Goin' the Distance: Canada's Boxing Heritage

Raymond B. Blake is director of the Centre for Canadian Studies at Mount
Allison University, the author of Canadians at Last: Canada Integrates
Newfoundland as a Province, and co-editor of Social Welfare Policy in
Canada: Historical Readings.

At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Canadian boxers Shawn O’Sullivan and
Willie de Witt were poised to win gold. Some may recall the outburst by
CBC boxing commentator Peter Wylie after the five ringside judges
awarded a 5–0 decision to American Frank Tate, even though
O’Sullivan had had the upper hand throughout the match. De Witt lost a
close decision to another American boxer, Henry Tillman.

Goin’ the Distance is filled with such episodes in the lives of
Canada’s most noted boxers. Unfortunately, the author makes little
attempt to show how the sport of boxing developed in Canada, and how it
has changed since the first recorded match in 1824. Such an examination
would have made for a much more interesting and insightful book.