Thread: Stefan Melideo, Mike Caird & Chris Jones

The recent announcement of Stefan Melideo
as the recipient of the Fred Fuller Sr.
Memorial Award. Is a triple combination for
Vancouver Island boxing and the
Nanaimo - Victoria connection.

Recently, Capital City boxing coach Chris Jones was elected president of Boxing BC.
Chris at one time belonged to the old London Boxing Club. and former boxer and coach Mike Caird
will be inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame, November 2009/

Now I don"t know young Stefan of the Nanaimo Boxing Club, but in 1971 I was one of the founders along with Dan Wright
and help from John Ormandy and former Nanaimo boxing coach George Nepper.

For Mike Caird, I'm pleased to say I coached
with him in the mid-Seventies in Victoria.

Stefan Melideo is a member of the Nanaimo Boxing Club formed in 1971.
At least three former Vancouver Island boxers have won award for
being the best junior boxer in BC - Mickey Griffin (Nanaimo),
Cliff Ballendine (Victoria) and Alan Brown (Gold River).

Chris Jones is a coach with Victoria's Capital City Boxing Club
and his election to the Executive Board of the BCABA -Boxing BC
is the first in many years somebody from Victoria
The first and likely last before Jones was Brian Zelley in 1983.

Mike Caird was an active boxer in the Fifties and early Sixties
and was a 1963 BC Golden Gloves champion and faced many of the best
BC boxers such as Harold Mann, Bill Adams, Skimp Williams and Clint Page.
Mike started coaching in 1969 and coached 2000 Olympic boxer Donnie Orr
and former Canadian champion Jason Heit as well as other amateur
boxers of note such as Wayne Crowe, Gary Robinson and Cliff ballendine.

Some others involved with Caird in coaching at various points in time were
from 1969 to 2000 were Gordie McGaw, Brian Zelley, Lou Bujdoso,
Jim Ballendine, Ian Weir and Don Orr sr. and various other helpers
and volunteers in organizing boxing shows in Victoria and helping with
travelling and out-of-town club shows and tournaments including
the Former Boards of Directors and members of the
London Boxing & Athletic Club and the Victoria Athletic Association as well as the
coaches and members of the Jaycees Boxing Club such as Mike Sartori
and Paul DeLuca Sr. Also, for a number of years, former
VAA president Ian Duddy served as the boxing manager
with assistance from Brian Turnbull.

Of the various stories, it is my view that the induction of Mike Caird in November 2009 is most important not only for Mike, but for the sport itself and in some ways validates the sport in Victoria,
Vancouver Island and British Columbia.


When combined with the recent inductions of Alberta's Scotty Olson
and Sault Sainte Marie's Steve Beaupre, they are three punch knockout
punch to recognize Canadian boxing.

On Facebook at the AMATEUR BOXING in British Columbia
(past, present & future), there is a Tribute Page for Caird
with some past stories and information.

At a later date the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame
will have a 8-minute video covering past history with an assortment of
old photographs of Caird, some of the boxers and others.
Some news headlines and various certificates or awards.

I recently met with former boxer and coach Mike Caird to review some of
the boxing data that he has that will help in telling his story from
the mid-Fifties t the year 2000 and discussing some ot the history of
various boxing clubs on Vancouver Island such as the London Boxing Club,
Victoria Athletic Association, Nanaimo Boxing Club.

Also, discussed some of the past tournaments from the
1964 Vancouver Island Championships to the 2000 Canadian
Olympic boxing team that included Victoria's Donny Orr,
long-term champion Michael Strange, Troy Ross etc.
Of interest, some of the 2000 team boxers played boxers in
the movie "Cinderella Man" with Russell Crowe and Rene Zellweger.

The 1964 Vancouver Island championships was one of Caird's last
tournaments. In 1963, Caird was one of a few Island boxers to
win in the 1963 BC Golden Gloves. But, he lost out to army boer
Rifleman Walsh in 1964

Aside from Walsh, some of the other champions were Giles Nepper, Brian Zelley, and Tommy Black.

Some of the Victoria boxers to remember would include
Wayne Crowe, Gary Robinson, Danny O'Sullivan, Dan Wright,
Ian Weir, Matt Montgomery, Paul Panke, Cliff Ballendine,
Jason Heit, Donnie (Boy) Orr and Teresa Taylor and many more.

Of the various boxers, congratulations are due JASON HEIT for his recent promotion of an MMA card held on the Island.

1974 = Ian Weir - Mike Caird - Brian Zelley

Although one of the players of this thread is MIKE CAIRD, one needs to look
at the one boxer that shined the spotlight on Caird as a coach.

That boxer is CLIFF BALLENDINE of the Victoria Athletic Association.

