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Former Canadian and Commonwealth Welterweight Champion Donovan Boucher Speaks of his Boxing Career

Exclusive Interview by Mike “Rubber Warrior” Plunkett

“It’s been a great ride. I’ve met a lot of people along the way, a lot of interesting people and seen a lot of places”. – Donovan Boucher

Boxing hit a high note in Toronto for a lot of notable reasons back in the 80’s. There were a handful of particularly talented fighters that quietly kept busy moving forward in their respective careers without the mainstream fanfare and headlines afforded those with the blessing of an Olympic push. The thrust of a prizefighter is often times remarkable. They so often start out quietly, usually somewhere off in the shadows, learning their trade and running the miles at an ungodly hour in the cold of morning. Fanfare and acclaim have little to do with the paying of dues, but as the ring experience and years begin to add up the result can sometimes seem like a talent that snuck up on you.

I remember watching Donovan Boucher win a national title in 1987 and wondering where he had come from. From that point he was on my personal radar and a half year later all eyes were on him as he produced a victory that shocked the local media despite
being the goods all along. Toiling out of the spotlight has a way of doing that. In the years that followed he made Toronto proud, ultimately challenging for a major world title. Having the opportunity to represent RSR and to sit and speak with the former Canadian and Commonwealth welterweight champion was a golden opportunity to gain insight on a man that once sent shockwaves throughout his hometown while reliving a bit of Canadian boxing history.

MP: You were born in Jamaica and later moved to Canada. How did you get your start in boxing?

I got my start with a good friend of mine that I went to school with. We came to Canada pretty well at the same back in the early days, Chris Amos. He used to be a good fighter himself. Chris is training Troy Ross today. He’s Troy’s cousin. We used to go to the same school; elementary school, junior high, and so on. He was a pretty good amateur fighter back then and he asked me to come on down to the gym one day. That was Sully’s Gym in Toronto. At first I said no as I was always good and interested in other sports, like soccer. But back in the day when Muhammad Ali was out there, I used to really admire the way he fought, and Chris was persistent, so eventually I went. I liked using the speedball and the routine of a boxer, sticking to the whole nine yards. So I decided to give it all a shot.

I was in the gym training and Tony Unitas saw me and recognized some talent in me, so he asked me if I wanted to take part in an amateur fight. I remember thinking ok I’ll go and check it out, never being one to turn down at challenge. The next thing you know, I won my first fight, and being just 12 or 13 and winning a trophy, I thought it was just great. Winning a trophy at that age was an accomplishment. After that I was looking for the next one. And it all started from there.

MP: August 15th 1985 at the Civic Arena in Sarnia, Ontario, you turned professional. You won a six-round unanimous decision over a fighter named Zest Holmes. What do you recall of that moment and of your opponent?

I decided after a nice little amateur career I’d give it a shot. It seemed like a good thing to do at the time, to turn pro. Back then there was a lot of boxing happening in the city of Toronto and in Canada in general. Shawn O’Sullivan had just won the silver medal at the 1984 Olympics and we used to train at the same gym.

As for Sarnia and Zest Holmes, I really can’t remember his face but I remember the name. I was kind of nervous, obviously, fighting my first professional fight. I remember when I went back to the showers after the fight after I won, I yelled out YES! because it felt like such a big relief off of my back, having accomplished a successful first professional fight. That was a tremendous night and from there everything started to gel. I was with Peter Wylie when I was training at the Cabbagetown Boxing Club as a pro. We had some good fighters; O’Sullivan, Tony Morrison, Terry Francis, we had a lot of good fighters back then.

MP: After going 9-0 you lost your first bout to Chris Clarke, then 28-3 and the former Commonwealth welterweight and Canadian middleweight champion. Why were you thrown in so early against such a decorated and experienced opponent?

Well see, the simple reason is I was with Peter Wylie, but looking back at things I never really had anybody in my corner. They thought I was a good fighter, I guess they probably figured they could throw me in with anybody; if I got lucky and won, then so be it. Looking back at things, me fighting in Clarke’s hometown, a decorated and experienced fighter like he was, Commonwealth champion, I would have had to knock him out to have won the fight. But anyways, they threw me into that fight, and I’m a man that never says no, I’m not going to back down. But there’s a time when you need to have somebody in your corner. I wish my daddy had been around, but he wasn’t really around, he passed away when I was young and I was basically by myself. So I never really had that blood in my corner or around me to help me out.

MP: Five wins and eight month later you won your first professional title, the Canadian welterweight title with a 7th round knockout over Danny Winters. What do you remember of that moment and did it open any doors for you as a fighter?

Yeah, beating Danny Winters in his hometown of Halifax, that was good. They lined me up to fight for the Canadian welterweight championship. That was a great thing fighting for a title in your country back in those days. I thought it was awesome and I said of course. It was vacant title at the time, he was in line to fight for it and so was I. We got together and fought and I stopped him in the 7th. It was a great night, a memorable night for me. That was the start of some great things to come. It was a great
accomplishment.

MP: You made the second defense of your title on March 25th 1988 against the highly celebrated Shawn O’Sullivan, a local Toronto favorite and a 1984 Olympic silver medalist, stopping him in the 2nd round. Relive that moment for us.

