George Angelomatis is probably best described as the heart of the boxing scene in Vancouver. He started fighting as a kid back in the golden days of the sport. He then moved on to amateur coaching, first at the Eagles Boxing Club in North Vancouver and then at the storied Astoria Boxing Club. And he has served as a member of the Vancouver Athletic Commission for over ten years, shaping policy and overseeing the myriad of rules and regulations applicable to professional events.
The Astoria was smack in the middle of the downtown east side. It produced many amateur and professional champions and became the premiere boxing club in the city due to the reputation of the men who volunteered their time and expertise there. Angelomatis’ day job as a defense lawyer and provincial court judge came in handy when he and partner Jack Duke, a parole officer, worked the dingy basement gym, guiding and shaping the futures of the large numbers of troubled and underprivileged kids who came from the nearby housing projects. Back then, Duke and Angelomatis had no shortage of eager and talented young kids who wanted to get into the game. Now is a different story. (more…)
