Sideline Sid Sports correspondant & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

On Wednesday morning, a small team of Western Bay boxers will hop on a plane to Christchurch to fight at the 108th National Amateur Boxing Championships.

Representing the Bay of Plenty Boxing Association, the four local boxers will compete at what is now known as the Boxing New Zealand National Championships, which start on Thursday afternoon. The finale is always the senior titles on the last day of the championships on Saturday.

Spearheading the local team, that all train at the Tauranga Boxing Club located in Waihi Road, is Light Welterweight Anthony Taylor. The Tauranga boxer will have little time for rest, as he is heading for the Commonwealth Games in India a few days after the Christchurch Nationals.

Many in the boxing community in the country, expected the Nationals to be cancelled or at least postponed, after the traumatic earthquake that hit the Canterbury region. In the spirit that epitomises Kiwis throughout the decades, the Canterbury Boxing Association was steadfast in its desire for the championships to go ahead.

It was initially expected that the six man Commonwealth Games team wouldn't compete in Christchurch - with a 20 day stand down handed out to a boxer that has a bout stopped because of a head shot.

Three of the lighter weighted Commonwealth Games bound team including Taylor, have elected to fight at the Nationals. While there is a risk, the value of hard fought preparatory competition far outweighs the negatives.

Guiding the Tauranga pugilist in pursuit of his second Light Welter National crown, will be coach Chris Walker. It is no coincidence that the very best athletes, always have a extremely well credentialed tutor in charge.

Chris Walker certainly meets the well-credentialed coach tag. His record of getting three boxers to the Commonwealth Games in twelve years, suggests that he is in the top echelon of boxing coaches in the country.

The story of the first boxer that Chris got the Games is quite remarkable. Chris Walkers older brother Robbie decided that there was unfinished business in his boxing career, and decided to make a comeback attempt to fight at the Commonwealth Games.

Although nearly thirty years of age, the Walker comeback after five years out of the ring, must rank as one of the most successful in the sport. With the goal of a Commonwealth Games berth in 1998, Robbie annexed the Light Welterweight championship in 1997, and repeated the achievement in 1998 to grab a Games trip.

While Robbie Walker lived his dream of fight at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, it wouldn't have happened without Chris Walker in his corner.

Chris actually has two of his boys going to the 2010 Commonwealth Games, as Dave Aloua-Roger met the qualifying criteria, while in the Walker gym. However work commitments in the Waikato, has seen the Heavyweight contender training out of a Hamilton gym in recent months.

There is another story about commitment in Anthony's inclusion in the Games team. Originally omitted from the team after nomination by the Boxing NZ selectors - Chris Walker successfully appealed the omission, to have Anthony given the opportunity of a lifetime to box at the Commonwealth Games.

Seeya at the Game.