Sorting through all of the amateur boxers from British Columbia in the Seventies
and early Eighties, one needs to shine the spotlight on
three time junior Golden Boy Cliff Ballendine.

Before yesterday, it had been a long time since I saw and talked to
Cliff about his glory days of boxing, but on Friday afternoon on a rainy day
in October in the Esquimalt region of Greater Victoria, I waited for
Ballendine to show-up for a coffee at a coffee shop. While I waited, the rain stopped
and the sky cleared and the sun shined and Cliff Ballendine arrived.

It was only to be for a brief half hour or so, but the meeting stretched
beyond an hour and half. as we talked about his moments of glory
during his amateur and pro days.

Part of the time was spent outside while the ex-boxer demonstrated
his ring skills. Despite almost 25 years away from ring activity,
he still had those fast hands, and the movement to slip jabs and
counter, and most likely to stop or KO opponents.

Despite the warm sun, there was a few moments of sadness when
he explained where his room full of trophies,awards and press
clippings were. They were lost and gone forever. So many trophies
and titles from three time BC junior Golden Boy awards, Buckskin Boy
awards, and more including his selection as the best junior boxer from
British Columbia.

Then it was time to say goodbye, and then the rains returned.

Hey Zelley. I like that you keep the canadian boxing scene, past and present in print and going. I see you on Facebook on various groups. Steve Beaupre is well-known is these parts, for his international fighting in amateurs. Is coaching now. As well, some others of note, Dominic Filane Figliomeni and the Olympic team from that era. Were a good bunch of quality boxers. I know and have met a bunch of them, and the coaches. Having a go myself at that path so is cool to see you bring up names and the stories, history.

Don't know much about the BC history, but more regarding Ontario where currently fighting and training. So is nice to learn a bit from there.

Originally Posted by Youngblood

Hey Zelley. I like that you keep the canadian boxing scene, past and present in print and going. I see you on Facebook on various groups. Steve Beaupre is well-known is these parts, for his international fighting in amateurs. Is coaching now. As well, some others of note, Dominic Filane Figliomeni and the Olympic team from that era. Were a good bunch of quality boxers. I know and have met a bunch of them, and the coaches. Having a go myself at that path so is cool to see you bring up names and the stories, history.

Don't know much about the BC history, but more regarding Ontario where currently fighting and training. So is nice to learn a bit from there.

Good to hear about Steve Beaupre, and Domenic Filane Figliomenti and
other Ontario boxers, coaches and officials. Where do we start and end
with Ontario boxing? We have the Nolan family and the likes of
Frank Sr., Frank Jr., Brian, Steve and the Sault Ste Marie group.
We have Shawn O'Sullivan, Lennox Lewis, and Michael Strange and
the beat goes on.

Maybe we should have a thread the life & times of amateur boxing in
Ontario where we could touch on old clubs like the Beaver Boxing Club
in Ottawa or the likes of two-time Olympian Walter Henry.

In BC amateur boxing history we could charge out of the gate with some
of the old timers from the Forties like Vic Murdoch, Stan Almond,
Jimmy Crook and hundreds of others. Then fast forward to the Fifties
and Sixties with scores of boxers such as Harold Mann, the Boyce brothers,
Frank Scott, Fred Fuller, Skimp Williams, Fred Desrosiers, Dick Findlay
hundreds of others from novice boxers to Canadian champions.

November 21, 2009 - Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame
Induction Ceremony

- Weir - Zelley - Robinson - Wright -

- November 21, 2009 - Boxers line-up - Hall of Fame ceremony
at the Pacific Institute for Sports Excellence (Photo by: Dorothy Zelley)

BEYOND BC and into ONTARIO

Interesting hearing about Domenic and his extensive involvement in Ontato, Canadian and International boxing. Recently, there was a reunion of past Canadian boxers, I think it was in Doms town. Good news was it was not confined to Ontario boxers. I have never met Dom or many of his teammates of the Nineties, I should have met them in 1994 at the Commonwealth Games, but that did not happen
abd the only member of the Canadian team that I saw fight life was MICHAEL STRANGE, but that took place in 1990 in Seattle not 1994 in Esquimalt.

the story revisited
A few weeks back, I received a call from Cliff Ballendine, the tree-time junior golden boy.
Also, linked this story to a facebook site called: Support Youth Boxers of Canada, they Belong".

A FRESH NEW LOOK

This thread has now been linked to the BRITISH COLUMBIA AMATEUR BOXING - News and Views site along with the 1975 song by the Three Dog Night: "The Show Must Go On".

AWARDS and RECOGNITION and THE SOUNDS of SILENCE

This was some of the events of 209, but for special award in 2011
or expected awards in 2012 there has been no major public
announcements just the "Sounds of Silence".