The Fighting Fisherman

Yvon Durelle, former light heavyweight champion of Canada and the British Empire, died yesterday at the age of 77. Born in New Brunswick, and known as the Fighting Fisherman, Durelle forever will be remembered for one epic fight with Archie Moore in 1958. The ageless Mongoose was 42 years old and owner of the light heavyweight belt - Durelle was a 4 to 1 underdog going into the contest. It was one of the first fights broadcast to a live national audience in the States, and the nation saw Durelle play cobra to Archie's Mongoose right from the opening bell, knocking the old codger down three times in the first round. Cagey and resilient, Moore held on and got his wits back in the second, and came back to knock out the exhausted Durelle in the 11th round.

This comeback was one of the greatest feats of Archie Moore's career, but the fight also made Durelle a national hero in Canada. Unfortunately for the Fisherman, he wouldn't fare so well in a rematch with Moore a year later - the Mongoose struck quickly, knocking Durelle out in the third.

Below is the first round of the 1958 fight, and then the tenth and eleventh. Note Archie's robe - Diamond Palace Importer's San Diego - pretty damn ghetto. Also note just how far down queer street he is after the first knockdown - he barely beats the count. It's amazing that he survives the round. By the tenth, Durelle is utterly spent and Moore is landing at will. The finish is only a matter of time. I love the way old Arch springs out of his corner for the start of the eleventh. Forty-two years old in the eleventh round of a throwdown brawl and he's leaping to the fray like Robin Hood to the rescue. Dude was an absolute marvel.