He came to B.C. as a refugee. Now, this boxing champion is training for an Olympic bid

When Dalis Gures arrived as a teenager in Vancouver with his single mother and four siblings in 2016 — via a refugee camp in Kenya — the Canadian-Ethiopian athlete had played soccer but never considered boxing.

His life changed after he got into trouble for a fistfight in high school.

"I was getting picked on by kids older than me," Gures told CBC News in an interview. "One kid was saying racism and the N-word ... and one day, I'd just had enough and snapped."

Both students involved were suspended, Gures serving his suspension in school. Later, a physical education teacher suggested he try a free youth drop-in program at Eastside Boxing Club.

"I started beginning the journey of boxing," he recalled, as he trained Monday in a downtown park with fellow boxers. "It gave me a passion and something I would wake up for in the morning. Boxing just helped my life and changed my life completely."

Just four years after learning the combat sport, the 20-year-old has risen to become B.C.'s top featherweight boxer, which includes athletes weighing 57-63.5 kilograms. He has won the provincial championships three times in his class.

WATCH | B.C. boxing champion Dalis Gures sparring and talking about his journey:

For the past year, Gures has set his sights on representing Canada on its Olympics boxing team. Boxing Canada is holding a qualifying competition in December in Montreal.

Gures came a close second place in the most recent qualifying event earlier this year. 

"This is my dream, and I want to accomplish my dreams," he told CBC News.

According to Boxing Canada's high-performance director, Kraig Devlin, Gures stands a real chance of soon representing his new country — last year becoming a citizen — on the international stage.

Bec