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
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
'Tactical evacuations' underway near Fort Nelson, B.C., as wildfires encroach
The BC Wildfire Service says 'tactical evacuations' began Friday near Fort Nelson, B.C., due to an out-of-control wildfire that has grown rapidly since it was discovered earlier in the afternoon.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.