'The show will go on': Brandon boxing club owner remains positive after club destroyed in massive blaze

Looking at the pile of rubble in downtown Brandon that was once his beloved boxing club, Noel Harding refuses to be discouraged. In fact, it's motivated him more than ever. 

"It's only uphill from here," said Harding. "It's inspirational. I'm very motivated by it and I'm going to bounce back 10 times harder and 10 times stronger and that's just what I do. It's just speed bump."

Harding, who has owned the Brandon Boxing Club for 17 years, was in Juanacatlán, Mexico preparing for a middleweight match against Gilberto Valadez when he learned his Pacific Ave., club was on fire. It was one of four buildings that caught fire in a massive blaze that started in an office supply store and quickly spread.

"It was a tough fight to say the least," said Harding, standing in front of the remains of his club. "I know I couldn't fight out of anger. It was a tough thing to do, fight right after hearing that."

Harding's club had been located for the last 12 years in a strip mall with two other businesses. It was located next to an office supply store that caught fire over the noon hour on May 19. A beer vendor/vacant club was also destroyed and an apartment building suffered extensive damage in the blaze.

Investigators have not yet released a cause for the fire nor a damage estimate. But Harding knows his losses total more than $100,000. Firefighters managed to save some of his title belts and other valuables from the fire. Harding didn't have insurance on the contents of the club.

It's also left his 30-50 regular members without a place to train.

"We're all traumatized. This was a part of our family," said Harding. "We all felt like it was our home."

"I had such a beautiful club. I've been in clubs all over the world … this is one of the nicest clubs I've been in," he said. "It had everything we needed to train."

Since arriving home late last Tuesday, Harding has started holding his classes and training sessions outside on the street in front of the burned-out club, which was still smouldering nearly a week later. On Friday evening, firefighters sprayed water on part of the ruins as Harding and his determined members trained meters away.

Parents, his mom, Beverley, and even security guards watching over the site have looked on as members throw punches and train in the middle of the closed-street. Bags of boxing gloves and other equipment sit on the sidewalk nearby.

Pouring rain put a damper on that plan one day, but he still sat outside the club just in case any of his members showed up.

"I'm not a quitter," he said. "The last thing I'm going to do is quit."

Harding is hoping to get into the burned remains of his former club soon to see what else he can salvage. From the street, the blue boxing ring is visible. He'd like to place it in his new club, wherever that may be.

"I didn't get into it to make money. I do it because I want to want to provide an outlet to the youth … a positive outlet to channel their energy in a positive way," said Harding. "That's why I strive to get a bigger, better place."

He's currently working on finding a new location for his club. Until then, he says he'll be holding classes on the street, or in his back yard.

"You can try to hit me, knock my down but we're going to keep going. The show will go on and I will vow to that."