Yvon Durelle

Yvon Durelle
Statistics
Real name	Yvon Durelle
Nickname(s)	The Fighting Fisherman
Rated at	Middleweight Light Heavyweight Heavyweight
Height	5 ft 9 1⁄2 in (1.77 m)
Reach	70 in (178 cm)
Nationality	Canadian
Born	(1929-10-14)October 14, 1929 Baie-Sainte-Anne, New Brunswick, Canada
Died	January 6, 2007(2007-01-06) (aged 77) Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	115
Wins	88
Wins by KO	49
Losses	24
Draws	2
No contests	1

Yvon Durelle (October 14, 1929 – January 6, 2007), born in Baie-Ste-Anne, New Brunswick, Canada, was an Acadian Canadian champion boxer.

Biography

Early life and career

From a family of fourteen children, Yvon Durelle grew up in Baie-Ste-Anne, a small Acadian fishing village on the Atlantic coast. Like many others of his generation, he left school at an early age to work on a fishing boat. In his spare time, Durelle liked to box and while still working in the fishery, he began prize fighting on weekends. Dubbed as the Fighting Fisherman, he began his professional career in 1948, boxing at various venues around the province of New Brunswick. By August 1950, Yvon showed only one defeat in twenty three starts, the lone blemish a loss by disqualification, to Billy Snowball. Over time he was gaining a reputation as a tough opponent with a hard punch. A large fan following in Chatham, one in Newcastle and as well in Fredericton resulted in a groundswell of popularity as his victories eventually made him one of the top ranked middleweight fighters in Canada.^[1]

Championship years

In May 1953, Durelle won the Canadian middleweight championship then, after defending his title and winning 8 straight bouts, he moved up in weight class to fight in the light heavyweight division where in his first fight against a heavier and stronger opponent, he defeated the Canadian champion to take the light-heavyweight title. The following year, he fought outside his native Canada for the first time, going to Brooklyn, New York to fight Floyd Patterson, an up-and-coming American Golden Gloves champion. Outpointed in 8 rounds by the man who would soon become the heavyweight champion of the world, Durelle's strong performance in a losing cause against Patterson gained him wide respect in the international boxing world.

In New York City in March 1957, Durelle broke into the top ten world rankings with a 10-round decision over Angelo Defendis. In May he won the British Empire light-heavyweight championship and the following month fought the top-ranked contender in the world, Tony Anthony. In a fight most experts say he won handily, Durelle was given only a draw against the heavily favored Anthony but it elevated him to the number 3 ranking in the world. He became a much talked about sports personality in his native country after he beat the German champion, Willi Besmanoff. In 1958, he defeated Clarence Hinnant, regarded by many as one of the best all around boxers of the time. The victory provided Durelle with the opportunity for his first chance to fight for a world title.

Yvon Durelle's light-heavyweight championship fight against the great Archie Moore on December 10, 1958 at the Forum in Montreal, Quebec, is one of the most memorable fights in boxing history. Listed as a 4-to-1 underdog, the bout made Yvon Durelle a legend in Canada, gaining him near cult status for his performance. In one of the first fights broadcast coast-to-coast on American television, Durelle stunned boxing patrons by knocking the champion down 3 times in the first round. Under boxing rules today (except those of the World Boxing Council), the fight would have been stopped after three knockdowns in one round and Yvon Durelle would have been world champion. Also, he missed an opportunity when, after the first knockdown, he stood over Moore watching for several seconds before returning to his corner. As a result of his delay, the referee had to wait to begin the count, and Moore made it to his feet at the count of nine. Durelle swarmed all over the champion for four more rounds and knocked him to the canvas again in round five but Moore held on and eventually wore Durelle down to retain his world championship with an eleventh-round knockout. The fight was the talk of the boxing world and members of the Canadian press voted it the sporting event of the year. In an interview in 1994, Archie Moore, upon recounting the fight still hailed as classic, had this to say: "As the fight wore on and I got stronger, I thought to myself that this fella was the toughest man I'd ever fought. I turned professional in 1936 and fought until 1965--229 bouts. And I still think Durelle was the toughest man I ever faced."^[2]

