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 |
October 14, 1929 Baie-Sainte-Anne, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Died | January 6, 2007 (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.
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.
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.
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