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Born in Surry in 1977, Donnie was two when his family moved to Brentwood Bay. When Donnie turned six, his dad, Don Sr., took him to the Jaycee Boxing Club where he learned the basics, including jump rope, exercises, shadow boxing and hitting the heavy bag. At age 11, Donnie joined the Victoria Athletic Association (VAA) Boxing Club and started serious training with his father and Mike Caird. "Donnie Boy" started competing and winning around B.C and, by 1994, he was a Golden Gloves, Silver Gloves, Emerald Gloves and Diamond Belt Champion and won a Silver medal at the Canadian Championships.
After taking time out for high school, Donnie started training again in 1998 at VAA with Don Sr, Mike Caird and Ian Weir coaching him. During that year, Donnie won Gold at the Provincial Championships and was awarded the Best Boxer and Best Bout trophies. Also in 1998, he won Gold at the International Blue & Gold tournament in Los Angeles and was awarded the Most Outstanding Boxer for all weight divisions among 320 fighters. He finished the year winning a Silver medal at the National Championships in Sudbury, Ontario.
In 1999, Donnie repeated as Provincial Champion and Golden Gloves Champion, as well as being voted Best Boxer for both those tournaments. At the Canadian Championships, he won the Silver medal and shared the trophy for Best Bout. To cap off the year, Donnie won the Canadian Olympic Trials at Halifax, which earned him a spot on the Canadian team.
The year 2000 saw Donnie travelling to Tampa, Florida for the Americas Olympic Qualifying tournament, where he won the Silver medal and qualified for the Sydney Olympics. Unfortunately, Donnie was badly cut in his first bout at the Olympics and the referee had to stop the contest. During the 2001 season, Donnie won Gold at the Canadian Championships and was selected as Canadian Team Captain. He won Bronze at the Francophone Games in Quebec City and placed 5th at the World Championships in Belfast, Ireland. The Province of B.C. recognized his accomplishments with the Premier's Award of Excellence for 2001.
From 2002-2004, Donnie took time away from boxing and worked on his apprenticeship as a pipe-fitter until, in 2005, he moved to Las Vegas to train for a professional boxing career under Richard Steele (Boxing Hall of Fame referee). "Donnie Boy" had matches in Las Vegas, Boston, California and New York, and credits Steele as a great influence on his pro career which Donnie finished with 15 wins and one loss.
"Donnie Boy" retired from boxing in June 2010. He now resides in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife, Zonia, and 10-year old daughter, Bailey. Donnie's late mother, Ruth, was a huge influence on him and always stayed positive through the ups and downs of his boxing career. As one of Canada's best boxers ever, Donnie Orr is truly deserving of his place in the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame.
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