The Cranbrook Eagles Boxing Club is gearing up to host the B.C. Golden Gloves boxing tournament next weekend at the Cranbrook Curling Centre, which will include a few local athletes.
Eagles boxing coach Bill Watson is excited to display his local talent in a venue like the Curling Centre, which he hopes draws everyone from the curious spectator to the hardcore boxing fan.
“It’s going to be a great venue. There won’t be a bad seat in the house,” said Watson. “We’ll be able to use upstairs as well, so people can look down over the ring and we’re going to have bleachers and ringside seats set up, so I think it’s going to be a great location and we’ll see how it goes.”
Watson is drawing boxers from clubs in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and hopes to have 75 entries—and he’s already halfway to his goal.
“My target is to get up to 75 entries, then we can run a good show saturday night and then finals and match bouts on Sunday,” added Watson.
“We’re more than halfway right now, and I know there’s a lot of clubs—keeping my fingers crossed—that are coming and haven’t sent any entries in.
“That happens a lot at these tournaments, where clubs will show up without sending in entries.”
Watson is hoping to set up bouts for four of his fighters in Dacun and Gage Duthie, Dylan Clark and Shannon Ryan. This will be the second tournament in Cranbrook since the Rumble in the Rockies in the fall, which also featured local boxers on the card.
“It’s an Olympic sport, it recognizes females now in the Olympics, so come out and see some great amateur boxing,” said Watson. “You’ve got some athletes that have dedicated themselves to the sport and it is a huge commitment, especially when they get to the open divisions—they’re competing all across Canada.
“Your going to see all shapes and sizes and ages, starting right at 70 pounds, right up to the super heavyweight divisions, so come on out and check it out.”