Boxing club gives back to honour Murphy
It’s early Saturday afternoon at the St. Catharines Amateur Boxing Club and Tyson Boivin is living up to his boxing first name.
The 12-year-old is giving the heavy bag a pounding during the club’s weekly Murphy’s Gloves Youth Program, which runs every Saturday from noon to 2 p.m.
“He wanted to get into something,” Tyson’s father, David Boivin, said. “He is a big wrestling fan and he was looking at boxing as well. He thought he would try it out and maybe build self-confidence as well.”
The program has been a joy for father and son.
“We love it and enjoy it,” David said. “It’s easy going and they don’t put up with any bullying or anything like that.”
The club has been running the free program for the past three years.
“We are trying to get kids out and give them something to do because maybe the parents can’t afford to put them in soccer or hockey,” club coach Joe Corrigan said. “There are no questions asked. You just come in here and train and it’s a good environment.”
Newcomers to the program are paired with the more experienced kids and the novice boxers are encouraged to proceed at their own pace. Some of the kids who have started in the program have gone on to box for the club.
“The main thing is we like having kids compete, but we don’t want to push them,” Corrigan said. “It’s come here, get a good workout in and, if you want to pursue it, fine. If not, great.
“They are at least coming in here and doing some kind of sport.”
The club is motivated to run the program for two reasons.
“We are trying to give back to the community and trying to honour (coach) Keith Murphy,” Corrigan said.
Murphy, a St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame member, coached at the club for more than three decades before having to stop because of his battle with multiple sclerosis.
“Keith was always trying to do things for the kids and a lot of times he was the second father to them,” Corrigan said. “He picked them up, he would drive them to events and he really worked hard with the kids Now he can’t, so we are trying to do something that keeps that going.”
Funding for the program comes from the annual Murphy’s Gloves boxing card. The fight card features the club’s boxers as well as non-fighters who train at the club in anticipation of fighting at the event. It is the fourth year of Murphy’s Gloves and a number of guys who fought in Murphy’s Gloves come and help out with the youth program.
“I really like to see that,” Corrigan said. “They got something from it and now they are not just saying they boxed once and they are done. They come here and help kids who come here on Saturdays.”
Proceeds from the Murphy’s Gloves are also used to fund the program and to help them club bring its tough fighters to fight cards and tournaments.
“We help kids who normally wouldn’t be able to go,” said Corrigan, who has seen boxers from other clubs unable to afford the cost of going to the national championships.
“So far, we have gone to the Golden Gloves, Brampton Cup, Ontario Winter Games, Ireland, Edmonton for the Canadian championships and Boston,” Corrigan said. “We are giving kids opportunities that they might not normally have. Because of the Murphy’s Gloves, they have that opportunity.”
This year’s Murphy’s Gloves will be held Friday, Nov. 9 at the Merritton Community Centre. It will feature club boxers Dan, Steve, Matt and Gerry Ryan, Jake Isenor, Karli McCabe, James Hughes and Dennis Steingart.
Among the community fighters scheduled to compete are Ryan Baulk, John Boon, Kevin Lamb, Matt Warriner, Pratima Burton, Eric Cote, Pat Ryan, Vincent Sirianni, Tommy Conlon and Kyle Landry.
