Boxing in Canada

The sport of boxing has been practiced in Canada since before Canadian Confederation in 1867. Boxing was illegal in Canada during the bare-knuckle era but fights took place in remote areas and the last of them was in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1901.

Tommy Burns from Normanby Township near Hanover, was the first Canadian to win a heavyweight title, becoming the world heavyweight champion in 1906 and defending the title ten times until he was knocked out by Jack Johnson in 1908.^[1] On May 10, 2014, Bermane Stiverne won the vacant WBC World Heavyweight Championship after a sixth-round knockout of Chris Arreola.^[2]

Governing bodies

• Canadian Professional Boxing Council - the longest reigning sanctioning body for professional boxing in Canada.
• Canadian Amateur Boxing Association - the official governing body for amateur boxing in Canada.

Notable boxers

• George Dixon - the first black world boxing champion in any weight class, while also being the first ever Canadian-born boxing champion; considered the #1 Featherweight of all-time by Ring Magazine founder Nat Fleischer
• Tommy Burns - the first Canadian to win the world heavyweight title; famously challenged anyone regardless of race or ethnicity
• Sam Langford - considered one of the greatest punchers of all time, he won the World Colored Heavyweight Championship a record five-times; BoxRec ranks him as the 4th greatest heavyweight of all-time, the 9th greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all-time and the greatest Canadian boxer of all-time
• Johnny Coulon - held the bantamweight boxing championship of the world from 1910 to 1914
• Jack Delaney - held light heavyweight boxing championship of the world in the 1920s and was a contender for the heavyweight title
• Jimmy McLarnin - a two-time welterweight world champion in the 1930s; participated in Ring Magazine's "Fight of the Year" in 1934
• Lou Brouillard - held the world welterweight title and a version of the world middleweight title in the early 1930s; BoxRec ranks him as the 14th best middleweight of all-time and the 3rd best Canadian boxer ever
• George Chuvalo - top-rank heavyweight fighter in the 1950s to 1970s with a legendary chin, having never been knocked down or knocked out in 93 pro fights against other boxing greats such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman; also a five-time Canadian heavyweight champion and participant in Ring Magazine's "Fight of the Year" in 1965 against Floyd Patterson
• Trevor Berbick - held the Canadian heavyweight championship for much of the 1980s and briefly held the WBC heavyweight championship in 1986 before losing the belt to a young Mike Tyson; he was also the last man to fight Muhammad Ali, winning a 10-round unanimous decision
• Al Ford - former CBF Lightweight Champion
• Donovan Ruddock - promising heavyweight in the 1980s & 1990s who held both the WBA Inter-Continental & Canadian heavyweight titles; well known for his battles with Mike Tyson who he fought twice in 1991
• Lennox Lewis - represented Canada at the 1986 Commonwealth Games and 1987 Pan American Games winning a Gold and Silver medal, respectively, both in the super heavyweight category; went on to win Gold for Canada in the 1988 Summer Olympics, defeating future heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe in the finals; later turned professional and became the undisputed world heavyweight champion (WBC/IBF/WBA/IBO/The Ring) in the late 1990s; he is also the only man to score a TKO against former champion Vitali Klitschko
• Arturo Gatti - top-rank featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight fighter from the 1990s to 2000s who became famous for his trilogy against Micky Ward, held multiple championships from the IBF & WBC, and participated in Ring Magazine's "Fight of the Year" a total of four times (1997, 1998, 2002, and 2003)
• Jean Pascal - Former lineal, The Ring and WBC light-heavyweight champion with notable victories over Chad Dawson, Adrian Diaconu and Lucian Bute. Pascal has fought champions Carl Froch and Bernard Hopkins (twice). Represented Canada at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
• Adonis Stevenson - Current WBC and The Ring light heavyweight champion; won a Silver medal for Canada in the 2006 Commonwealth Games
• Bermane Stiverne - Most recent former WBC heavyweight champion (2014-2015)
• Ryan Ford - Retired MMA Fighter former World Series of Fighting Canadian Welterweight Champion, had his first professional boxing fight in 2010 returned to boxing in September 2015

Venues

• Arena Gardens, Toronto - 1910s to 1930s
• Corona Theatre, Montreal - 1910s - Present
• Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto - 1930s - 1990s
• Montreal Forum, Montreal - 1920s - 1990s
• Delorimier Stadium, Montreal - 1920s - 1960s
• Regina Exhibition Stadium, Regina - 1920s - 1970s
• Ricoh Coliseum, Toronto - 1920s - Present
• Varsity Arena, Toronto - 1920s - Present
• Halifax Forum, Halifax - 1920s - Present
• Windsor Arena, Windsor - 1920s - Present
• St. Lawrence Market, Toronto - 1950s - 1970s
• Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg - 1950s - 2000s
• Colisée Pepsi, Quebec City - 1940s - Present
• Centre Pierre Charbonneau, Montreal - 1950s - Present
• Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex, Kitchener - 1950s - Present
• Paul Sauvé Arena, Montreal - 1960s - 1990s
• Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver - 1960s - Present
• Carnegie Centennial Centre, North York - 1960s - Present
• Montreal Olympic Stadium, Montreal - 1970s - Present
• Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax - 1970s - Present
• Shaw Conference Centre, Edmonton - 1980s - Present
• Dartmouth Sportsplex, Dartmouth - 1980s - Present
• Credit Union Centre, Saskatoon - 1980s - Present
• Casino Rama, Rama - 1990s - Present
• Caesars Windsor, Windsor - 1990s - Present
• Casino de Montréal, Montreal - 1990s - Present
• Uniprix Stadium, Montreal - 1990s - Present
• Bell Centre, Montreal - 1990s - Present
• Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, Niagara Falls - 2000s - Present
• Hershey Centre, Mississauga - 2000s - Present

References

1. Elizabeth Salomons (1999), Canada Through the Decades - The 1900s, p. 29, ISBN 9781896990705
2. "Bermane Stiverne drops Chris Arreola for heavyweight belt - CBC Sports - Sporting news, opinion, scores, standings, schedules". Cbc.ca. Retrieved 2014-05-12.