Ready to Rumble
Boxing in a blue collar town
Boxing was popular in Cumberland and for a working class town that was a little rough around the edges, fighting was commonplace. Knowing how to throw a punch or two could come in handy!
‘“Red Harvie '' and Ted Bates, from Cumberland, decided to slug it out and this struggle proved to be one of the best crowd-pleasers of the afternoon. The bout ended in a draw with both pugilists taking severe punishment.’
Comox Argus (July 1 1938).
In 1911 the Bantamweight bout for the Canadian championship between Thompson and Vinson was held in Cumberland. The event was lauded in local papers as an exciting prospect and one that would have an endless amount of drama throughout. Boasting about the Champion of the Dominion would hail from western Canada. Vinson went on to win the bout comfortably. The undercard was filled with local boxers from the Valley and other parts of the Island.
Major championship events such as this inspired the boys of Cumberland to box and the boxing club remained a key feature in the community for decades to come. Regular local competitions would be held at the Native Sons’ Hall on Dominion Day, and a big dance would be thrown afterwards - in 1924, over 400 people attended the dance.
