Nanaimo Boxing Club

[Zelley10]

question about the boxing club ( or any for that matter ) ..... is there co-ed and does it include kick boxing or just boxing? I have been looking to get into boxing / kickboxing but non competitive, more for the sport and exercise. I love boxxing with a passion but have too pretty of a face to have my nose broken. lmao. I looked in the phone books and had no results, a freind of mine told me about a gym just of metral drive, down the tracks towards brannen lake. Any suggestions for a girl?

Many boxing clubs now have mixed training sessions. However, there are not enough female coaches or trainers. A male coach for women is okay,
but it would be nice if some women coaches could be groomed.

[Zelley10]

Being out of the loop, I was wondering if there has been any ring activity in Nanaimo.

[daughter of Jim McFadden]

It is important to recognize that the role of the Newcastle Boxing Club
(1963 to 1968) compared to the Nanaimo Boxing Club (1971 to today)
in Nanaimo's sports history are vastly different.

The primary difference is no boxing cards were hosted in Nanaimo
during the period of activity, but the club paid an important role
in Vancouver Island boxing history during the 1960's.

For instance in 1965, boxers from Nanaimo competed in four shows in Victoria. In three of those shows Nanaimo Boxers were involved in
16 of the 33 bouts, and winning 8 of the 16 bouts. The results even
in close competition against home town boxers from the
London Boxing or the James Bay Boxing Clubs indicated
excellent and fair judging and refereeing. For Island boxers
this was not always the case when they ventured to Vancouver for major tournaments. Sadly, the history of the sport in British Columbia
is scattered with the smashed hopes and dreams of Island boxers
as they tried to compete for positions on Provincial teams.
Likewise, the selection of Island officials for an elevation
to the International level was a non starter. Of course,
those in positions of power to operate the "elevator"
would disagree that there were barriers and roadblocks.

Names of Nanaimo boxers that competed in the 1965 cards:
Barker, Budzinski, Glover, McFadden, Nepper. Stant, Tait, Zelley.
Of interest, an Island name that became better known in Lacrosse rather
than boxing were members of the Alexander family. The Alexanders not only competed in Lacrosse but were popular boxing competitors in the
mid-Sixties. And no amateur boxing card was complete without
the appearance of Mr. & Mrs. Alexander at ringside to cheer on all the competitors regardless of the club.
"
Using a metaphor - the Newcastle club was the "calm" while the
Nanaimo club would become the storm in BC Boxing
when it rolled through the Seventies.

Hi there!
Yes, My dad was close with the Nepper's, and his name was Jim McFadden, he passed away from Cancer in 2002, he worked hard welding to raise money for the family and put us through lots of sports growing up, one of them he showed us personally was how to box properly, keep our chin down, jab with the left a couple times and then with the right, our stance and everything.. He did not tell us where he learned as we were younger then and never thought to ask him, but I know that after I read this thread it made me wonder if he is the McFadden u r mentioning here.. if so, I really would be just happy to know this, as I can no longer ask my dad, he is resting peacefully on Saltspring Island.. he would have been 17 years old in 1965, and he told us some good stories about growing up with the Nepper's, well please let me know, I really would appreciate it. Thank you.

[Zelley10]

Those were the days and I am pleased to say that Jim and his brother Larry are part of the Newcastle Boxing Club alumni.

We all had our small parts to play in this small slice of Nanaimo's sporting history.

Thanks to sites like this forum, we are able to record
some of the events, and some of the members.

From time to time it is nice to hear from former members of the Newcastle and Nanaimo Boxing Clubs, but to hear from a child of a member is such a thrill.

[CHUBer]

I saw someone mention Neppers. Our family lived behind Neppers and I remember the old man with his boxing ring set up in the back yard. Last summer I had a good visit with Joe Nepper. He's looking great and seems to be very fit.

[johnniekombat]

Great Thread! I love all Combat Sports, and when it comes to punching, no one punches better than a boxer.

I am personally a fan of Mixed Martial Arts, and have trained with the guys at Nanaimo MMA (they use the Gymnastics Facility). They are a good group of guys very active in MMA.

That said, I would love the opportunity to train with some old school boxers in Nanaimo if there is anywhere to do that. ?

Also, this is my website dedicated to Combat Sports Conditioning:

http://www.combatathletics.com

I work as a Nationally Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist, specializing in Combat Sports.

[Zelley10]

I saw someone mention Neppers. Our family lived behind Neppers and I remember the old man with his boxing ring set up in the back yard. Last summer I had a good visit with Joe Nepper. He's looking great and seems to be very fit.

Good post, glad to hear about Joe.

Looking back to some old boxing clippings, one great one was a picture of George Nepper at his shop on Victoria Crescent (1964).
The heading was:
"Boxing Club Operates Despite All Handicaps".

[Zelley10]

Hi there!
Yes, My dad was close with the Nepper's, and his name was Jim McFadden, he passed away from Cancer in 2002, he worked hard welding to raise money for the family and put us through lots of sports growing up, one of them he showed us personally was how to box properly, keep our chin down, jab with the left a couple times and then with the right, our stance and everything.. He did not tell us where he learned as we were younger then and never thought to ask him, but I know that after I read this thread it made me wonder if he is the McFadden u r mentioning here.. if so, I really would be just happy to know this, as I can no longer ask my dad, he is resting peacefully on Saltspring Island.. he would have been 17 years old in 1965, and he told us some good stories about growing up with the Nepper's, well please let me know, I really would appreciate it. Thank you.

Looking back over the years, I am pleased that you would detail some of the moves that Jim taught - discussion of chin down, jabs and stance were always important basics. Going back to 1963, the person that had the
most influence regarding stance & jabs was Harry Pollitt. Harry also
emphasized the importance of footwork.

From my position, I worked on single, double and triple jabs. Also, with the help of others, it was possible to learn all of the defensive moves against the jab e.g. block, slip etc. As time goes by one adds more techniques & moves.
In fact, it is a never ending process of learning from others and and teaching
those that follow.

[Zelley]

It has been some time since talking about boxing. There are so many interesting stories about the early days with George Nepper's
old Newcastle Boxing Club, and those early days with the Nanaimo Boxing.

One of my most interesting events in boxing was visiting and meeting Muhammed Ali while he was residing in the Georgia Hotel in Vancouver
for his bout with Canada's own George Chuvalo in 1972. During this same time period, a few of us (including two from Nanaimo) had the opportunity
to show former top welterweight contender Manuel Gonzalez from Houston, Texas around Vancouver. A small part of that experience appeared in the local Nanaimo newspaper in '72.

My last real involvement with boxing took place about 1991-1992,
when I briefly served as an interim boxing chairman for Victoria's
preparation for hosting the Commonwealth Games.

[Zelley]

Of interest, some information concerning a May 2008 Nanaimo
boxing card was listed on the Saddo Boxing website
at http://www.saddoboxing.com

Also, on the site is a forum to discuss boxing.