From boxing to wrestling

Six months later, in June 1959, at Durelle's home village of Baie-Ste-Anne, thirty-five fishermen died when they were swept out to sea by 40-foot tidal waves that pounded the wharf. Distraught at the loss of friends and relatives, in August he lost in a world title fight rematch with Archie Moore by a third-round knockout. In November of that year he lost in 12 rounds to the Canadian heavyweight champion, George Chuvalo. Durelle fought only a few more times, before taking up professional wrestling in 1961. He returned to boxing in 1963 winning twice more before retiring permanently. He continued to earn a living at wrestling, primarily in eastern Canada but on occasion with Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling, in Calgary, Alberta.

Later life and death

Despite his size and brutal profession, Durelle is often referred to as a modest and gentle man (his nickname was "doux", meaning "soft"). However, in the 1970s an event would profoundly impact him and his family when, in a bar that he owned and operated, he shot and killed a man who had attacked him. Charged with murder, he was defended by a young lawyer by the name of Frank McKenna and was acquitted on the grounds of self-defence. The trial received massive and sustained publicity and McKenna would eventually go into politics and be elected Premier of the province of New Brunswick.

Retired in his native village, a small museum with souvenirs of his twenty-year boxing career was built attached to his home where he and his wife of more than fifty years greeted fans who still showed up to see the New Brunswick boxer. In an article for ESPN.com about the most memorable matches in boxing history, current-day referee Mills Lane said: "I don't think you'll ever see a fight like Durelle-Moore again...That fight transcended what great fights are."

Durelle's acclaimed biography, The Fighting Fisherman - The Life of Yvon Durelle, was written by New Brunswick author Raymond Fraser and published by Doubleday in 1981. A French translation, Yvon Durelle - le boxeur qui venait de la mer, was released a year later by Editions Inedi of Montreal. Two further editions of the book have since appeared from Formac Publishing, in 1983 and 2005.

Durelle incurred a stroke on December 25, 2006, and died at age 77 on January 6, 2007, at the Moncton Hospital in Moncton, New Brunswick. He had also contracted Parkinson's disease prior to this. His funeral was held on January 11, 2007, from Ste-Anne Roman Catholic Church in Baie-Ste-Anne, New Brunswick.

