Boxing event adds to downtown momentum
Border City Boxing Club owner Josh Canty is looking forward to giving local boxers a chance to get back in the ring as Rumble On The River returns to Windsor July 31.
“We had that long drought because of COVID and we got our kids that are just so anxious to get in there and compete in front of their friends and families,” Canty said of the event which was last held in 2019 with former NFL’er Luke Willson appearing as a guest bell ringer.
Canty says they are hoping for twelve to fifteen bouts with fighters from Ontario and the United States on the ticket.
“The key thing is to get our local fighters on, not only from Border City but from Windsor Boxing Club, Bam Bam’s. The other local gyms as well so that we can get the local fervour back up in terms of boxing,” he said.
The Rumble On The River will add to the post-pandemic fervour that is happening downtown.
Renaldo Agostino is executive director of the boxing club and also president of Element Entertainment which brought international DJ Tiesto to Caesars this past weekend.
“The people here deserve the best and I think the best is attainable as long as you wanna go out there and get it,” Agostino said. “And if you can get it why not bring it? We've been bringing it to Windsor, especially after COVID.”
Agostino, who also owns Turbo Espresso bar, is a big advocate for downtown Windsor.
“It makes people wanna stay here. It makes people wanna be here. It makes people proud to be here. I'm happy we can be a part of that,” he said.
Brian Yeomans, Chair of the Downtown BIA, feels Agostino and his brother Remo are setting the tone downtown post-pandemic.
“They've been happy to help us along the way whether it's putting up Christmas lights in the winter all the way to putting on these fantastic events that they run,” he said.
Agostino brought a Windsor Spitfires viewing party to Charles Clarke Square last month and says a major event will be announced Tuesday with many more on the horizon this year.
Ward 3 city councillor Rino Bortolin feels events like those along with the farmer’s market, Ouellette Car Cruise in August and festivals help create momentum for the downtown area.
“What you really want to do is build up these organic events that really suit the city and are created by the people in the city and bring people in the city in a general area,” Bortolin said.
New investment is also creating residential space downtown which is giving restaurants like Oven 360 and Vito’s Pizzeria the confidence to open in the core.
“Downtown needs to be a neighbourhood,” said Bortolin. “To be a neighbourhood you need people who live downtown. As long as we can create a neighbourhood where people live as well as events to take place you start to get that good balance.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
RCMP not investigating possible foreign interference cases related to Chiu, Dong: Duheme
Canada's federal police force is not investigating any possible instances of foreign interference in the cases of former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu and Liberal-turned-Independent MP Han Dong, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme says.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca