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He was just three days away from his 45th birthday, on the downside of one of the truly remarkable careers the sport of boxing has ever seen. When he entered the ring that was set up in the Montreal Forum that cold December night in 1958, light-heavyweight champion Archie Moore was a 3-1 favorite to turn back the challenge of a strong-armed but crude Canadian fisherman named Yvon Durelle, the pride of Baie-Ste. Anne, New Brunswick.
Durelle, the Canadian and British Empire champ, couldn’t match his opponent’s experience or ring longevity, but the 29-year-old challenger was certainly no wallflower. He brought a sturdy 81-20-2 record with him that memorable night and a well earned reputation as one who made up in rugged aggression what he lacked in artistry.
In 1953, Durelle won the Canadian light-heavyweight title with a 12-round decision over Gordon Wallace. Four years later, he added the British Empire laurels with a second-round KO of the same Wallace, a boxer whose name appears frequently in Durelle’s record. Durelle had previously held the Canadian middleweight title and had attempted to win the Canadian heavyweight title also, but had been a KO victim to a young slugger named George Chuvalo.
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Durelle, the Canadian and British Empire champ, couldn’t match his opponent’s experience or ring longevity, but the 29-year-old challenger was certainly no wallflower. He brought a sturdy 81-20-2 record with him that memorable night and a well earned reputation as one who made up in rugged aggression what he lacked in artistry.
In 1953, Durelle won the Canadian light-heavyweight title with a 12-round decision over Gordon Wallace. Four years later, he added the British Empire laurels with a second-round KO of the same Wallace, a boxer whose name appears frequently in Durelle’s record. Durelle had previously held the Canadian middleweight title and had attempted to win the Canadian heavyweight title also, but had been a KO victim to a young slugger named George Chuvalo.
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