THE NINETIES BOXING REVIVAL GREATER VICTORIA

THE HEADLINES: by Brian Zelley

It was May 11, 1990 and the story in the "Times-Colonist
by JEFF RUD, Times-Colonist staff was titled
"Approaching Games to lift amateur boxing's profile".

"Amateur boxing ..., is about to receive a shot in the arm from the
Victoria Commonwealth Games Society. ..."We want to increase
the popularity of the sport" said JOHN STOTHART, executive director
of the Games Society.

"One objective of the Games is to 'strengthen sport', Stothart said.

"The first step towards that goal will be a meeting to re-establish the
Greater Victoria Boxing Association... The last major event
held here was the 1987 Diamond Belt tournament", recalls organizer
MIKE SARTORI."

"Sartori, who has been involved in the sport since his teenage years in Italy...
believes boxing can make a comebck here. So do other Victorians including former
British Columbia Amateur Boxing Association director BRIAN ZELLEY?.

"Zelley is one of several Victorians with strong boxing backgrounds who are
planning to form the Greater Victoria Boxing Association. Besides
serving as a BCABA director, he has also been an official and a coach in the sport"

(Note both I and Sartori were also former boxers but that reference was not included
in the story by Jeff Rud,)

" 'We have people here in Victoria" Zelley said..."The thing we need to do is to get some of
these experienced people involved to build on the positives of all the different
decades. You need a combination of these veterans along with some new blood.' "

THE OTHER WORLD, RING ACTION IN 1990

By the time the action of 1993 rocked into the history books, a few of the boxers
would be part of the 1993 and 1994 action in Victoria.