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BUFFERY: Venerable Cabbagetown Boxing Club is on the ropesSteve BufferyMore from Steve BufferyPublished:February 13, 2020
Toronto SUN Sports Other SportsRELATED
Toronto boxer Arthur Biyarslanov goes by the nickname “The Chechen Wolf.” He’s been chewing up and spitting out the competition since turning pro in 2018.
Biyarslanov, 24, is probably best known to Canadian sports fans for his stunning and dramatic victory over Olympic and world championship medallist Yasnier Toledo of Cuba in the gold-medal match at the 2015 Pan American Games as fans at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa chanted, “Canada! Canada! Canada!”
At 21, he was the only male boxer from the Great White North to qualify for the 2016 Olympics. He has since become arguably this country’s most promising professional, crafting a perfect 6-0 record with five knockouts, including a third-round KO over tough Argentine journeyman Nicolas Velazquez in Miami on Jan.30.
Born in the war-torn Russian republic of Chechnya, Biyarslanov immigrated to Canada with his family in 2005 when he was 10, moving into the tough St. James Town section of Toronto.
He couldn’t speak English, had lost his dad when he was a young boy and was picked on at school. In his own words, he “was lost.”
But then his older brother Rustam brought him to the Cabbagetown Youth Centre and Biyarslanov became involved in the after-school programs at the club, including the boxing program upstairs. As a result, The Chechen Wolf has become the latest fighter from the Cabbagetown Boxing Club to have risen to international heights in the sport, joining a storied list that includes fellow Olympians Shawn O’Sullivan, John Kalbhenn and Asif Dar … as well as fighters who competed at Olympics for other countries, including Marcus Priaulx (Australia) and Sean Black (Jamaica). Pat Fennell, John Raftery, Marc Leduc and Egerton Marcus are just a few of the other greats who trained at the club.
According to Peter Wylie, the long-time head boxing coach, there have been 10 Olympians to come out of the Cabbagetown. O’Sullivan won an Olympic silver medal and a world amateur title. Many other fighters captured Commonwealth and Pan Am Games hardware. The club has long been a lifeline for the Canadian national team.
Jennifer Doiron, an administrator who has Level One coaching works at...
Toronto Sun's Steve Buffery (L) speaks with John Kalbhenn who started...
Memorabilia, fight posters, former boxers, and boxing gear fill the walls,...
Memorabilia, fight posters, former boxers, and boxing gear fill the walls,...
Toronto Sun's Steve Buffery speaks with John Kalbhenn who started...
Toronto Sun's Steve Buffery speaks with John Kalbhenn (pictured - with...
Toronto Sun's Steve Buffery and John Kalbhenn (L) who started...
Memorabilia, ring chairs, Vaseline, fight posters, former boxers, and...
Inside the ropes at the Cabbagetown Boxing's Club on Wednesday...
Memorabilia, ring chairs, speed bags, fight posters, former boxers, and...
A plaque was dedicated to the people of Cabbagetown and the Boxing...
Jennifer Doiron, an administrator who has Level One coaching works at...
Toronto Sun's Steve Buffery (L) speaks with John Kalbhenn who started...
1/11But more important than producing world-class fighters, the Cabbagetown Youth Centre has contributed in an immeasurable way to young people in that highly diverse area of Toronto, a hard-scrabble corner of the city that includes tough neighbourhoods such as St. James Town and Regent Park. The club is a haven for immigrant kids trying to adjust to a new country — kids like Biyarslanov who said, in some ways, the centre, and the sport of boxing, saved his life.
“That gym is what made me what I am today,” said the Montreal-based fighter, whose family still lives in St. James Town. “To have a boxing gym in that area, a place kids can go to after school, is very important because, who knows? If I didn’t go to the gym, what would I have done after school? Maybe I would get into trouble.
“It’s also important because it’s probably the most multicultural place in Canada,” Biyarslanov continued. “We had kids from all over the place. Indian guys, Pakistani guys, we had another Chechen training with us, we had Russians … there were people from all over the world. Without CYC, where would they go?”
