Like father, like son.
In 2012, Prince George boxer Allan Bayne was inducted into the B.C. Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame.
Now Allan's father Boyd has been given his own place in the Hall.
The 20-year coach of the Spruce Capital Warriors Boxing Club is one of 12 inductees in the 2016 class.
"It's a great honour to be inducted into the B.C. Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame, I was tickled pink when I found out," said Boyd. "It's something I really appreciate. There are so may people in Prince George and the surrounding area who put in thousands of hours of their time into boxing and got no recognition whatsoever."
Despite never having boxed in the ring, the elder Bayne was encouraged to become a coach by his friend Harold Mann, a three-time Canadian champion and 1962 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, which led to a long and successful career as a coach, trainer and boxing card promoter.
As a B.C. provincial team coach in the 1980s and early-1990s, Boyd oversaw the development of several Canadian champions, including his son Alan, a nine-time B.C. champion who represented Canada at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. Boyd's Champions for Children fight cards in 1989 and 1990 raised thousands of dollars for the city's Child Development Centre. After he quit coaching, he stayed on as an official and still holds his Level 3 judging licence.
The Spruce Capital club was an offshoot of the Prince George Lions Club and was started by Bayne's father Reg, Irving Mann (Harold's brother), Jack Liddler and Torge Larson, headquartered in the old Civic Centre basement, which they they dug out by hand and covered with plywood flooring. Eventually the city kicked in some funding to pour a concrete floor and the gym thrived, with dozens of boxers training there.
"The Spruce Capital Boxing Club has always been successful," said Boyd. "Harold was going to go away to train but when he came and saw what a beautiful gym we had he stayed home.
"I spent 20 years helping to build the club. We were doing it for the kids."
Harold Mann was part of the original class inducted into the Hall when it opened in 2010. Mann's son Laurie joined Allan Bayne among the 2012 inductees. Sid McKnight of Prince George is also a member.
Scotty Olson, who fought Rudy Idanio to a draw in a professional flyweight bout June 22, 1996 in Prince George, and former Olympic champion Lennox Lewis were also inducted this year.
