND DOWNEY, the facilities used in the 1984 Canadian tournament
were also used as the training site for Canada's
1984 and 1988 Olympic Boxing teams.

This blog will attempt to look at the boxers, coaches, officials,
the training site and the Olympic Games but also touch on the
Commonwealth Games that took place between 1984 and 1985.
The first step will step back in time to the 1984 National
Tournament, then cover the 1984 Trainingand Olympic performance
and medal winning achievements of DALE WALTERS, SHAWN O'SULLIVAN
and WILLIE DEWIT.. And in the process cover some names of key
officials and coaches such as TAYLOR GORDON and JERRY SHEARS
and folks like HERB EMBULDENIYA to BILL ARSENAULT
and such BC folks from GEORGE ARMSON to GLYNN JONES.

THE GLOVERS
One of the many glovers that were involved in activity from
1984 to 1988 was a fellow by the name of LINDY LINDMOSER.
Now for all of the top boxers of Canada between 1984 and 1988
that had their gloves put on or taken off by Lindy would likely
not have not been aware of his boxing past. Aside from being a
NATIONAL AAU CHAMPION,Lindy fought the lOUISVILLE LIP
aka CASSIUS CLAY now called MUHUMMAD ALI, THE GREATEST.

THE OTHERS

For every individual in Canada that were involved in boxing
leading to the 1984 action or involved with the 1988 action.
the cross-section of folks covers all of the modern era from
1969 to 1988, and likely there are many still involved in the
sport in 2011 such as WAYNE GORDON. But, when we
consider some of the old timers involved such as JERRY SHEARS,
or BERT LOWES then we are stretching the connection back
decades into the Forties, Fifties and Sixties.

Subsequent years 1989 to 2011

Taking just one name that was mentioned such as
Glynn Jones. Well he was one of the
many that would help lay the foundation for the
1994 Commonwealth Games that saw gold medal winning
performances by Casey Patton, Ron Donaldson and
Dale Brown Once again, it is likely all three
of these boxers inluding the other Canadina medal
winners in 1994 such as Domenic, Wald and Steve would
likely have no clue what the likes of GLYNN JONES did.