By GM Ross: In his recent Globe and Mail article entitled “Requiem for Boxing: the Decline of the Sweet Science” Stephen Brunt writes of boxing’s declining popularity worldwide and the rise of MMA as a global phenomenon. Brunt begins his essay with an Ontario focus, discussing the popularity of the recent UFC event in Toronto, before shifting his attention to boxing and MMA on the world stage, illustrating the latter’s position atop the hierarchy of combat sport spectatorship.
Fair enough. The UFC is growing and dwarfing boxing worldwide. It has been for a while now. That’s not my concern. My issue with Brunt’s essay is this: It gives the false impression that boxing in Canada is dead or dying in all provinces except Quebec. This is simply not the case. After years of virtually no boxing, several provinces have developed respectable boxing scenes despite the increasing popularity of MMA.
To be blunt, I was shocked that Brunt failed to mention the boxing renaissance underway right here in Ontario. In 2010 there were eleven professional boxing cards held in Ontario. The last time eleven or more shows were held in Ontario was 1987 – that’s a twenty-three year high! Boxers from the GTA like Logan McGuinness, Tebor Brosch, Samuel Vargas and Neven Pajkic have done wonders for boxing in Ontario over the last year, providing exciting, crowd appealing evenings of pugilism time and time again. With dedicated promoters like United and Wildcard now providing regular shows, you can bet Ontario’s professional boxing scene will only continue to grow throughout 2011.
In Alberta a similar trend is occurring. In 2010, Alberta was home to sixteen professional boxing cards, more than any year in the 1980s, 1990s or 2000s. This is due to the tireless efforts of promoters like Teofista in Calgary and Alliance, Primetime and KO Boxing in Edmonton. Fighters like WBC Youth Intercontinental champion Steve Claggett and North American (NABA) champion Arash Usmanee are a testament to the fine boxing environment that exists and will continue to develop in Alberta.
Last but not least, I’d like to point out the return of consistent professional boxing to New Brunswick. In 2010, Victory Promotions and New Generation Productions organized a total of six shows. Like Alberta, this was more professional boxing than the province had seen in any year during the previous three decades. Six cards don’t seem like much, but for a province with a population of just over 750,000 it’s a great start.
With these statistics in mind, how can Mr. Brunt conclude that Quebec is the only thriving boxing scene in the nation? Certainly, Quebec hosts the highest profile cards and produces some of Canada’s best boxers (although boxers from Ontario and Alberta are hot on their heels). Yet, in 2010, Quebec only hosted four more boxing cards than Ontario and one less than Alberta. I’ll admit that the events in the two latter provinces are of a national and North American flavor, as are many in Quebec. Do these provinces need world champions to be considered significant? Do we need a present day Tommy Burns or George Chuvalo for boxing to be ‘alive’ in Ontario? Our local rivalries produce a fantastic atmosphere for even the most casual of fans. I’ve heard the Mississauga faithful’s deafening chant of “Tebor, Tebor, Tebor!” as “the Mighty” Tebor Brosch had his hand raised in victory at the Hershey Centre. I’ve watched from the cheap seats as the intensely loyal Andrew Singh Kooner fans of Brampton screamed themselves hoarse for their hometown hero at the PowerAde Centre. Certainly, boxing in Ontario has proven an enjoyable enterprise for athletes, promoters and spectators alike, without being world caliber. So why do people like Stephen Brunt assume boxing in Canada is dead? Well, part of the reason is that journalists create their own ‘reality.’ If they choose not to report it, it ceases to exist in a very real way, by failing to enter the collective memory of the sporting public. Instead, our leading sports journalists serve up inaccurate mumbo-jumbo about the decline of boxing, framing it as a bygone pastime of our grandparents, forever exiled from the mainstream sporting landscape. Some thorough and regular coverage of our country’s budding boxers would be greatly appreciated.
So, here’s my challenge to Mr. Brunt. Instead of writing essays bemoaning the “decline” of the sweet science, join writers like J-F Emond Jeffrey, Ace Freeman, Dave Spencer, Murray Greig, Rick McLean and others who are reporting on local professional boxing in Canada. You’re a man that people listen to and respect. Instead of writing boxing’s eulogy, visit the rings of the nation and tell our citizens about the return of boxing. Tell them about the wonderful shows held by United Promotions in the GTA and Teofista Promotions in Calgary. Make sure they know about the exciting fight nights in Moncton, New Brunswick, and the world class boxers of Quebec. With your help, professional boxing could once again thrive from coast to coast. A wise man, quoting Plautus, once told me “courage is its own reward.” Show the courage to throw off the shackle’s of mainstream opinion (“boxing is dead,” “UFC is king,” etc.) and venture into the Canadian boxing scene. I think you’ll see Canadian boxing has come a long way in the last twenty years.