Yvon Durelle, born October 14, 1929 in Baie-Ste-Anne, New Brunswick, Canada, was a British Empire champion boxer. October 14 is the 287th day of the year (288th in Leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Motto: Spem reduxit (Hope restored) Official languages English, French Capital Fredericton Largest city Saint John Lieutenant-Governor Herménégilde Chiasson Premier Bernard Lord (PC) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 10 10 Area Total  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water    (% of total)  Ranked 11th 72 908 km² 71 450 km² 1 458 km... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Dominguez (left) vs. ...

From a family of fourteen children, Yvon Durelle grew up in 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 1947, boxing at various venues around the province of New Brunswick. Over time he gained a reputation as a tough opponent with a hard punch and his victories eventually made him one of the top ranked middleweight fighters in Canada. The Acadians (French: Acadiens) are the descendants of the original French settlers of parts of the northeastern region of North America comprising what is now the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. ... The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of the earths surface. ... Motto: Spem reduxit (Hope restored) Official languages English, French Capital Fredericton Largest city Saint John Lieutenant-Governor Herménégilde Chiasson Premier Bernard Lord (PC) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 10 10 Area Total  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water    (% of total)  Ranked 11th 72 908 km² 71 450 km² 1 458 km... Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. ...

In May of 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 boxing, the division between heavyweight over 175 pounds (79. ... For other meanings, see Brooklyn (disambiguation). ... Floyd Patterson (January 4, 1935 – May 11, 2006) was an American heavyweight boxing champion who made history multiple times in the sport of boxing. ... The Golden Gloves is an annual competition for amateur boxing in the United States. ... Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. ...

In New York City, in March of 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. Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ... March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Yvonne 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. Archie Moore whose birth name was Archibald Wright (December 13, 1913 or 1916 – December 9, 1998) was a light heavyweight world boxing champion who set many records in boxing. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article needs cleanup. ... The World Boxing Council (WBC) has operated since 1963 as a competitor to Venezuelas World Boxing Association (WBA) and, according to its founders, a way to improve professional boxings standards. ...

Six months later, in June of 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. George Chuvalo, CM (born September 12, 1937) is a Canadian heavyweight boxer (1958-1979) who went ninety-three professional fights without being knocked down. ... Stewart Edward (Stu) Hart, CM (May 3, 1915 – October 16, 2003) was a Canadian amateur wrestler, professional wrestler, promoter and trainer. ... Calgary is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. ...

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 defense. The trial received massive and sustained publicity and McKenna would eventually go into politics and be elected Premier of the province of New Brunswick. The Honourable Francis Joseph Frank McKenna, PC, ONB (born January 19, 1948, in Apohaqui, New Brunswick, Canada) is a Canadian politician and diplomat. ... Government leaders prior to responsible government. ...

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 greet fans who still show 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." ESPN (once an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day. ... Mills Lane (born November 12, 1936) is a famous judge, boxing referee and Celebrity Deathmatch character. ...

Honors:

• 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

Yvon Durelle's biography, "The Fighting Fisherman: The Life of Yvon Durelle" by author Raymond Fraser, was published in 1981. In 2003, Ginette Pellerin of the National Film Board of Canada made a documentary on his life called "Durelle." YvonDurelle.com website : [1]. The New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1970 to honor outstanding athletes, teams and sport builders in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. ... Canadas Sports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame established in 1955 to preserve the record of Canadian sports achievements and to promote a greater awareness of Canadas heritage of sport[1]. As of June 2004, there were 436 inductees. ... Raymond Fraser is a Canadian novelist and poet. ... The National Film Board of Canada (usually National Film Board or NFB) is a Canadian public filmmaking organization established to produce and distribute films that inform Canadians and promote Canada around the world. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...