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By Garth McLennan, Sports Editor

na sports world that has been increasingly

dominated by mixed-martial-arts, it isn’t often

that we get to see great new websites and areas
devoted to the sweet science of boxing (aside of
course, from what one notable Other Press writer
continually attempts to peddle off on you). That
is why it has been a breath of fresh air to see the
expansion of Evan Chan’s Boxing Cinema (www.
boxingcinema.com).

Chan, 24, has been shooting boxing events for
three years and first thought of launching his own
site some time last summer.

“The decision and process was pretty
quick. One of the reasons I created it was because
I had been shooting boxing events since 2007
when I was 21, and people kept asking me for
the videos. Because I was too lazy to sell them
on DVD, I figured I’d just put them up online so
it’s free. It was also my way of giving back to
the sport of boxing, which has been very good to
me. However, once I got the site started, rather
than simply leaving the videos on there to rot, I
kept thinking of ways to make it better... which
led to the interviews with fighters and promoters,
working to get writers to write articles, and as of
this summer, a small clothing line,” Chan says.

Boxing Cinema focuses primarily on the world
of boxing in British Columbia, but they also post
articles featuring bouts and fighters from the more
mainstream professional ranks as well. However,
boxing in B.C. is where Chan’s heart truly lies,
and he hopes that his website will be a way to help
promote the sport in this province.

“The biggest problem is there’s not a lot of
money in the Canadian boxing game in general.”
Chan says. “That problem exists mainly because
of the lack of interest in the sport here in Canada—
we’re a hockey country. The Canadian boxing fans
that do exist, the majority of them follow only
the mainstream boxing scene, which means the
US. boxing scene. Only the die-hard Canadian
boxing fans will be able to name one of our current
Canadian champions”.

18

Great new site gives Canadian boxing fans a home

PART 1

BOXINGCINEMA.COM Junior Moar vs. Billy Balley..

 

 

That being said, Chan does have his thoughts

and opinions surrounding the mainstream fight

scene, and like just about every other boxing fan on
the planet, he has an admiration for the top two in
the business right now, Pacquiao and Mayweather,
and he also has his dream fight originating from
here in B.C.

“I love Manny Pacquiao. He’s Bruce Lee with
boxing gloves. I feel really bad for Mayweather
because the media and the fans are so biased
against him. I met his uncle, Roger Mayweather,
in 2008 and he was really nice. At the end of the
day he is my favourite fighter out of all the active
fighters out there right now. I think he shows a side
of boxing that is very important. A lot of “boxing
fans” believe that you have to go in there and trade
punches all day to be a boxer, but that really isn’t .
true. Boxing is a technical game, and Floyd fighting
a defensive-minded fight all the time displays a
skill that is often ignored... and that’s bad. For
young people who want to start boxing, he’s the

 

PART 4

 

guy they want to aspire to become because no

one wants to end their career with a serious brain
injury. I understand that a lot of fans aren’t happy
because he doesn’t trade punches and get hit a

lot and I can understand that. But I’d rather see a
boring fight than to read about another fighter dying
in a hospital shortly after a bout because he took
too many blows to the head.

“Live in person here in B.C. it would
either be my friend Junior Moar up against Jean
Pascal. Junior is such a skilled boxer and an even
better person; he deserves a shot against the WBC
light-heavyweight champion, or a few years down
the road I’d love to see Paul Cheng develop enough
to get a shot against the Canadian heavyweight
champion”.

Boxing in Canada, and in general, may not
be at the peak that it once was, but hopefully with
members of the media that are as dedicated and as
passionate about the sport as Evan Chan, it’ll be
back to those days before long.