Boxer Mohamed (Moe) Zawadi just added 16,000-plus people to his corner.

The 18-year-old Olympic boxing hopeful was presented with a sponsorship cheque by Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher and his leadership team at head office in Oakville, ON.

President Joe Redshaw, vice president Joe Dowdall, director of Toronto area Dave Turple and Simcoe County area coordinator Justin O’Neill joined Gallagher for the cheque presentation to ‘Might’ Moe and his father, Mashour (Mark). Mark is an operating engineer and 13-year member of IUOE Local 793.

Business manager Gallagher gave Mark and Moe a quick tour of the newly renovated and expanded OE Banquet & Conference Centre and considered the possibilities of Moe headlining a boxing card in the hall one day.

“I love my union,” said a smiling Mark as he watched his son pose for pictures with business manager Gallagher and his team.

For Mark, this is a dream come true and for the Zawadi family it is a great honour to be recognized for their dedication to Local 793. His brothers Sheher, Abdul and Mohamed, and nephew Alexander, are also Local 793 members.

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Mark often speaks about the support his union has given to him over the years and that support started on day one.

“Justin (O’Neill) is my guy. He was the first person I met when I joined and has always supported me,” said Mark. “He always takes my calls.”

O’Neill considers meeting families like the Zawadi’s as a perk of his job as an area coordinator.

“I consider myself extremely fortunate in that I get to meet so many of our members and their families,” O’Neill said. “The Zawadi’s are a very proud union family and I’m happy that Moe will have Local 793 behind him when he steps into the ring.”

Moe is a six-time provincial champion and three-time national champ, in addition to numerous other boxing accomplishments. His eyes are now set on taking his craft to the next level and a spot on Team Canada in Tokyo, Japan at the 2020 Olympic Summer Games.

For a closer look at Moe’s career, check out the feature story in the Winter 2019 edition of Making Tracks.