Wayne Bourque

Wayne Bourque has been the North American Native boxing champ three times in the welterweight and middleweight classes. He was born in 1959 to Métis parents in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. He is the cousin of Calgary Flames ice hockey forward Rene Bourque, and he has trained several NHL hockey players. [http://fan590.com/onair/barb-wired/media.jsp?content=20081002_135214_15428]

To protect himself from racist attacks, he learned to box. He won his first tournament, the Northwest Pacific Gold Gloves, at the age of 13 in Seattle.

Instead of turning professional, Bourque retired from amateur boxing in 1985 and became a fitness trainer. He currently heads a boxercise centre ("Centre Ring") and a summer camp in Toronto Canada where participants use boxing exercises to get fit without the physical contact of boxing matches. His clients have included Russell Crowe, whom he worked with in the movie Cinderella Man (2005).

External Link

Radio interview with Wayne Bourque by sports reporter Barb DiGulio, "Fan590", Toronto, October 7, 2008. [http://fan590.com/onair/barb-wired/media.jsp?content=20081002_135214_15428]

References

* Chris Alexander, "Why Didn't I Do It Sooner?" "National Post" (Toronto), June 27, 2000.
* Curtis Phillips, "Boxercise Guru Reflects on his Home," "Fort McMurray Today", March 16, 2002.
* Chris Alexander, "In the Ring with Raging Bull." "National Post" (Toronto), October 6, 2006.
*
* [http://www.lululemon.com/toronto/eatoncentre/ambassadors/536 Wayne Bourque]
* [http://www.centrering.com/ Centre Ring]