Eric Armit profiles a heavy-handed Canadian middleweight who was able to embark on a brand new life after surprisingly hanging up the gloves aged 30. Then…tragedy struck.
BLAIR RICHARDSON
Born: 29 January 1941 South Bar, Canada
Died: 6 March 1971, aged 30.
Record: 52 fights, 45 wins (36 by KO/TKO) Lost 5 (3 by KO/TKO), Drew 2.
Career: 1956 to 1966.
Division: Super-welterweight, middleweight, super-middleweight.
Titles: Canadian, Commonwealth and Maritime middleweight champion.
Major Contests
Scored wins over: Burke Emery (twice), Wilf Greaves (twice), Del Flanagan, Joe DeNucci (twice), Gomeo Brennan.
Lost to: Burke Emery, Wilf Greaves, Joey Archer, Gomeo Brennan.
Drew with: Isaac Logart.
Blair Richardson’s Story
Richardson was a multi-talented, multi-faceted man. He took up boxing in highschool and confirmed such aptitude that he turned skilled in July 1956 at the age of 15 with out having any beginner expertise.
He discovered the commerce as he went alongside, going 4-1-1 in his first six fights. His 4 wins had all come inside the distance, giving a sign of the energy that will make him an enormous idol with followers in the Canadian Maritime Provinces.
Blair proceeded to chop a swathe via native and imported opponents, profitable the Maritime middleweight title in June 1959. By August 1961, he had put collectively a run of 24 consecutive victories, 21 by KO/TKO, together with at one time a run of 16 inside-the-distance wins in a row.
That got here to an finish in August 1961 when he was kayoed in the ninth spherical by the extra skilled Canadian light-heavyweight champion Burke Emery. Richardson gained revenge with a factors win over Emery in November and one other in June 1962.
There was one other setback in July 1962, when he was floored 4 instances and stopped in the tenth spherical by Wilf Greaves in a combat for the Canadian middleweight belt. Once once more, Richardson rebounded, dropping Greaves thrice in September on the method to an eighth-round victory that noticed him topped Canadian champion.
It was time for Richardson to maneuver up a stage, however he was too formidable and was outpointed by high contender 33-1 Joey Archer in Madison Square Garden in February 1963. Richardson then put collectively a run of seven wins, together with victories over Greaves in a Canadian title defence, outpointing skilled Glen Flanagan and twice beating Joe De Nucci.
Richardson went after his first worldwide title when he challenged Gomeo Brennan for the Commonwealth title in September 1965. The combat was shut going into the eleventh spherical, however Richardson was caught chilly by a depraved proper that put him down and out after simply 15 seconds of the spherical.
Like a rubber ball, Richardson bounced proper again, outpointing Brennan in March 1966 and profitable the Commonwealth title in a bout scheduled unusually for 13 rounds.
Richardson had fought solely thrice in 1964 and twice in 1965, however it was nonetheless a shock when, after a win over Pail Christie in June 1966 and a draw with 110-fight Isaac Logart in July 1966, Richardson introduced his retirement.
Richardson acknowledged that he had “lost his viciousness”, however he had paid the worth for the energy that had introduced him 36 wins by KO/TKO in the form of quite a few bone fractures. That electrifying punching energy made him an idol and the largest sporting attract the Maritimes.
It was all the time seemingly that the very smart, very spiritual Richardson would wish to do one thing else with his life. He was a graduate of Emerson College in Boston, the place he gained bachelor and grasp of science levels in addition to minors in sociology and theology.
After his retirement, he graduated from North Eastern University in Boston with a level in communications and taught speech there. He was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and was about to take up a submit in the church when he died in March 1971 at the age of thirty following an operation for a mind tumour. Richardson was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 1980.
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