Peachland boxers gear up for Golden Gloves

(Left to right) 20-year old Derrick Larson of Vernon Counterpunch spars with Spencer Howard, 16, of Kelowna's Thistletown Boxing Club Sunday at Fourth Street Place. (Dave Preston photo)

by Dave Preston

Youth boxers from Kamloops, Vernon and Kelowna visited the Peachland Boxing Club Sunday to get in some practice before this weekend’s Golden Gloves competition.

“We were having a sparring session of local clubs,” said John Wardley, head coach of the Peachland Boxing Club.

Wardley said having his guys spar against boxers from other clubs is important.

“In a small club like ours, they are sparring the same guys all the time,” said Wardley. “They need to get with other guys with different styles.”

Having a sparring session that includes multiple clubs benefits everyone, according to Wardley. The boxers get practice boxing against competitors who may be taller, heavier or with a longer reach.

Wardley said, in some cases, boxers at a session like Sunday’s can end up sparring against someone they will meet in the ring at a competition.

Reece Waterfield, 14, Eric Hahn-Hill, 15, and 18-year-old Thomas Guthrie are entered in the Golden Gloves, which is being sponsored by the Counterpunch Boxing Club in Vernon.

Next month, Peachland boxers will travel to Fernie to participate in the Bronze Gloves.

Both the Golden Gloves and Bronze Gloves are sanctioned events under BC Boxing and the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association.

Wardley said he heard from visitors that, while Peachland’s facility is small, it has a nice ambience.

The Peachland Boxing Club work sout of Fourth Street Place and has a permanent ring set up in a back room. On Sunday, boxers had to change around the ring, as the rest of the building was being used by another group.