Freddy Fuller
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Freddy Fuller is an ex-amateur boxer from British Columbia, Canada. He was a member of the 1967 Canadian Pan Am Games boxing team, a several times Canadian Amateur Boxing Champion in the Sixties and 1970, and a member of the Canadian boxing team for the 1970 Commonwealth Games.
From his early years in the Fifties to the 1970 Canadian senior national championships, Fuller rated as one of the most outstanding amateur boxers for British Columbia participating in numerous club shows in British Columbia and Washington State. He was also a standout in various Pacific Northwest and Alberta Golden Gloves tournaments. One of his many special awards was the 1965 BC Golden Gloves.
Junior years
Freddy began his boxing journey in the Fifties at the Burnaby Boxing Club under coach Harry Twist,[1] then joined the East Vancouver Optimist Club. In his junior years Freddy was twice named Emerald Boy and in 1963, Fuller earned the BC Jr. Golden Boy award.
The "Golden Gloves" and "Diamond Belt"
For Freddy Fuller, Golden Gloves action in British Columbia was a big success. As a junior boxer he not only won but earned the 1963 Jr Golden Boy Award and in 1965 was the 1965 Golden Boy.[2][3] Some of Fuller's Golden Gloves victories in the USA were reported in "The RING" magazine in an article by Tony Simnett.[4] The 1965 victory in the BC Golden Gloves and the "Golden Boy" award was published in a variety of newspapers but the one closest to his home base was the local paper with the headlines, "Fuller seized big prize".[5]
In 1965, Fuller was a Tacoma Golden Gloves champion[6]
Stan Smith, chairman of the British Columbia branch of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), speaking to Tony Simnett for "The Ring" magazine article in 1966 said: "Fuller is the best boxer I've seen in the Western Canadian area in 10 years." (Note: Although the statement by Smith was nice to see, it does not represent the views of all folks involved in boxing, as ten years is a long time, and between 1957 and 1966 there had been many outstanding boxers including 1964 Olympic boxer from Vancouver Island by the name of Frederick Desrosiers,[7] and British Empire Games Gold medalist Harold Mann[8] who was also the BC Golden Boy[9] in the 1958 BC Golden Gloves). Regardless of claims about which boxers are the best, one thing is clear during his term as a senior open Golden Gloves boxer between 1965 to 1970, Fuller was one of the most popular Canadian boxers to engage in activity in the Seattle to Tacoma area.[10]
1967 International Diamond Belt Centennial Boxing Championship
Freddy Fuller was one of an outstanding list of amateur boxer from British Columbia, Quebec, Washington State, Oregon and California to compete in the tournament that was highlighted with the appearance of undefeated former heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano.[11]
The twenty boxers fighting in the ten championship bouts were:
- Bill Taylor, Brian Zelley, Dave Wylie, Dennis Rorick, Derek Austin, Dick Coulson, Donato Paduano, Frank Scott, Freddy Fuller, George Smith, James Allan, James Logan, Jim Russell, Ken Lee, Marijan Koler, Pat O'Reilly, Ron MacEachern, Ron Wilson, W. Boyce and Wesley Craven.
Semi-Finalists:
- Randy Jones, Allen & Ted Webb, Del Deugau, Andy Anderson, Dick Findlay, Steve Tohill, Jerry Winters, Gord Sinclair, Wm. Daniels, Sam Wilson, Clint Page, Terry Eastman, Ken Alexander, Melvin Harris and Don Staab.
Other Competitors;
- Ken Henderson, Mike Fisher, Brian Gray, Stan Parker, Larry Houseman, Ronnie Brown, Ed Williams. Thurman Mikes, Robert Hawkins, Chester Douglas, Les Vegas, Bruce Geis, Rick Fleck, Larry High, Bob Winters and Jamie Phills.
One of the highlighted bouts was the final of the light-welterweight division featuring Freddy Fuller vs Dave Wylie which was featured on a boxing program in January 1968[12] Then there was the heavyweight final with Rocky Marciano as the guest referee for Wesley Craven vs Bill Taylor.