The CYC has been around since 1972, providing recreational programs and summer camps for low-income families and at-risk youth in the area. Sadly, funding from all levels of government have begun to disappear and there is a last-ditch effort afoot to find new revenue sources to keep the club alive before it’s forced to close permanently at the end of March because of a lack of money.
Memorabilia, ring chairs, speed bags, fight posters and boxing gear fill the walls, cabinets and tables at the boxing club atop the venerable Cabbagetown Youth Centre. JACK BOLAND/TORONTO SUN
Mayor John Tory has pledged to do what he can, but the future of the centre — and the boxing club — is still very uncertain. Without a doubt, losing the CYC would be a disaster for the community. Wylie, a retired Toronto cop, said the club and his boxing program have helped thousands of kids stay on the straight and narrow. He said a “countless” number of ex-boxers, many from impoverished families, have gone on to become lawyers (including Raftery), teachers and successful business people.
“Everyone is screaming that they want to do something about gun violence and drug problems and the opioid crisis and everything. Well, there’s 190,000 people on a waiting list to get into recreational facilities in the core area of the city. Everyone is screaming for this and that, and there’s no money available for it.
“And who are we? We’re a small registered charity. But for many, many years, we have taken up the work load of the city in that area. In the summers, we’re putting through 1,200-1,400 kids in summer camp.”
Kalbhenn came to the Cabbagetown club as a teenager from New Hamburg, Ont., to train in the early 1980s and has been there ever since, first as a boxer (amateur and pro) and now as a long-time coach. He has seen first-hand how the sport, and his club, can change lives.
“Everybody can box. You don’t have to speak English. It’s a poor man’s sport. We throw a pair of gloves on, a pair of running shoes, and they’re good to go,” he said. “The kids have a bad day at school, they come in and bang the bag or they get in the ring. And they gain respect for each other.”
Biyarslanov gets emotional contemplating the idea that his old club might be forced to shut down.
“That club means to much to me,” he said. “It’s very sad that it’s in danger of closing.”
What would be great, Wylie and Kalbhenn agree, is if some wealthy philanthropist or organization in the city stepped up and made a major donation to the club — perhaps a sports-centric organization like Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.
In the meantime, a GoFundMe page has been set up for anyone wishing to make a contribution.
sbuffery@
@Beezersunpostmedia.com
BUFFERY: Venerable Cabbagetown Boxing Club is on the ropes
Steve BufferyMore from Steve Buffery
Published:February 13, 2020
Toronto boxer Arthur Biyarslanov goes by the nickname “The Chechen Wolf.” He’s been chewing up and spitting out the competition since turning pro in 2018.
Biyarslanov, 24, is probably best known to Canadian sports fans for his stunning and dramatic victory over Olympic and world championship medallist Yasnier Toledo of Cuba in the gold-medal match at the 2015 Pan American Games as fans at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa chanted, “Canada! Canada! Canada!”
At 21, he was the only male boxer from the Great White North to qualify for the 2016 Olympics. He has since become arguably this country’s most promising professional, crafting a perfect 6-0 record with five knockouts, including a third-round KO over tough Argentine journeyman Nicolas Velazquez in Miami on Jan.30.
Born in the war-torn Russian republic of Chechnya, Biyarslanov immigrated to Canada with his family in 2005 when he was 10, moving into the tough St. James Town section of Toronto.
He couldn’t speak English, had lost his dad when he was a young boy and was picked on at school. In his own words, he “was lost.”
But then his older brother Rustam brought him to the Cabbagetown Youth Centre and Biyarslanov became involved in the after-school programs at the club, including the boxing program upstairs. As a result, The Chechen Wolf has become the latest fighter from the Cabbagetown Boxing Club to have risen to international heights in the sport, joining a storied list that includes fellow Olympians Shawn O’Sullivan, John Kalbhenn and Asif Dar … as well as fighters who competed at Olympics for other countries, including Marcus Priaulx (Australia) and Sean Black (Jamaica). Pat Fennell, John Raftery, Marc Leduc and Egerton Marcus are just a few of the other greats who trained at the club.
