SCBC honours Mike Strange Oct. 18
Mike Strange’s illustrious amateur boxing career has landed him in another hall of fame.
The 54-year-old Niagara native was a member of the Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame, the Canada Games Hall of Fame and was honoured as a Niagara Boxing Legend before this May’s induction in the Canadian Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame.
The three-time Olympian, who represented Canada in 1992, 1996 and 2000, will be recognized along with knockout of the year candidate Lucas Bahdi Friday, Oct. 18 during the St. Catharines Boxing Club’s McGibbon Gloves 2024 Fight for the Kids at the Merritton Community Centre.
The real estate agent heard rumours about the induction during COVID but it didn’t come to fruition until he heard the news in early 2024. The ceremony was held in May in Calgary.
“There’s not a lot of boxers in that hall of fame — there’s five of us this year — and they are the guys who I looked up as an amateur and wanted to be. When I went to the Olympics, I wanted to be Willie deWit and Shawn O’Sullivan. They were my two idols,” Strange said. “Those two guys are in the hall of fame and being with them is quite the honour along with being there with Lennox Lewis, Neil Brown, Scottie Olson and Dale Walters. There are a lot of great, great fighters and I am really humbled to be in the same hall with them.”
Strange hasn’t fought since the 2000 Olympics.
“It has been awhile and it’s such an honour because there are a lot of guys who should be in that hall of fame before me. I have so many people to thank,” said the Canadian boxer of the year in 1996 and in 1998.
The city councillor in Niagara Falls for the past 10 years had many memorable moments in his boxing career but his highlights include: his three Olympic appearances which makes him unique in Canadian boxing history; being the first Canadian boxer to win back-to-back gold medals at the Commonwealth Games; and, serving as the first Canadian boxer to be the flag bearer for the Commonwealth Games.
His experiences in boxing have shaped his life.
“Every aspect of when you go into the ring has something to do with life and I use it in my life. First of all it is the training part, being dedicated, going through losing weight and making sacrifices,” he said. “Being a one-on-one sport, even though you have your coaches in your corner, is tough and every boxer can tell you that the nerves, anxiety and stress before a boxing match is like nothing else you will ever have in your entire life.”
That moment is invaluable.
“You can use that towards anything in your life. When you’re in moments, you think ‘This is hard but I remember boxing and I have never been that nervous.’ It was also figuring out your opponent, trying to outsmart him and even being patient. It allows you to figure what you need to do to succeed in boxing or anything in life.”
There are also lessons to be learned when you thought you have won and you end up losing. That happened to Strange in the 1996 Olympic quarter-finals versus Bulgaria’s Toncho Tontchev.
“At that point in time, that was the most important thing in my life and I thought my life was ending. You turn negatives into positives and you use that your whole life inside and outside the ring.”
Strange’s passion is his charity work. He started the Box Run to raise money for cancer awareness and he launched Heaters Heroes charity event to raise funds and awareness of childhood cancers. The Box Run has raised almost $400,000 and Heaters Heroes is approaching $200,000.
“I have had a lot of other people do that with me and it is not just me. I couldn’t do it by myself.
Strange is delighted that the St. Catharines Boxing Club is recognizing him Oct. 18.”
“That was the one thing about going to Calgary. It wasn’t in my hometown so it’s nice to be recognized in Niagara along with Lucas Bahdi. I think he is going to be a world champion in the next year or so and he is such a great, humble person.”
Locals fighting on the card include Dylan Maisonneuve, Alex Lindsay, Megan Reynolds, Pat Ryan, Aashir Raja, Alex Dako and Scott Phillpot.
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the action starts at 7:30 p.m.
For information about tickets, sponsorships or purchasing VIP tables, call 905-988-1244 or email stcatharinesboxingclub@yahoo.ca.
