Burnaby’s ‘Boxing Mountie’, Harry Twist, staged a one-man war against juvenile delinquency over his long career as coach of the South Burnaby Boxing Club.
A talented coach and friend of the young, Twist trained scores of young men, including the late, former Commonwealth Games bantamweight Frankie Scott, two-time Emerald boy finalist Freddy Fuller, silver boy and Olympic hopeful Johnny Phillips and 1954 Canadian welterweight champion Des Archer, who later joined the RCMP.
Twist operated his boxing gym for more than 30 years in a former church on Kingsway, between Nelson and Royal Oak. He also held boxing shows in Central Park, where the baseball diamond now stands. In the winter, he held shows in the gym at Burnaby South senior secondary.
