The legendary George Chuvalo will be one of several guests of honour at the Canadian Junior Boxing Championships, February 17-20. Hosted by the Brantford Youth Boxing Club, the tournament will feature the nation’s finest 17-18 year old boxers. Chuvalo will be on hand for the opening ceremonies on Thursday, February 17 beginning at 7pm. He will be accompanied by the Summerhays brothers as well as Brantford Mayor Mike Hancock and Local MPP Dave Levac. Tournament organizer Bill Williams anticipates a large crowd at the Brantford Civic Centre. “This is going to be a classy and exciting weekend of boxing,” says Williams. “Thanks to the support of our community and a generous contribution by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, we will be able to deliver a level of entertainment and amenities that compliment such a high calibre of boxing.”
Ontario’s Junior Team looks to establish itself as the future of amateur boxing in Canada. The team is led by several strong contenders. Tony Luis, of Champs Eastside Boxing in Cornwall, claimed Best Male Boxer in his domination of the field at the Provincial Championships in December. Tony will compete in the Featherweight division. Shavar Henry, who is trained by Olympic Silver Medalist Egerton Marcus in Toronto, looks to begin his ascent to glory in the Heavyweight class. As for the females, look no further than Leah Evans of Big Tyme Boxing in Orangeville. The Boxing Ontario “October Athlete of the Month” has won three of her last four tournaments and is looking strong after an impressive Gold Medal victory in last weekend’s Brampton Cup. These are just three of a very imposing team for Ontario.
The weekend will also feature the Senior Final Team Selection “Box Offs.” National Champions from last month will battle some of their challengers again, to determine the strongest team that represents Canada in international competition. Defending their titles for Ontario will be Ibrahim Kamal (Toronto), Adam Trupish (Windsor), Jason Douglas (Toronto), Linda Ludwig (Hamilton), Katie Dunn (Windsor), and Mary Spencer (Windsor). Looking for one last chance to dethrone their foes will be Ontario’s Philip Butler (Hamilton), Clay Dales (Oshawa), Glenn Hunter (St. Catharines), and Jacqui Park (Toronto).
The Canadian Junior Boxing Championships and Senior Final Team Selection commence this Thursday, February 17, at 7pm, at the Civic Centre in Brantford. Tickets are $10 per session or $40 for the entire six weekend sessions. For a complete listing of entries or session times visit our website www.boxingontario.com.