According to Peter Wylie, the long-time head boxing coach, there have been 10 Olympians to come out of the Cabbagetown. O’Sullivan won an Olympic silver medal and a world amateur title. Many other fighters captured Commonwealth and Pan Am Games hardware. The club has long been a lifeline for the Canadian national team.
Memorabilia, fight posters, former boxers, and boxing gear fill the walls,...
Memorabilia, fight posters, former boxers, and boxing gear fill the walls,...
A plaque was dedicated to the people of Cabbagetown and the Boxing...
Jennifer Doiron, an administrator who has Level One coaching works at...
But more important than producing world-class fighters, the Cabbagetown Youth Centre has contributed in an immeasurable way to young people in that highly diverse area of Toronto, a hard-scrabble corner of the city that includes tough neighbourhoods such as St. James Town and Regent Park. The club is a haven for immigrant kids trying to adjust to a new country — kids like Biyarslanov who said, in some ways, the centre, and the sport of boxing, saved his life.
“That gym is what made me what I am today,” said the Montreal-based fighter, whose family still lives in St. James Town. “To have a boxing gym in that area, a place kids can go to after school, is very important because, who knows? If I didn’t go to the gym, what would I have done after school? Maybe I would get into trouble.
“It’s also important because it’s probably the most multicultural place in Canada,” Biyarslanov continued. “We had kids from all over the place. Indian guys, Pakistani guys, we had another Chechen training with us, we had Russians … there were people from all over the world. Without CYC, where would they go?”
Memorabilia, ring chairs, speed bags, fight posters and boxing gear fill the walls, cabinets and tables at the boxing club atop the venerable Cabbagetown Youth Centre. JACK BOLAND/TORONTO SUN
Mayor John Tory has pledged to do what he can, but the future of the centre — and the boxing club — is still very uncertain. Without a doubt, losing the CYC would be a disaster for the community. Wylie, a retired Toronto cop, said the club and his boxing program have helped thousands of kids stay on the straight and narrow. He said a “countless” number of ex-boxers, many from impoverished families, have gone on to become lawyers (including Raftery), teachers and successful business people.
“Everyone is screaming that they want to do something about gun violence and drug problems and the opioid crisis and everything. Well, there’s 190,000 people on a waiting list to get into recreational facilities in the core area of the city. Everyone is screaming for this and that, and there’s no money available for it.
“And who are we? We’re a small registered charity. But for many, many years, we have taken up the work load of the city in that area. In the summers, we’re putting through 1,200-1,400 kids in summer camp.”
Kalbhenn came to the Cabbagetown club as a teenager from New Hamburg, Ont., to train in the early 1980s and has been there ever since, first as a boxer (amateur and pro) and now as a long-time coach. He has seen first-hand how the sport, and his club, can change lives.
“Everybody can box. You don’t have to speak English. It’s a poor man’s sport. We throw a pair of gloves on, a pair of running shoes, and they’re good to go,” he said. “The kids have a bad day at school, they come in and bang the bag or they get in the ring. And they gain respect for each other.”
Biyarslanov gets emotional contemplating the idea that his old club might be forced to shut down.
“That club means to much to me,” he said. “It’s very sad that it’s in danger of closing.”
What would be great, Wylie and Kalbhenn agree, is if some wealthy philanthropist or organization in the city stepped up and made a major donation to the club — perhaps a sports-centric organization like Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.
In the meantime, a GoFundMe page has been set up for anyone wishing to make a contribution.
sbuffery@postmedia.com
@Beezersun
The Sun’s Steve Buffery (left) speaks with John Kalbhenn at Cabbagetown Boxing Club. JACK BOLAND/TORONTO SU
BUFFERY: Venerable Cabbagetown Boxing Club is on the ropesSteve BufferyMore from Steve BufferyPublished:February 13, 2020
Toronto SUN Sports Other SportsRELATED
Toronto boxer Arthur Biyarslanov goes by the nickname “The Chechen Wolf.” He’s been chewing up and spitting out the competition since turning pro in 2018.
