John da Silva
| John da Silva | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 June 1934 Pukekohe, New Zealand |
| Relatives | Garth da Silva (son) Paul Silva (uncle) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | John Walter da Silva John Silva |
| Debut | 1958 |
| Retired | 1977 |
John Walter da Silva QSM (born 11 June 1934)[1] is a former New Zealand wrestler and boxer.
He represented New Zealand in wrestling at the 1956 Olympics and at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. In 1955 he held both the New Zealand Heavyweight Wrestling title and the Auckland Heavyweight Boxing title. He is of Portuguese, African, English and French Tahitian descent.[2] Paul Silva, a competitive wood chopper, was his uncle.[3]
An amateur from 1953, he turned professional after the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff. He wrestled throughout New Zealand and around the world. He retired in 1977, and subsequently worked with disadvantaged youth. He was awarded the Queen's Service Medal for community service in the 1994 New Year Honours.[4]
He now lives on Great Barrier Island. He is the father of boxer Garth da Silva.[5]
Championships and accomplishments
- All Star Pro Wrestling
References
- ^ "John da Silva". Wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
- ^ "John Da Silva". Kiwi Pro Wrestling. 2007.
- ^ Mackay, Jamie. "Paul Thomas Silva". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ London Gazette (supplement), No. 53528, 30 December 1993; retrieved 9 January 2013.
- ^ Adams, Yvette (2005). More than meets the eye: a true story based on the life and times of the best blind wrestler the world has ever seen. Yvette Adams. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-9757770-0-8.
External links
  | This biographical article relating to a New Zealand sport wrestler or wrestling coach is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1934 births
- Living people
- Olympic wrestlers of New Zealand
- Wrestlers at the 1956 Summer Olympics
- New Zealand male sport wrestlers
- Commonwealth Games competitors for New Zealand
- Wrestlers at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
- People from Great Barrier Island
- Recipients of the Queen's Service Medal
- New Zealand male boxers
- New Zealand people of African descent
- New Zealand people of Brazilian descent
- Professional wrestlers who competed in the Olympics
- New Zealand male professional wrestlers
- People from Pukekohe
- Stampede Wrestling alumni
- Oceanian sport wrestler stubs
- New Zealand sportspeople stubs