But there鈥檚 been a recent push back by boxing, and Olson鈥檚 Gym pugilists are hoping to ride that wave.
One advantage boxing has over MMA is an amateur element that is represented at its apex in the Summer Olympics.
Olson鈥檚 Gym in Colwood is hosting the 2013 sa国际传媒 championships this weekend. The weight-class winners will advance to the Canadian championships Oct. 22-26 in Regina. The 2013 Canadian champions will advance to regional international qualifiers for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. The process will be repeated next year, leading to the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games and the year after on the road to the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.
Among the host Olson鈥檚 Gym boxers in action on opening night at the sa国际传媒 championships were the touted pair of Jacob Varga in 75-kilogram class and Jordan Baird in 69-kilo. Varga defeated Connor McKinley of Kelowna 5-0, while Baird beat Gurinder Khabra of Vernon 5-0. The other Olson鈥檚 Gym winner on the night was Liam O鈥橞rien in 49-kilo.
There are two sessions today, at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., with the provincial championships concluding Sunday at 1 p.m. Admission is $10 to $20 per day.
鈥淚nitially, the onset of UFC [MMA鈥檚 main pro outlet] took the audience away from boxing, myself included,鈥� said Olson鈥檚 Gym boxing coach Nathan Olson, who started the gym 20 years ago with father Allen Olson.
鈥淏ut UFC has made many mistakes over the past few years and boxing has made a huge comeback the past three-to-four years, especially in the welterweight and middleweight divisions, with fighters such as [Manny] Pacquiao and [Floyd] Mayweather.鈥�
Now, Olson鈥檚 Gym is hoping to again unearth the kind of boxers who used to train there, such as 1999 Canadian champion and 2000 Sydney Olympian Donnie Orr.
Varga and Baird, the breakout stars among the seven Olson鈥檚 Gym boxers who have qualified for the 2013 provincials, may just fit the bill.
鈥淛ordan [Baird] is very fast and has heavy [hard-hitting] hands,鈥� said Nathan Olson. 鈥淗e is very slick and hits and moves very well.鈥�
Varga, brother of work-ranked kick-boxer Gabriel Varga, is a more straight-forward power puncher.
鈥淛acob is super strong. He鈥檚 in your face all the time,鈥� noted Olson.
Both boxers advanced Friday along that long, winding road to Rio that will have many pitstops, detours and roadblocks along the way. Yet, that鈥檚 not an avenue open to amateurs in MMA, which may prove to be one of several emerging lifelines for the resurgent sport of boxing.
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