Professional boxing record

87 Wins (48 Knockouts), 24 Losses (9 Knockouts), 2 Draws, 1 No Contest [3]
Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	87-24-2	Jean-Claude Roy	PTS	8	06/12/1964	Montmagny, Quebec
Win	87-23-2	Phonse LaSaga	TKO	1	24/03/1963	Trois-Rivieres, Quebec
Win	86-23-2	Cecil Gray	KO	7	25/02/1963	Paul Sauve Arena, Montreal, Quebec
Loss	85-23-2	Paul Wright	PTS	10	15/09/1960	Moncton, New Brunswick
Win	85-22-2	John Armstrong	KO	4	22/06/1960	Woodstock, New Brunswick
Win	84-22-2	Ray Batey	DQ	9	15/06/1960	Chatham, New Brunswick
Win	83-22-2	Emile Dupre	TKO	3	26/05/1960	Brewer, Maine
Loss	82-22-2	George Chuvalo	KO	12	17/11/1959	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario	Canada Heavyweight Title
Win	82-21-2	Young Beau Jack	TKO	9	23/10/1959	Moncton, New Brunswick
Win	81-21-2	Charlie Jones	UD	10	28/09/1959	Exhibition Grounds, Quebec City, Quebec
Win	80-21-2	Al Anderson	KO	4	15/09/1959	Chatham, New Brunswick
Loss	79-21-2	Archie Moore	KO	3	12/08/1959	Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec	NYSAC/NBA World Light Heavyweight Titles.
Win	79-20-2	Teddy Burns	TKO	3	12/05/1959	General Carter State Armory, Caribou, Maine
Loss	78-20-2	Archie Moore	KO	11	10/12/1958	Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec	World Light Heavyweight Title.
Win	78-19-2	Louis Jones	KO	2	02/10/1958	Moncton, New Brunswick
Win	77-19-2	Freddie Mack	PTS	10	28/08/1958	Moncton, New Brunswick
Win	76-19-2	Mike Holt	RTD	8	16/07/1958	Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec	Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Title.
Win	75-19-2	Germinal Ballarin	UD	10	21/05/1958	Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec
Loss	74-19-2	Tony E. Anthony	TKO	7	14/03/1958	Madison Square Garden, New York City
Win	74-18-2	Clarence Hinnant	TKO	6	31/01/1958	Madison Square Garden, New York City
Win	73-18-2	Jerry Luedee	UD	10	11/12/1957	Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory, Tampa, Florida
Win	72-18-2	Mario Nini	KO	4	22/11/1957	Edmunston, New Brunswick
Win	71-18-2	Floyd McCoy	KO	2	07/11/1957	Moncton, New Brunswick
Win	70-18-2	Willi Besmanoff	UD	10	25/09/1957	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan
Win	69-18-2	Tim Jones	TKO	8	29/08/1957	Stadium, Moncton, New Brunswick
Win	68-18-2	Guenter Balzer	TKO	8	15/08/1957	Chatham, New Brunswick
Draw	67-18-2	Tony E. Anthony	PTS	10	14/06/1957	Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan
Win	67-18-1	Gordon Wallace	KO	2	30/05/1957	Moncton, New Brunswick	Commonwealth/Canada Light Heavyweight Titles.
Win	66-18-1	Leo Johnson	TKO	5	16/05/1957	Moncton, New Brunswick
Win	65-18-1	Angelo DeFendis	MD	10	22/04/1957	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City
Win	64-18-1	Clarence Floyd	TKO	7	25/03/1957	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City
Loss	63-18-1	Clarence Hinnant	TKO	7	19/02/1957	Miami Beach Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida
Win	63-17-1	Bobby L. King	KO	1	27/10/1956	Fredericton, New Brunswick
Win	62-17-1	Chubby Wright	SD	10	04/10/1956	Moncton, New Brunswick
Win	61-17-1	Gary Garafola	KO	1	20/09/1956	Moncton, New Brunswick
Win	60-17-1	Wilfred Picot	TKO	4	06/09/1956	Lord Beaverbrook Rink, Saint John, New Brunswick
Win	59-17-1	Alvin Williams	UD	10	16/08/1956	Moncton, New Brunswick
Win	58-17-1	Wilfred Picot	TKO	4	19/07/1956	Moncton, New Brunswick
