The 24th Annual Ken Goff Memorial Boxing Classic (KGMBC) took place in Regina on May 26 with a rematch of the fights on May 28 for the Brandt Cup.
This year, for the first time in the event’s history, Team Canada took on Team Cuba.
Cuba ranks first in four men’s weight divisions internationally and won six medals in men’s boxing at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
A young Canadian team knew coming into the event they would have their hands full matching up against a program with as much success as Cuba.
However with 43 career fights under his belt and being the oldest member of Team Canada, at 28 years old, Harley-David O’Reilly (Gatineau, QC) has adopted a mentorship role within this young group.
“I like to have that on my back. I tell the boys ‘be confident, trust yourself, trust your abilities.’ We have a good group here” says O’Reilly.
This tournament is the beginning of the road to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for Team Canada with stops at the Continental and World Championships along the way.
This weekend O’Reilly was in the 81 kg weight division fighting against Cuba’s Osvary David Morrell Gutierrez, a former youth world champion. The fighters split their two bouts.
O’Reilly says “there are still tweaks I need to make but it told me I’m ready for that stage”.
The KGMBC is a major fundraiser and a tribute to the founder of the Regina Boxing Club, Ken Goff. His son George carries on his legacy in the Regina boxing community.
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