Lonsdale Boxing Club, Regina: Breeding a new generation of boxers

REGINA, Saskatchewan — Boxing is one of the most popular combat sports where two people with protective gloves and a mouth guard throw punches at each other. You will often see the sport in the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games, the All-African Games, the Asian Games, etc.

While boxing is entertaining to many, some people, primarily parents, prevent their children from trying out the sport.

Nobody enjoys punches being thrown at their face. But while so many people may have reservations about the sport because the chance of injury is high, the Lonsdale Boxing Club, Regina, is one boxing club that has made the sport safe for all.

The club was founded by Frank Fiacco around 2005. After leaving boxing as a competitor, Frank decided to bring the game closer to the younger generation using his experience as a former competitor, 3-star and World Series of Boxing official with the AIBA International Boxing Association.

Frank named the club Lonsdale after one of the greatest influencers of the sport in the 18th century. Lord Lonsdale was an English boxing fan and was the first person to introduce the sport’s rules in 1867. Today, the Lonsdale Boxing Club is a boxing club that offers Olympic-style boxing training for young people ages of 11 and above.

The Lonsdale Boxing Club considers their type of boxing as safe boxing, where safety is prioritized. Because of this, they have made it mandatory for a physician to be present during all their competitive boxing competitions.

The club emphasizes sportsmanship, fair play, team spirit and athleticism. They provide quality training to all their team members to uphold these principles. Every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday are training days for the club from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. for those between 11-16 years, while those who are 17 and above train from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Because of how safe the Lonsdale Boxing Club has made the boxing game, parents started seeing how helpful it can be for children younger than 11. That was the main reason the club was established – to get the sport of boxing closer to the younger generation. To help with this, the club decided to start up what they call Mini Gloves.

Mini Gloves is a boxing program for children ages 10 and below. They usually hold training for this age group every Tuesday. The training focuses on introducing the children to boxing skills, fitness and self-discipline while they have fun learning with the short workout they do every time they meet.

Another special program by the club is a non-contact type of boxing called Boxercise. It gives the same endurance, intensity and boxing skills as if you are actually having contact with an opponent. People interested in this type of boxing meet on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Morgan Williams, Ron Bachmeier, Shyleo Fiacco and Patrick Innes are some coaches working tirelessly to ensure that the young generation is equipped. These coaches are well experienced. Let us not forget that the club founder and president, Frank Fiacco, is another experienced man in boxing.

Aside from teaching the younger generation boxing, the club also reaches out to the community. On Sept. 25, the club hosted a fundraising event to raise funds for the mental health program for young people in the community. The event was sponsored by the Family Plumbing & Heating and was held at the Lonsdale Club Arena.

“We want to address the stigma still associated with mental health,” Frank said.

Lonsdale Boxing Club, Regina, has really done well. Aside from helping the young ones keep fit, they have given them the skills needed to defend themselves from dangers. For some of them who would want to go professional, they have all the skills they need for success. It will be nice to have the next Anthony Joshua from Lonsdale Boxing Club, Regina.

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