Battling inside and outside the ring
Rene Chavez is trying hard to win his battles inside and outside of the boxing ring.
The recovering alcoholic has found an ally and a home at the St. Catharines Amateur Boxing Club.
“I am doing great. I am seven months clean and sober, I am training hard and trying to reconcile with my family,” said the 31-year-old, who will be fighting March 8 at the Ray McGibbon Gloves Presents Banging the Bagpipes boxing card at the Optimist Club in St. Catharines.
The 31-year-old Rexdale native relocated to Niagara seven months ago to take advantage of the region’s excellent resources for mental health and dealing with addiction.
“They also have the least amount of people on the waiting list for treatment,” Chavez said.
He knows nothing will be easy.
“It is very difficult to beat,” he said. “You need a lot of support and for me boxing has been a No. 1 support and Joe Corrigan has been one of the best support systems that I have in my life today.
“I don’t know what I would do without this club.”
He has boxed on and off at different times in his life.
“I started boxing when I was 16 years old and I was in and out of trouble,” he said. “I never really had the willingness and discipline to stick with it, but I always had the raw talent and the people who saw it in me as well.
“I would go from club to club to club.”
Boxing has always been an important part of his life.
“I grew up in a very violent home and had a very violent upbringing and lived in a violent environment,” he said. “I lost a lot of friends to gang violence and I was also involved in that sort of violence.
“Boxing is a way to control that and discipline myself on a day-to-day basis.”
That boost from boxing continues today for Chavez.
“As an adult and being a father and a husband, it keeps me in shape and it helps replace the endorphins that drugs used to give me,” he said. “I get it now from working out, training and helping other kids who also want to compete in the sport.
“I can show them there’s a life different than the one I used to live.”
Corrigan enjoys having Chavez at the club.
“He’s a really good guy, he helps out and he trains really hard,” he said.
Since joining the St. Catharines club, Chavez has had one fight, losing a close match at the Brampton Cup.
“I love the science of it,” he said. “It has a rich history, I love the competitive nature of it and the one-on-one aspect, and the raw artistry it consists of.”
He’s excited about fighting on the Banging the Bagpipes card.
“I’m looking forward to the entire boxing community coming together to support the cause and to see everyone together.”
Other St. Catharines club fighters who will be competing on the card are Stephen Ryan, Gerry Ryan, Matthew Ryan, Jimmy Ryan, Edward Caracas, James Hughes, Chris Hughes, Bruce Greenlaw, James Cormier, Noah Caporuscio, Kyle McCready and Jake Isenor.
Money raised from the fight card will help send St. Catharines Amateur Boxing Club members to Scotland at the end of March to compete versus fighters from the Greenock Boxing Club near Glasgow. Fighters from the Greenock card will return to Canada July 19 to compete on the Wise Guys fight card in St. Catharines.
“We went there before and they came here before and you develop that relationship,” Corrigan said.
The St. Catharines club is planning to bring six or seven fighters from the club to Scotland, along with lone fighters from Sarnia, Orangeville and Windsor. The club covers the expenses of its own fighters.
“It’s a trip of a lifetime,” Corrigan said. “Some of these kids may never get to the Olympics or a Canadian championship, but this will be their Olympics or Canadian championship.”
The last time the club went to Scotland, the members posed for a picture in front of Edinburgh castle.
“Some of these kids are half Scottish and may never get a chance to get to Scotland,” Corrigan said. “We are giving them that opportunity.”
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the March 8 card with the boxing scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. For more information call, 905-988-1244.
