Boxing club set to open in Neepawa

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Published on Tuesday, January 14, 2014

By: Lanny Stewart

myWestman.ca

A boxing club will soon be opening in Neepawa.

Local boxing enthusiast Derek Pearson has signed a one-year lease with a building in town and will soon be opening "Boxe Neepawa: Combat Sports Club". Beginning Feb. 1, the club will be offering Olympic style boxing training programs for all ages and experience levels.

"I always wanted to get something going in Neepawa," said Pearson. "I've been a fan of boxing since I was a kid and there was never anything here for me to do other than hit the [punching] bag in the garage."

Pearson, who has had a long history in combat sports dating back to his time when he was a mixed martial arts fighter several years ago, says boxing is his forte and he plans on teaching what he's learned to those that are willing and able.

"I wanted to initially start a program just to teach a basic introduction of boxing to help me progress through my coaching certification," he said. "That's when I started to do a little research around town. A lot of people showed a lot of interest in having a program like this.

"I thought why not take it to the next level and just find my own space, acquire my own gear and just set up something."

Approximately one year ago, Pearson was asked to do some work for Boxing Manitoba and it didn't take long for him to get his feet wet with the association. Now a member of the board of directors, Pearson remembers going to a boxing event called the Canadian Golden Gloves Championship in Cornwall, Ont. which helped motivate him to open a club in a place where he grew up.

"I went out there and got to meet a lot of the people that run different boxing programs," he said. "They were all non-profit and all were pretty much run by volunteers. I was very inspired by some of the people I met out there with the work that they do with their communities and what I had wanted to do in Neepawa."

Pearson envisions his club, which is expected to be affiliated with Boxing Manitoba, to have a youth and adult boxing class. He also plans on having a six-week program, which he says is similar to a hockey camp.

"The program will deal with the basics of how to throw a jab, how to properly defend yourself," he said. "From there, hopefully enough people are interested where they start coming on a month-to-month basis."

Pearson says the club will be a non-profit organization, with all the money earned going to improvements to the building and for necessary upgrades to the boxing gear.

"The building isn't in terrible shape, but it does need some repair," he said.

Pearson says, if all goes well with the club, he's hoping to one day down the road have some amateur boxing cards for fans to come out and watch.

For more info on the Neepawa boxing club, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or message Derek Pearson on Facebook.

In photo: The building, located at B-287 Hamilton Street, is where the new boxing club will be opening in Neepawa.

Photo submitted