Biyarslanov, 24, is probably best known to Canadian sports fans for his stunning and dramatic victory over Olympic and world championship medallist Yasnier Toledo of Cuba in the gold-medal match at the 2015 Pan American Games as fans at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa chanted, “Canada! Canada! Canada!”
At 21, he was the only male boxer from the Great White North to qualify for the 2016 Olympics. He has since become arguably this country’s most promising professional, crafting a perfect 6-0 record with five knockouts, including a third-round KO over tough Argentine journeyman Nicolas Velazquez in Miami on Jan.30.
Born in the war-torn Russian republic of Chechnya, Biyarslanov immigrated to Canada with his family in 2005 when he was 10, moving into the tough St. James Town section of Toronto.
He couldn’t speak English, had lost his dad when he was a young boy and was picked on at school. In his own words, he “was lost.”
But then his older brother Rustam brought him to the Cabbagetown Youth Centre and Biyarslanov became involved in the after-school programs at the club, including the boxing program upstairs. As a result, The Chechen Wolf has become the latest fighter from the Cabbagetown Boxing Club to have risen to international heights in the sport, joining a storied list that includes fellow Olympians Shawn O’Sullivan, John Kalbhenn and Asif Dar … as well as fighters who competed at Olympics for other countries, including Marcus Priaulx (Australia) and Sean Black (Jamaica). Pat Fennell, John Raftery, Marc Leduc and Egerton Marcus are just a few of the other greats who trained at the club.
According to Peter Wylie, the long-time head boxing coach, there have been 10 Olympians to come out of the Cabbagetown. O’Sullivan won an Olympic silver medal and a world amateur title. Many other fighters captured Commonwealth and Pan Am Games hardware. The club has long been a lifeline for the Canadian national team.
Jennifer Doiron, an administrator who has Level One coaching works at...
Toronto Sun's Steve Buffery (L) speaks with John Kalbhenn who started...
Memorabilia, fight posters, former boxers, and boxing gear fill the walls,...
Memorabilia, fight posters, former boxers, and boxing gear fill the walls,...
Toronto Sun's Steve Buffery speaks with John Kalbhenn who started...
Toronto Sun's Steve Buffery speaks with John Kalbhenn (pictured - with...
Toronto Sun's Steve Buffery and John Kalbhenn (L) who started...
Memorabilia, ring chairs, Vaseline, fight posters, former boxers, and...
Inside the ropes at the Cabbagetown Boxing's Club on Wednesday...
Memorabilia, ring chairs, speed bags, fight posters, former boxers, and...
A plaque was dedicated to the people of Cabbagetown and the Boxing...
Jennifer Doiron, an administrator who has Level One coaching works at...
Toronto Sun's Steve Buffery (L) speaks with John Kalbhenn who started...
1/11But more important than producing world-class fighters, the Cabbagetown Youth Centre has contributed in an immeasurable way to young people in that highly diverse area of Toronto, a hard-scrabble corner of the city that includes tough neighbourhoods such as St. James Town and Regent Park. The club is a haven for immigrant kids trying to adjust to a new country — kids like Biyarslanov who said, in some ways, the centre, and the sport of boxing, saved his life.
“That gym is what made me what I am today,” said the Montreal-based fighter, whose family still lives in St. James Town. “To have a boxing gym in that area, a place kids can go to after school, is very important because, who knows? If I didn’t go to the gym, what would I have done after school? Maybe I would get into trouble.
“It’s also important because it’s probably the most multicultural place in Canada,” Biyarslanov continued. “We had kids from all over the place. Indian guys, Pakistani guys, we had another Chechen training with us, we had Russians … there were people from all over the world. Without CYC, where would they go?”
