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COVID-19 Affects 2020 Ontario Boxing Hall of Fame Induction
Article by: Dameon Okposio Photos by: Pete Doherty
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COVID-19 became more prevalent to me at the Issue 36 Below the Belt Boxing Magazine Launch Party held on Friday, March 13, 2020. The event was held at the Peel Regional Police Association located in Brampton, Ontario and it seemed like there was going to be a great turnout until
people attending and staff started canceling on the event that morning. Nothing had been officially shut down yet, as our staff went to pick up the custom cakes and pastries, attended a Dollar Store, the bank and Tim Hortons before setting up for the event. We had a decent amount of people show up but COVID-19 was the main topic of conversation and a lot of people made a brief appearance. While it was still a successful event, it was noticeable that things were going to be different and perhaps we were at the beginning of something that was going to get worse.
The (WHO) World Health Organization describes COVID-19 as Coronavirus disease and explians that it is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. Most people who fall sick with COVID-19 experience mild to moderate symptoms and recover without special treatment but vulnerable sections of society could experience difficulty breathing and in rare cases the disease could be deadly.
The virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or exhales. These droplets quickly fall on floors or surfaces, which makes it easy to spread. You can be infected by breathing in the virus if you are within
close proximity of someone who has COVID-19, or by touching a contaminated surface and then your eyes, nose or mouth, similar to contracting other viruses like the flu. For the safety of the public, the government shut down events and non-essential businesses, and Boxing Ontario had
halted sanctions. It was unfortunate and expensive but reluctantly the 2020 Ontario Boxing Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was canceled.
The 2019 Ontario Boxing Hall of Fame Induction held a year earlier, was a great event that was held at the Oxford Auditorium located at 875 Nellis Street in Woodstock, Ontario. It was well attended and it was a fun day filled with boxing events. The day started with the annual Boxing Trade Show, and continued with a buffet dinner, Awards and Induction Ceremony, and the night ended with exciting live amateur boxing bouts. The event was so well received, we were planning to head to the same location for the 2020 OBHF Induction Ceremony on Saturday, May 30, 2020.
Unfortrunately, money spent on advertising, printing, graphic design and various business expenses couldn’t be recovered. Despite the setback, the OBHF will press forward and hold the event in 2021. The eight inductees, Bryon Mackie, Dewith Frazer, Donovan Ruddock, Lisa Brown, Mark Leduc, Peter Sjouwerman, Ralph Racine and Silvia Pecota will all be inducted in 2021. The date and location will be announced at the end of 2020. BTB
2020 DO/ONTARIO BOXING HALL OF FAME COINS
We are celebrating 20 years of the Ontario Boxing Hall of Fame being in existence with memorable 2”, 4mms thick, 2D enamel, zinc alloy coins. The art and colour is one of a kind and a must have for the boxing memorbilia collector or the avid coin collector. The coin represents a milestone in business, but also represents holding up legends in the sport of boxing from Ontario. The coins are priced at $20.00/each and shipping is included in the price (in Canada). The coins can be purchased through the doboxingsales.com website. If the website is down, you can etransfer and email us at: okposio@hotmail.com.
The Ontario Boxing Hall of Fame was started in 2000 with founding members Peter Kowalski, Durell Wambolt, Rob Zuk, Joe Fallis and Norm Bell. In 2002, the members of the board stepped down and Rob Zuk turned over the Ontario Boxing Hall of Fame to Dameon Okposio who has been the President since. The Ontario Boxing Hall of Fame has supported numerous athletes and held the first official induction dinner in 2016. The induction dinner has also become a platform for other awards in the boxing community like the DO Youth Boxing Scholarship, and has become the annual flagship event for the organization.
The future plans for the Ontario Boxing Hall of Fame include looking for a home to display memorabilia, publishing a record book of inductees and the continued promotion of legends in the sport of boxing from Ontario.
Dameon Okposio President Ontario Boxing Hall of Fame
