BANTAMS and FEATHERS, THE BOYS OF ACTION

The fast and the furious feathers and bantams. The Eighties
-by Brian W. Zelley
The first name that comes to mind for those of us from
British Columbia is Dale Walters. But, in July 1984k,
I took time to sit with boxerSteve Pagendam an chat
about the team of 1984 and his brother Jamie Pagendam.

When we look back to the action of the Eighties, there were
a number of champions in the bantamweight and featherweight
senior open class. One of the champions late in the decade
was Saskatchewan boxer Wesley Sunshine. But,
travelling back to 1984, I remember him and all the other
competitors in the Junior Nationals. Not in the habit of
remembering every boxer in every tournament but for this
one, I was picked as one of the folks that had to pick
the best boxer of 1984 Junior Nationals, so it was a
case of watching every bout and coming to some fair
decision.

Some of the other bantams and feathers in the eighties
were Danny Thompson, Bill Ranelli, Stephen Nolan,
Bill Downey and Geronimo Bie. Each would follow his
own path, and some would be remembered while others
may be forgotten or only remembered by a small circle
of friends, but that's the way it has always been.

So this small piece is to try and recognize the boxers
from Bill Downey to Wesley Sunshine. And, thank them
for their contribution to the sport of amateur boxing
in Canada.