Genesis Boxing Club is coming off their first of a series of charity events, which they’ve been doing for the last four years, and will look to continue their support of local foundations.
Their last event was held, along with Barry Creswell and the Nanaimo Boxing Club, on April 5. There were close to 100 people in attendance to see some of the local boxers taking part in the charity event.
“I’ve been talking with Barry about getting together and doing an event like this every month,” said Genesis owner Rick Rae.
“We’re really two of the only boxing clubs left on the Island and we’re hoping to get some more kids interested in boxing,” he said.
“It’s all about the work ethic here for us. We’ve got all kinds of athletes that come in here and work their butts off to improve, not just boxers. We love to install a good work ethic in to these kids.”
Both Rae and Creswell are looking to rebuild boxing back to its glory days. Through the 1960s and ’70s, Vancouver Island had its own Golden Gloves tournament, which was a big deal.
While the tournament has gone by the wayside, Rae believes there is a chance to bring it all back.
“To be able to rebuild it to the point it was like it was back then, that would be huge. It was a big deal back then, with all the boxers that were around at the time, so we’re hoping we can bring it back,” Rae said.
Genesis is hosting their next charity event on May 3 at their gym, which can hold up to 400 people. With the SPCA, MS Foundation and Food Bank all on the receiving end of the funds, Rae hopes to fill the gym for these great causes.
“It’s always good to be able to give back to the community. A little bit of support can go a long way and everything adds up,” Rae said.
“We want to make sure that we’re giving back to these local foundations, not the big foundations where you don’t see the change like you would locally,” Rae said.
“It’s all about growing together as a community and that’s the message we’re looking to send here.”
Also planned for towards the end of May this year, the club will host a Bronze Gloves tournament. The tournament is to be held at the Parksville Curling Club.
The last Bronze Gloves event held in Parksville brought in close to 800 spectators, something that Rae hopes will happen again.
“That was a big event for us. You don’t normally see that many people coming out for an event like this but it was great to see,” Rae said.
“We’re looking to do more Boxing BC Tournaments here on the Island to go along with the Bronze Gloves tournament.”
“We think that we can get some good numbers to come out and bringing an event like the Bronze gloves back, after four years, will be great for local boxing.”