1967 Pan Am Games
The 1967 Pan Am Games Canadian Boxing Team as documented in the list of athletes were: Walter Henry, Frank Scott, W Boyce, Gerald Ratte, Dick Findlay, Frederick Fuller,[13] Donato Paduano and Marijan Kolar.
Walter Henry also competed in the 1964 and 1968 Olympics while Findlay and Paduano competed in the 1968 Games. Frank Scott was a bronze medalist in the 1966 British Empire Games.
The 1968 Seattle Golden Gloves
In 1968, Fuller was one of 19 BC boxers to participate in the Seattle Golden Gloves that also was the Pacific Northwest AAU Championships.[14] The 19 member team of boxers included 1967 Canadian heavyweight champion Billy Taylor, Brian Zelley, Danny Gontes,Dave Johnson,Dave Wylie, Derek Austin, Earl McLeay, Frank Scott, Freddy Fuller, Glen McGee, John Amos, John Carr, Larry Sinitsin, Les Vegas, N Ahmed, Nick McDonald, R Fleck and W Boyce.
Victory by Fuller in Seattle led to a trip to Ohio in April 1968 to compete in the USA National Boxing Championships.
1970 Commonwealth Games
Freddy Fuller participated in the 1970 Commonwealth Games in the light-welterweight division. In that tournament, Prince George boxer Jack Meda earned a bronze medal. Some of the other Canadian boxers were Joe Cooke, Frank Scott, Marv Arneson and Darryl Olsen.[15][16]
The road to the Commonwealth started with the 1970 BC Golden Gloves, Western Canadian Championships and the Canadian National Championships.[17]
BC Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame
In 2010, Freddy Fuller was one of 14 boxers considered for inclusion in the British Columbia Amateur Boxing Hall Of Fame. Others being considered were Eddie Haddad, Harold Mann, Jimmy Walters, Dick Findlay, Fred Desrosiers, Frank Scott, Roger Adolph, Chris Ius, Les Hamilton, Sid McKnight, Dale Walters, Manny Sobral and Donnie Orr.
The finalists in 2010 were: The Boxers: Eddie Haddad, Harold Mann, Jimmy Walters, Fred Desrosiers, Dick Findlay, Freddy Fuller, Frank Scott, Chris Ius, Dale Walters and Manny Sobral
Builders: Dave Brown, Fred Fuller, Elio Ius, Rick Brough and Pat O'Reilly
Administrators\Directors (2010): Ray Beaulieu, Scott Galloway, Steven Kodiak, Daniel McGarvie, Steve Wood, Brian Zelley.
Honorary Directors
- 2011, Freddy Fuller will be an honorary director along with Irene Brough, Dick Findlay, David Ius and Blake Scott.[18] Alan Brown also became an honorary director in 2012.
References
- ^ Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame
- ^ Boxing BC Golden Gloves archives
- ^ BC Amateur Boxing News, November 1963 to January 1986, editor Brian W. Zelley
- ^ "The RING" magazine, June 1966
- ^ "Vancouver South News", April 14. 1965
- ^ "The RING" magazine, May 1965 edition, "Pacific Northwest Boxing News" by Ruggles Larsen,
- ^ Vancouver Island Boxing News, 1983, editor Brian Zelley and authorized by Rick Brough 1983 Vancouver Island Boxing Commisssioner
- ^ Prince George Sports Hall of Fame
- ^ Past issues of BC Golden Gloves programs including the recent 2010 BC Golden Gloves Championship, April 16 and 17th.
- ^ http://www.tacomaathletic.com/golden.html
- ^ Diamond Belt souvenir program
- ^ Vancouver firefighters Boxing Club program, January 5, 1968
- ^ Pan American 1967 List of Competitors, events of August 2, 1967
- ^ The Vancouver Sun
- ^ Commonwealth Games history
- ^ Records of Freddy S. Fuller
- ^ Boxing BC and Boxing Canada boxing competition archives
- ^ British Columbia Amateur Boxing Hall Of Fame