Player Name

Donald Gignac

Type

Athlete

Sport

Boxing

Inducted

2023

Description

Donald Gignac started boxing competitively in 1986 at the Niagara Falls Boxing
Club when he was just 13 years old. He won two Ontario Championships coached
by John Degazio and Ron Gallen. He fought for the Canadian Intermediate
Championship vs Future pro Champ and International Hall of Famer Arturo Gatti,
losing by split decision.

Donald then moved to the Shamrock Boxing Club in 1990, mentored by Mike
Strange, and coached by Pat Kelly and Ray McGibbon. He fought world junior
champion Nelson Machado from Cuba in a Canada-Cuba head-to-head, losing in a
hard-fought decision.

Donald went on to win the Senior Featherweight Canadian Championships in
1993 in three matches and received the "Best Boxer" award for the tournament beating out two future Olympians. He represented Canada at several international championships including the Swedish Box Open in Stockholm, King’s Cup in Thailand, the Pre-Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia, and Canada-US dual meets. Mentored by Bill Irwin, in 1994, he turned professional, winning both of his pro
fights before retiring in 1995 due to tendon damage in his arms.