Inductees

Kenny Lally (2024)

Boxing Athlete

History will remember Kenny Lally as one of the most successful boxers to ever represent Prince George inside the ring.

During a 14-year career with the Inner City Boxing Club, Lally punched his way to 11 provincial championships and seven Boxing Canada national titles. His achievements on home turf also took him to success at the international level. Highlights on the world stage included the distinction of becoming just the third Canadian in history to defeat a Cuban fighter, two appearances in Olympic qualifying tournaments, and a medal in the Pan American Games.

Lally was inspired to take up boxing at the age of 13 after he watched a movie about Muhammed Ali, and he didn’t need long to start making his own name in the sport. Using his ring smarts and an uncanny ability to see everything as if it were happening in slow motion, he was able to pick apart opponents with his long reach, hand speed and precision punching. Lally quickly became a force inside British Columbia. Provincial titles became almost routine, and he also claimed six B.C. Golden Gloves championships.

In the national spotlight, Lally boxed to his first Canadian title in the cadet category in 2005 in front of a hometown crowd. He followed that up with national gold in 2007 as a junior fighter, and won senior championships in 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014 and 2015. Lally also fought to a silver medal at the 2007 Canada Winter Games.

Lally’s first international bout came in Germany in 2007, and he won against a Lithuanian boxer when the referee stopped the fight. In 2010, Lally left a permanent mark on Canadian boxing when he beat Cuban opponent Marcos Forestal at the Americas Continental tournament in Quito, Ecuador. Lally’s historic victory paved the way to a silver medal at the event.

In 2012, Lally boxed for Canada in an Olympic qualifier. He competed in the 52-kilogram weight class and was awarded his first fight by default before he lost his second. Lally earned another shot at the Olympics in 2016. This time, he beat Hector Garcia of the Dominican Republic in his opener but then dropped a decision to a Venezuelan fighter.

In between those Olympic years, Lally laced up his gloves in the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and came home with a bronze medal.

Also on the international stage, Lally was a two-time bronze-medalist at the Chio Ponte Cup in Puerto Rico and scored multiple victories for Canada in country-versus-country matches. At one point in his career, he was ranked 19th in the world in his weight class. Altogether, he was a member of Team Canada for 10 years.

As an amateur boxer, Lally posted a record of 110 wins and 16 losses against provincial, national and international competition.

“He was an incredibly talented young man, and boxing was his life,” said Bob Pegues, his coach at the Inner City Boxing Club. “He did the things that it takes to be at that elite level.”

Lally and Jag Seehra – his former training partner and long-time friend – are now working with the next generation of boxers at the reincarnated Inner City club.

For Lally’s dedication to his sport, and his impressive list of accomplishments, the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame is proud to welcome him as a knockout inductee.