For more than 30 years the Astoria Boxing Club ran a non-profit youth program that provided a safe space and mentorship for at-risk youth in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. In the Spring of 2012, the gym’s funding was cut and the club was forced to close its doors.

Later that year, the Aprons for Gloves Boxing Association was established and organized the first annual Restaurant Rumble, a fight-night fundraiser that raised over $100,000 to open a new gym: Eastside Boxing Club. AFG and Eastside were developed by a small group of professionals and entrepreneurs who seized an opportunity to re-establish a historic boxing program for at-risk youth. The new club also offered outreach programs specifically for women, survivors of domestic violence, frontline workers, and members of the LQBTQ+ community. These programs were designed to offer free mentorship and training to individuals who may otherwise not have the resources or support to participate in recreational sports.

After only six months of operation, a devastating fire forced the club to close. Again, with help from the community and another successful Restaurant Rumble, Eastside was reborn in 2014 in the historic Chinatown neighbourhood at 238 Keefer Street, continuing on the mission to provide boxing training and mentorship opportunities for anyone that is interested in learning the sport, particularly providing a space for youth to train for free.

With the advent of Covid and barely surviving the slow return to life, Eastside Boxing Club gratefully rose from the ashes, yet again.

We are thrilled to announce our latest fight-night fundraiser, Construction Destruction. Open to all those who work in the trades and construction industries.