The CYC has been around since 1972, providing recreational programs and summer camps for low-income families and at-risk youth in the area. Sadly, funding from all levels of government have begun to disappear and there is a last-ditch effort afoot to find new revenue sources to keep the club alive before it’s forced to close permanently at the end of March because of a lack of money.
Memorabilia, ring chairs, speed bags, fight posters and boxing gear fill the walls, cabinets and tables at the boxing club atop the venerable Cabbagetown Youth Centre. JACK BOLAND/TORONTO SUN
Mayor John Tory has pledged to do what he can, but the future of the centre — and the boxing club — is still very uncertain. Without a doubt, losing the CYC would be a disaster for the community. Wylie, a retired Toronto cop, said the club and his boxing program have helped thousands of kids stay on the straight and narrow. He said a “countless” number of ex-boxers, many from impoverished families, have gone on to become lawyers (including Raftery), teachers and successful business people.
“Everyone is screaming that they want to do something about gun violence and drug problems and the opioid crisis and everything. Well, there’s 190,000 people on a waiting list to get into recreational facilities in the core area of the city. Everyone is screaming for this and that, and there’s no money available for it.
“And who are we? We’re a small registered charity. But for many, many years, we have taken up the work load of the city in that area. In the summers, we’re putting through 1,200-1,400 kids in summer camp.”
Kalbhenn came to the Cabbagetown club as a teenager from New Hamburg, Ont., to train in the early 1980s and has been there ever since, first as a boxer (amateur and pro) and now as a long-time coach. He has seen first-hand how the sport, and his club, can change lives.
“Everybody can box. You don’t have to speak English. It’s a poor man’s sport. We throw a pair of gloves on, a pair of running shoes, and they’re good to go,” he said. “The kids have a bad day at school, they come in and bang the bag or they get in the ring. And they gain respect for each other.”
Biyarslanov gets emotional contemplating the idea that his old club might be forced to shut down.
“That club means to much to me,” he said. “It’s very sad that it’s in danger of closing.”
What would be great, Wylie and Kalbhenn agree, is if some wealthy philanthropist or organization in the city stepped up and made a major donation to the club — perhaps a sports-centric organization like Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.
In the meantime, a GoFundMe page has been set up for anyone wishing to make a contribution.
sbuffery@
@Beezersunpostmedia.com
BUFFERY: Venerable Cabbagetown Boxing Club is on the ropes
Steve BufferyMore from Steve Buffery
Published:February 13, 2020
Toronto boxer Arthur Biyarslanov goes by the nickname “The Chechen Wolf.” He’s been chewing up and spitting out the competition since turning pro in 2018.
Biyarslanov, 24, is probably best known to Canadian sports fans for his stunning and dramatic victory over Olympic and world championship medallist Yasnier Toledo of Cuba in the gold-medal match at the 2015 Pan American Games as fans at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa chanted, “Canada! Canada! Canada!”
At 21, he was the only male boxer from the Great White North to qualify for the 2016 Olympics. He has since become arguably this country’s most promising professional, crafting a perfect 6-0 record with five knockouts, including a third-round KO over tough Argentine journeyman Nicolas Velazquez in Miami on Jan.30.
Born in the war-torn Russian republic of Chechnya, Biyarslanov immigrated to Canada with his family in 2005 when he was 10, moving into the tough St. James Town section of Toronto.
He couldn’t speak English, had lost his dad when he was a young boy and was picked on at school. In his own words, he “was lost.”
But then his older brother Rustam brought him to the Cabbagetown Youth Centre and Biyarslanov became involved in the after-school programs at the club, including the boxing program upstairs. As a result, The Chechen Wolf has become the latest fighter from the Cabbagetown Boxing Club to have risen to international heights in the sport, joining a storied list that includes fellow Olympians Shawn O’Sullivan, John Kalbhenn and Asif Dar … as well as fighters who competed at Olympics for other countries, including Marcus Priaulx (Australia) and Sean Black (Jamaica). Pat Fennell, John Raftery, Marc Leduc and Egerton Marcus are just a few of the other greats who trained at the club.