Loss	57-17-1	Arthur Howard	PTS	10	19/06/1956	Clapton Greyhound Track, Clapton, London
Win	57-16-1	Jerome Richardson	PTS	10	20/05/1956	Hamilton, Bermuda
Loss	56-16-1	Artie Towne	DQ	7	28/11/1955	Nottingham Ice Stadium, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Loss	56-15-1	Yolande Pompey	TKO	7	18/10/1955	Harringay Arena, Harringay, London
Loss	56-14-1	Jimmy Slade	TKO	8	03/09/1955	Glace Bay, Nova Scotia
Win	56-13-1	Billy Fifield	KO	1	28/07/1955	Moncton, New Brunswick	Canada Light Heavyweight Title.
Loss	55-13-1	Floyd Patterson	RTD	5	23/06/1955	Newcastle, New Brunswick
Win	55-12-1	Jimmy J. Garcia	TKO	8	16/06/1955	Moncton, New Brunswick
Loss	54-12-1	Ron Barton	DQ	3	24/05/1955	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London
Loss	54-11-1	Art Henri	PTS	12	10/12/1954	Sportpalast, Schoeneberg, Berlin
Loss	54-10-1	Gerhard Hecht	UD	10	12/11/1954	Sportpalast, Schoeneberg, Berlin
Win	54-9-1	Gordon Wallace	UD	12	27/09/1954	Glace Bay, Nova Scotia	Canada Light Heavyweight Title.
Win	53-9-1	Bob Isler	PTS	10	25/08/1954	Newcastle, New Brunswick
Loss	52-9-1	Paul Andrews	KO	5	26/07/1954	St. Nicholas Arena, New York City
Win	52-8-1	Doug Harper	UD	12	07/07/1954	Newcastle, New Brunswick	Canada Light Heavyweight Title.
Win	51-8-1	Jerome Richardson	SD	10	23/06/1954	Moncton, New Brunswick
Win	50-8-1	Sampson Powell	UD	10	09/06/1954	Newcastle, New Brunswick
Win	49-8-1	Charley E. Chase	SD	10	04/06/1954	Stadium, Moncton, New Brunswick
Win	48-8-1	Billy Fifield	KO	10	24/05/1954	Glace Bay, Nova Scotia
Loss	47-8-1	Waddell Hanna	PTS	10	05/05/1954	Chatham, New Brunswick
Loss	47-7-1	Floyd Patterson	UD	8	15/02/1954	Boxing From Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York
Draw	47-6-1	Doug Harper	PTS	12	27/01/1954	Victoria Pavilion, Calgary, Alberta	Canada Light Heavyweight Title.
Loss	47-6	Doug Harper	SD	12	17/11/1953	Victoria Pavilion, Calgary, Alberta	Canada Light Heavyweight Title.
Win	47-5	Gordon Wallace	UD	12	15/10/1953	Moncton, New Brunswick	Canada Light Heavyweight Title.
Win	46-5	Al Winn	UD	10	30/09/1953	Newcastle, New Brunswick
Win	45-5	Melvin Wade	KO	9	24/09/1953	Moncton, New Brunswick
Win	44-5	Gordon Wallace	UD	12	07/09/1953	Glace Bay, Nova Scotia	Canada Light Heavyweight Title.
Win	43-5	Wilfredo Miro	KO	2	26/08/1953	Sinclair Arena, Newcastle, New Brunswick
Win	42-5	Curtis Wade	TKO	8	20/08/1953	Moncton, New Brunswick
Win	41-5	Archie Hannigan	KO	5	02/08/1953	Glace Bay, Nova Scotia	Claim Maritime Light Heavyweight Title.
Win	40-5	Joey Greco	TKO	4	20/07/1953	Chatham, New Brunswick
Win	39-5	Curtis Wade	SD	10	25/06/1953	Moncton, New Brunswick
Win	38-5	Harry Poulton	SD	12	19/06/1953	Memorial Rink, Stellarton, Nova Scotia	Canada Middleweight Title.
Win	37-5	Tony Amato	KO	6	20/05/1953	Chatham, New Brunswick
Win	36-5	George Ross	TKO	12	04/05/1953	Glace Bay Forum, Glace Bay, Nova Scotia	Canada Middleweight Title.
Win	35-5	Jimmy Nolan	UD	10	09/10/1952	Stampede Corral, Calgary, Alberta
Win	34-5	Hurley Sanders	UD	10	24/09/1952	Chatham, New Brunswick
Loss	33-5	Hurley Sanders	UD	10	25/06/1952	Chatham, New Brunswick
Win	33-4	Eddie Zastre	UD	10	21/05/1952	Chatham, New Brunswick
Win	32-4	Cobey McCluskey	TKO	6	12/07/1951	Moncton, New Brunswick
Win	31-4	Arnold Fleiger	KO	2	20/06/1951	Chatham, New Brunswick
NC	31-4	Cobey McCluskey	NC	9	05/06/1951	Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Win	30-4	Bob Stecher	SD	10	23/05/1951	Chatham, New Brunswick
