Chris Clarke (boxer)
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| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Boxing | |||
| Pan American Games | |||
| Gold | Mexico City 1975 | Lightweight | |
Chris Clarke (born October 24, 1956 in Halifax, Nova Scotia) is a retired boxer from Canada, who won the gold medal in the men's lightweight division at the 1975 Pan American Games. A year later he represented his native country at the 1976 Summer Olympics, where he was defeated in the second round.
Clarke, a self-taught boxer with natural abilities, lays claim to a twenty-year boxing career. He began his boxing career in 1967. By 1975 Clarke became known on the national level, winning the Canadian Amateur Championship and a gold medal at the Pan American Games. Defeating Aaron Pryor, an American fighter who went on to be the World Lightweight Champion, Clarke went down in history as the first Canadian boxer to ever win gold at the Pan American Games.
In 1979 Clarke was involved in one of the most memorable boxing matches ever held in Halifax. Fighting Clyde Gray, who was ranked among the best fighters in the world, Clarke won the British Commonwealth Welterweight Title in front of more than 10.000 fans at the Halifax Metro Centre. Ranked tenth in the world in the welterweight class by Ring Magazine, he also won the Canadian Welterweight Title that year. Clarke was ranked sixteenth in the world in the Junior Middleweight class by Ring Magazine in 1980 and 1981, winning the Canadian Middleweight Title in 1981.
His final bout came in September of 1987 against Shawn O'Sullivan. Clarke was quoted as saying that if he lost this fights he would retire from boxing. He kept his word.
Like many prime fighters with not much else to fall back on, Clarke had a difficult time leading a normal, civilian life. Going from job to job,not really finding the balance that his boxing gave him.
In 2006, Chris Clarke was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sports Hall Of Fame. It was a long-time coming, but it was definitely earned.
PROFESSIONAL RECORD:
date Lb opponent Lb W - L - D last 6 location 1976-09-30 Brian Linthorne 1-2-2 New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada W KO 3 0 1976-10-23 Alain Turenne 0-1-0 Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada W KO 3 0 1976-11-04 146 Randy Milton 144 10-3-1 Stellarton, Nova Scotia, Canada W KO 2 6 ~ time: 1:26 | referee: Percy Paris | judge: Tyrone Gardiner | judge: Edsel Ross | judge: Gary MacNeil ~ 1976-11-23 146¼ Willie Davis 137½ 0-2-0 Halifax Forum, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada W TKO 5 6 ~ time: 1:14 | referee: Honey Carvery | judge: Jack Delaney | judge: Stan Schultz | judge: K. Millar ~ 1977-01-09 146 Terry Summerhays 146½ 17-9-3 New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada W KO 3 6 ~ time: 2:59 | referee: Herb McMullin | judge: K. Millar | judge: Tyrone Gardiner | judge: George Petrie ~ 1977-01-25 151½ Fred Kid Legace 147 1-9-0 Halifax Forum, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada W TKO 2 6 ~ time: 1:57 | referee: Percy Paris | judge: Stu Isner | judge: Jack Delaney | judge: Stan Schultz ~ 1977-06-01 Raymond Rouselleau 0-0-1 Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada W KO 3 0 1977-07-03 148 Ray Mercado 144 15-7-0 New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada W TKO 8 10 ~ time: 2:59 | referee: Herb McMullin | judge: K. Millar | judge: George Petrie | judge: D. McMillan ~ 1977-07-14 Bob Ryan 0-0-0 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada W KO 4 0 1977-09-08 Al Romano 61-29-1 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada W KO 5 0 1977-10-04 Sam Hailstock 8-1-2 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada W KO 3 0 1978-04-11 151½ Ronald Whyms 147¼ 5-7-0 Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada W UD 10 10 ~ referee: Herb McMullin | judge: R. Bryden | judge: K. Millar | judge: Stu Isner ~ 1978-06-28 148 Billy Waith 149¼ 37-17-3 Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada W UD 10 10 ~ referee: Percy Paris | judge: Alex Nickerson | judge: K. Millar | judge: Stu Isner ~ 1978-08-01 148 Pat Thomas 150 29-8-3 Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada W UD 8 8 ~ referee: Percy Paris | judge: K. Millar | judge: Alex Nickerson | judge: Stu Isner ~ 1978-09-17 147 Eddie Campbell 141 8-5-0 Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada W UD 10 10 ~ referee: J.B. Adshade | judge: L. Power | judge: L. Mackinnon | judge: Robert MacDonald ~ 1978-10-08 145 Beau Jaynes 146 53-39-0 Glace Bay Forum, Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada W TKO 5 10 ~ time: 0:01 | referee: J.B. Adshade | judge: L. Power | judge: L. Mackinnon | judge: Robert MacDonald ~ 1979-06-05 148 Lawrence Hafey 146 47-19-2 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada W UD 10 10 ~ referee: Herb McMullin | judge: Stu Isner | judge: B. Levy | judge: R. Bryden ~ 1979-07-10 148 Benji Goldstone 148 9-3-0 Halifax Forum, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada W KO 1 10 ~ time: 2:28 | referee: Herb McMullin | judge: Stu Isner | judge: Jack Delaney | judge: R. Bryden ~ 1979-08-28 147 Clyde Gray 146 65-8-1 Halifax Metro Center, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada W TKO 11 15 ~ time: 0:01 | referee: Herb McMullin | judge: Alex Nickerson | judge: Stu Isner | judge: Stan Schultz ~
~ Commonwealth (British Empire) welterweight title ~
1979-11-13 147 Clyde Gray 147 65-9-1 Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada L TKO 10 15 ~ time: 2:49 | referee: Robert Beaton | judge: Alex Nickerson | judge: Stu Isner | judge: Stan Schultz ~
~ Commonwealth (British Empire) welterweight title ~ ~ Canadian welterweight title ~
1980-04-29 157 Ralph Hollett 160 7-5-0 Halifax Metro Center, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada W UD 12 12 ~ referee: Dave Brown | judge: Stu Isner 56-55 | judge: B. Levy 57-55 | judge: Alex Nickerson 57-54 ~
~ Canadian middleweight title ~
1980-09-24 153 Ralph Hollett 160 8-6-0 Halifax Metro Center, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada L KO 2 12 ~ time: 2:05 | referee: Herb McMullin | judge: Stu Isner | judge: Alex Nickerson | judge: Stan Schultz ~
~ Canadian middleweight title ~
1981-05-05 148½ Steve Williams 153½ 4-1-0 Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada W UD 10 10 ~ referee: Honey Carvery | judge: Hubert Earle 50-42 | judge: Alex Nickerson 49-43 | judge: R. Bryden 47-43 ~ 1981-10-27 Dick Ecklund 14-6-0 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada W PTS 10 10 1982-04-30 154½ Tony Taylor 146½ 5-23-0 Cape Cod Coliseum, South Yarmouth, Massachusetts, United States W PTS 8 8 1982-10-05 148¾ Fernando Fernandez 151¾ 19-7-1 Dartmouth Sportsplex, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada W UD 10 10 ~ referee: Herb McMullin | judge: R. Bryden | judge: Stu Isner | judge: Alex Nickerson ~ 1984-07-31 Jerome Artis 27-24-4 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada W TKO 7 0 1984-09-06 149 Don Johnson 150½ 15-9-0 Halifax Forum, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada W UD 10 10 ~ referee: Honey Carvery | judge: Hubert Earle | judge: R. Bryden | judge: Foster MacNeil ~ 1985-11-12 156½ Pat Lyons 147½ 1-8-1 Halifax Forum, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada W TKO 7 10 ~ referee: Honey Carvery | judge: R. Bryden | judge: Fred Wilson | judge: Stu Isner ~ 1986-07-08 149¾ Denis Sigouin 150 6-7-0 Halifax Forum, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada L TKO 8 10 ~ time: 2:55 | referee: Hubert Earle | judge: Fred Wilson | judge: Foster MacNeil | judge: D. McMullin ~ 1986-11-10 149 Donovan Boucher 147 9-0-0 Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada W UD 10 10 ~ referee: Honey Carvery | judge: D. McMillan | judge: Foster MacNeil | judge: R. Bryden ~ 1987-09-29 149 Shawn O'Sullivan 147 15-1-0 Halifax Forum, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada L KO 2 10