According to Peter Wylie, the long-time head boxing coach, there have been 10 Olympians to come out of the Cabbagetown. O’Sullivan won an Olympic silver medal and a world amateur title. Many other fighters captured Commonwealth and Pan Am Games hardware. The club has long been a lifeline for the Canadian national team.
Memorabilia, fight posters, former boxers, and boxing gear fill the walls,...
Memorabilia, fight posters, former boxers, and boxing gear fill the walls,...
A plaque was dedicated to the people of Cabbagetown and the Boxing...
Jennifer Doiron, an administrator who has Level One coaching works at...
But more important than producing world-class fighters, the Cabbagetown Youth Centre has contributed in an immeasurable way to young people in that highly diverse area of Toronto, a hard-scrabble corner of the city that includes tough neighbourhoods such as St. James Town and Regent Park. The club is a haven for immigrant kids trying to adjust to a new country — kids like Biyarslanov who said, in some ways, the centre, and the sport of boxing, saved his life.
“That gym is what made me what I am today,” said the Montreal-based fighter, whose family still lives in St. James Town. “To have a boxing gym in that area, a place kids can go to after school, is very important because, who knows? If I didn’t go to the gym, what would I have done after school? Maybe I would get into trouble.
“It’s also important because it’s probably the most multicultural place in Canada,” Biyarslanov continued. “We had kids from all over the place. Indian guys, Pakistani guys, we had another Chechen training with us, we had Russians … there were people from all over the world. Without CYC, where would they go?”
The CYC has been around since 1972, providing recreational programs and summer camps for low-income families and at-risk youth in the area. Sadly, funding from all levels of government have begun to disappear and there is a last-ditch effort afoot to find new revenue sources to keep the club alive before it’s forced to close permanently at the end of March because of a lack of money.
Memorabilia, ring chairs, speed bags, fight posters and boxing gear fill the walls, cabinets and tables at the boxing club atop the venerable Cabbagetown Youth Centre. JACK BOLAND/TORONTO SUN
Mayor John Tory has pledged to do what he can, but the future of the centre — and the boxing club — is still very uncertain. Without a doubt, losing the CYC would be a disaster for the community. Wylie, a retired Toronto cop, said the club and his boxing program have helped thousands of kids stay on the straight and narrow. He said a “countless” number of ex-boxers, many from impoverished families, have gone on to become lawyers (including Raftery), teachers and successful business people.
“Everyone is screaming that they want to do something about gun violence and drug problems and the opioid crisis and everything. Well, there’s 190,000 people on a waiting list to get into recreational facilities in the core area of the city. Everyone is screaming for this and that, and there’s no money available for it.
“And who are we? We’re a small registered charity. But for many, many years, we have taken up the work load of the city in that area. In the summers, we’re putting through 1,200-1,400 kids in summer camp.”
Kalbhenn came to the Cabbagetown club as a teenager from New Hamburg, Ont., to train in the early 1980s and has been there ever since, first as a boxer (amateur and pro) and now as a long-time coach. He has seen first-hand how the sport, and his club, can change lives.
“Everybody can box. You don’t have to speak English. It’s a poor man’s sport. We throw a pair of gloves on, a pair of running shoes, and they’re good to go,” he said. “The kids have a bad day at school, they come in and bang the bag or they get in the ring. And they gain respect for each other.”
Biyarslanov gets emotional contemplating the idea that his old club might be forced to shut down.
“That club means to much to me,” he said. “It’s very sad that it’s in danger of closing.”
What would be great, Wylie and Kalbhenn agree, is if some wealthy philanthropist or organization in the city stepped up and made a major donation to the club — perhaps a sports-centric organization like Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.
In the meantime, a GoFundMe page has been set up for anyone wishing to make a contribution.
sbuffery@postmedia.com
@Beezersun
The Sun’s Steve Buffery (left) speaks with John Kalbhenn at Cabbagetown Boxing Club. JACK BOLAND/TORONTO SU
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