Win	29-4	Tiger Warrington	PTS	10	10/12/1950	Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Win	28-4	Alvin Upshaw	KO	7	05/11/1950	Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Loss	27-4	Cobey McCluskey	UD	10	22/10/1950	Springhill, Nova Scotia
Win	27-3	Al Couture	TKO	6	25/08/1950	Chatham, New Brunswick
Win	26-3	Ossie Farrell	KO	1	19/08/1950	Moncton, New Brunswick
Loss	25-3	Cobey McCluskey	UD	10	14/08/1950	Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Win	25-2	Tiger Warrington	UD	10	01/07/1950	Moncton, New Brunswick
Win	24-2	Coot O'Rea	KO	2	18/06/1950	Bathurst, New Brunswick
Win	23-2	Alvin Upshaw	TKO	7	23/05/1950	Chatham, New Brunswick
Loss	22-2	Roy Wouters	PTS	10	20/01/1950	Halifax, Nova Scotia
Win	22-1	Eddie Hamilton	TKO	3	25/11/1949	Chatham, New Brunswick
Win	21-1	Bob Stecher	UD	10	11/11/1949	Chatham, New Brunswick
Win	20-1	Ossie Farrell	KO	1	26/10/1949	Chatham, New Brunswick	Eastern Canada Middleweight Title.
Win	19-1	Bernard McCluskey	KO	5	12/10/1949	Chatham, New Brunswick	Eastern Canada Middleweight Title.
Win	18-1	Pat Davis	KO	2	18/09/1949	Newcastle, New Brunswick
Win	17-1	Bill McLaughlin	PTS	8	26/08/1949	Fredericton, New Brunswick
Win	16-1	Kid Wolfe	PTS	10	07/08/1949	Chatham, New Brunswick
Win	15-1	Billy Landry	PTS	8	20/07/1949	Chatham, New Brunswick
Win	14-1	Cobey McCluskey	PTS	8	15/07/1949	Newcastle, New Brunswick
Win	13-1	Jimmy Mooney	UD	8	06/07/1949	Chatham, New Brunswick	New Brunswick Middleweight Title.
Win	12-1	Cobey McCluskey	PTS	8	12/06/1949	Baie-Sainte-Anne, New Brunswick
Win	11-1	Joe Tyne	KO	1	30/05/1949	Chatham, New Brunswick
Win	10-1	Manuel Leek	KO	6	17/05/1949	Fredericton, New Brunswick
Win	9-1	Harry Poulton	PTS	8	20/04/1949	Newcastle, New Brunswick
Win	8-1	Harry Poulton	PTS	6	23/03/1949	Newcastle, New Brunswick
Win	7-1	Crosley Irvine	TKO	3	25/02/1949	Chatham, New Brunswick
Win	6-1	Al Batten	KO	5	02/02/1949	Newcastle, New Brunswick
Loss	5-1	Billy Snowball	DQ	4	07/12/1948	Tracadie, New Brunswick
Win	5-0	Al Batten	PTS	8	03/12/1948	Baie-Sainte-Anne, New Brunswick
Win	4-0	Percy R. Richardson	PTS	4	11/11/1948	Chatham, New Brunswick
Win	3-0	Al Fraser	PTS	4	13/09/1948	Chatham, New Brunswick
Win	2-0	Al Fraser	PTS	4	25/08/1948	Chatham, New Brunswick
Win	1-0	Sonny Ramsay	KO	2	28/07/1948	Chatham, New Brunswick

Related works

• Yvon Durelle's biography, The Fighting Fisherman: The Life of Yvon Durelle by author Raymond Fraser (Doubleday, ISBN 0-385-15863-7), published in 1981, republished in 2005.
• In 2003, Ginette Pellerin of the National Film Board of Canada made a French film documentary on his life called Durelle.

Awards and recognition

• Inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame in 1971
• Inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1975
• Inducted into the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame in 1989

References

• Fraser, Raymond. The Fighting Fisherman : The Life of Yvon Durelle Doubleday & Company ISBN 0-385-15863-7 (1981 – rereleased 2005)
• "Canadian boxing great Yvon Durelle dies". CBC News. 2007-01-07. Retrieved 2007-01-07. 

External links

• Obituary for Yvon Durelle from Bell's Funeral Home in Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada
• Professional boxing record for Yvon Durelle from BoxRec
• Website for Yvon Durelle