The Astoria Boxing Club was founded in 1966 by Boyce, Demmery and Caravetta.  In 1977 it was taken over by George Angelomatis and Jack Duke. Its home was in the basement of the historic Astoria Hotel at 769 East Hastings Street, when the pub owner, Louis Valente Sr., allowed the club to use the basement space as a gym.

Boxers from the Northwest Eagles Boxing Club joined the gym shortly after it began, with top-level amateurs, such as the Angelomatis brothers and the English champ Kevin Howard, leading the way. George Angelomatis and Jack Duke managed the gym. Duke, a probation officer, recruited troubled and underprivileged youth to join the club, some from the nearby Raymur Housing Projects, which were only two blocks from the gym. Many young men from the projects came eager to box, and from the very beginning the gym had several national champions.

Longtime club members, such as the Mitchell brothers, the Galler brothers (Randy Galler won the Championship in his first year at Nationals), Dale Walters, Manny Sobral, Jimmy Warral, and Geronimo Bie kept the gym in the spotlight for many years. Bie was a silver medalist in the Commonwealth Games, and during one year, the club had five National Champions at the same time.

In 1998, the club left the Hastings Street location and moved to the North Burnaby Inn, where it stayed until 2002, when renovations to the Inn forced a move. From there, the famous club moved to the Fraser Arms Hotel until 2011 when it returned to is neighborhood and it’s current location at 901 Main Street.

In 2010 the Astoria Boxing Club amalgamated with the Warriors boxing club, bringing founders Dave Schuck and Jaime Ward.  Together with George Angelomatis and Jason Noel and a team of young, hungry, and talented boxers, they are building on the illustrious legacy of the Astoria Boxing Club.

The groups mission is simple:  To create a club that was strictly “all about the boxer”.  The highest values and morals are upheld at this club, making for a positive, enjoyable and successful team.  As a non-profit organization all of Astoria Boxing Club’s proceeds go back into the club and the club members, achieving the goal that “the boxer comes first.

Because of the club’s community involvement and low annual rates the club is able to offer it’s services to many boys and girls who in other circumstances could not afford the “commercial” boxing club.   Every member at the club works on a volunteer basis for the love of the sport, which reflects in the boxers they produce.