Boxing without contact still a hit at club
Turns out, boxing without contact can be for the feint-hearted after all.
While contact in the contact sport is not allowed by public health authorities throughout Ontario and the sport’s governing body in the province, COVID-19 hasn’t left Nappers Boxing Club shuttered with no new members and nothing to do.
Except for a three-month period that began in March, the 101-year club on Park Street in Welland has remained open, though not at full capacity nowadays.
“We are limited to 10 people in the gym at a time, but we’ve made up for it with more classes, including classes in the morning,” head coach Ray Napper said.
Masks are mandatory at all times inside the gym. There is pre-screening for members at the door, and change rooms are off-limits.
“We’re doing what we can,” he said. “Everybody seems to be enjoying it, so it’s nice.”
About 80 to 100 spots for training are available each week, “and they all get filled.”
“The demand has been really high, and the club is doing really well. Several new members are calling each week wanting to come in,” he said. “The new problem is trying to fit the new members in, which is a good problem.”
To say the least, the pandemic has affected the way boxing instructors teach their students these days.
“You can’t teach contact these days just because there are no hand pads, the six-foot rule. There is no sparring,” Napper said. “Nothing with contact, unfortunately.”
Those restrictions didn’t cause clubs under the Boxing Ontario umbrella to throw in the towel. Coaches have had to make adjustments by emphasizing what can be accomplished during the new normal for the sport.
“Boxers can always get in better shape, and there is always a lot of technique to work on. That’s what we’re focusing on,” he said. “They are getting lots of benefits from their training.”
Napper, a one-time Canadian
champion, recalled that coaching boxing while respecting a six-foot distance was “pretty difficult.”
“It was challenging, especially at first. But you get used to it.”
The future looks bright for the club from a competitive perspective. “We have a lot of upand-coming young talent. The club has probably never had
this many people with talent in it.”
These boxers, he added, are hardworking. “And they love to be here.”