Bob the Builder
Bob Wilcox can thank his oldest son, Steven, for his induction into the Niagara Boxing Legends.
“He said he would like to try a single sport. I boxed when I was younger from about 13 to 19 and then I had to go to work. But I always respected boxing so I decided to found a club,” the 58-year-old Hamilton native said. “He was nine years old then and I took him there. He is 32 years old now with 300 amateur fights and 25 pro fights.”
Wilcox ended up founding the Steeltown Boxing Club 23 years ago in Hamilton and it continues to thrive today.
“It was all to help kids,” said Wilcox, who will be honoured at the Niagara Legends Boxing Show on Friday, March 10 at the Merritton Community Centre along with long-time St. Catharines Boxing Club coaches John Robertson and Paul Zahra, former pro boxer Ralph Racine from Niagara Falls and Napper’s Boxing Club coach Julia Dimarcantonio. Steven Wilcox started out at the Regency Boxing Club and after a couple of years there the club was planning to close.
“I wasn’t coaching when Steven started but by the time they were going to close, I was coaching 35 to 40 kids and I had so many parents telling me that I couldn’t let it close,” Bob Wilcox said. “One dad approached me and said he had an old place in the east end of Hamilton and if we wanted to clean it up it was ours. We went in and we were there for about four years.”
After two more moves, the club’s gym is now located on Hempstead Drive. It is funded through memberships, sponsorships and fundraising.
“Honestly, there has been trials and tribulations. I should have closed it with COVID. I was probably $35,000 to $40,000 in the hole but I thought I would keep on going. We have been here 20-some years and I know if you close the doors, it is done. I kept hiding money from my wife and kept paying the rent myself and we kept it going,” he said, with a laugh. “It is not a moneymaker but I know how many kids it helps.”
The multiple Ontario boxing coach of the year winner, who has seen all five of his sons enjoy successful boxing careers, loves the sport.
“I think it is real to life. If you want it, you have to work for it. It’s you and it is not John didn’t pass me the puck or Joe didn’t do this. You want to run, you want to hit the bag, you want to spar? I guarantee you will do OK. And is all about getting knocked down and getting back up again. It’s the same in life. If you lose your job, you get up and find another one. If you have a shitty day at work, you can’t just sit at home and play video games. Get out there.”
He has witnessed the power of boxing.
“I have seen it change so many young men.”
The owner of an industrial maintenance company is honoured to be recognized as a Niagara Boxing Legend.
“I know that there is a lot of people that deserve it and I think what Joe (Corrigan) does is amazing,” he said. “It brings it to life for people who don’t really understand the sport and it makes me realize things. No, there wasn’t a lot of money in the last couple of years but it’s the friends you make, the connections you make and the kids you meet. Joe and I have been friends for 20 years through boxing. I would say 99 per cent of the people you meet that are true to the sport are great people.”
Tickets for the boxing show, which starts at 7:30 p.m., are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. For more information about tickets, purchasing VIP tables or sponsoring the event call 905-988-1244 or email the club at stcatharinesboxingclub@yahoo.ca
Several St. Catharines Boxing Club members will be fighting on the card, including current Ontario senior open champion Dennis Steingart. Also scheduled to fight are Gavin Freel, Brampton Cup champion Dylan Maisonneuve, Omar Nori, Riley Willis, Kyle Dickson, Josh Erb and Phoenix Young-Lazo.