That was a great night and in the build-up to that fight I knew I would stop Shawn just by a lot of things along the way. Leading up to the fight we trained at the old Eaton Center in downtown Toronto for a public workout, and Shawn always thought that he was the man; he wanted to take the bigger dressing room but Chris Amos stepped in and told him no way, I was the champion. Chris and Shawn almost got into a fight over that right there (laughing). I remember that so clearly. I had to get between those two and told Chris to wait until after my fight, I had to fight O’Sullivan first.

That night, there was no possible way I was going to lose. I had everybody in my corner; Lennox Lewis, everybody in Toronto in my corner. There was just too much positive vibes going through me and everybody around me. I got into the ring and thought Shawn looked so frail. In the first round I took my time and worked behind the jab to see what he had. I used my speed and caught him a little bit. In the 2nd I figured it was time to bomb this guy out of there, so I went in and just let loose. I was young. I had boxing skills and the ability to go out there with them. Unfortunately somebody had to go and I knew it wasn’t going to be me that night. That was an excellent moment. That was one of the best moments of my career.

MP: Did O’Sullivan hit as hard as advertised?

I saw him in a lot of fights and he stopped a lot of guys but that night my adrenaline was flowing so much I really didn’t feel anything. But apparently he was supposed to be a hard hitter. I didn’t want to feel it, I just wanted to be on the offensive and have things materialize for me. I wasn’t really worried about Shawn.

MP: In September 1989 you were stopped in the 7th against Glenwood “The Real Beast” Brown for the WBA Inter-Continental welterweight title. What happened?

I was in training in New York, not too many people know about this, I had a tooth flare up. I had a wicked abscessed tooth. But I sucked it up and decided to take the fight anyway, which I shouldn’t have. I was doing quite well until he caught me with that left hook and sent me through the ropes. Fighting in New York, the Mecca of boxing, Americans really give their all when it comes to fighting Canadians. Even in soccer today, I coach soccer, whenever an American team comes to play, the Canadians bring their best, as do the Americans, and it’s the same thing in boxing. I wanted to win that fight but unfortunately he caught me. I take my hat off to him. He won the fight.

MP: In November 1989 you won the Commonwealth welterweight title with a unanimous decision over the talented Gary Jacobs of the United Kingdom, a title you successfully defended five times, against known fighters such as Kirkland Laing, Mickey Hughes and Robert Wright. During this period did you feel a major world title was in your future?

Yes, that was my plan. Winning the Commonwealth title and going back over to England to defend it enough times I just wanted to fight for a world title but unfortunately if you don’t have the proper management to take you there things will never materialize. So I had to go with an American promoter, Don King, and I was in his stable for about three years. Eventually I got a title shot. Things happen a lot faster for a fighter with an American promoter, they have all of the access and connections, and King knew how to maneuver a fighter. In Canada they don’t have the ability to move you into a world title fight. Now things are better, but back in the day it was tough to get a world title fight if you weren’t with an American promoter.

MP: In October 1993 you challenged the undefeated Crisanto Espana for the WBA World welterweight title.

King got me a shot and unfortunately I fought a tough fighter. Like I said, they wouldn’t give me no easy fight, especially if you weren’t from the States, they just put you in and hopefully you’ll win. I fought Crisanto Espana over in Manchester, England, Old Trafford Stadium. That was a unique experience.

MP: He was a huge welterweight.

He was a freak of nature. This guy was big, he ran marathons. When I got into the ring I thought he was at least 180lbs. At the weigh-in he looked alright, but once I was in the ring he looked huge. They stopped the fight in the 10th or 11th round.

MP: He had stopped Meldrick Taylor for the title in his previous fight

Yeah, he stopped Meldrick Taylor before me, and after our fight he got stopped by Ike Quartey. Jeez, I think I must have softened him up just a little bit. But that’s how boxing works. Maybe it’s all planned by God.

MP: You walked away from boxing in 1996? Was the desire gone and what did you do during this period?

I had a big problem here with the commission. Ken Hayashi was the boxing commissioner here in Ontario back in ’96. He wouldn’t let me fight here in my hometown in Toronto. He said I had some kind of shadow or something on my scan, on my MRI. It was a dot on the scan but it was not conclusive. They wouldn’t let me fight for about ten years. I was very depressed about that, I really wanted to fight in Toronto.

MP: You made a comeback at age 45 which culminated in a close split decision loss to Gareth Sutherland for the Canadian light middleweight title, a testament to your skill and desire. It looked as though you deserved the decision. Why did you make the comeback at such an advanced age?

Oh, absolutely. It’s funny because on Facebook, my opponent Gareth Sutherland and I are friends now, we keep in touch. That night, the first fight we had I wasn’t completely fit. He won that one. I gave it to him at the Royal York Hotel. In the rematch, I was good, everything was working. I hit him with a good shot to the body, he went down but they took points thinking it was a low blow. It wasn’t a low blow. I got a tape of it. I hit him right on the waist. They took points from me and I lost a split decision. I felt really bad; I had trained so hard and I put so much effort into it and they took it away from me. I was devastated when that happened. Fair is fair, but I was just devastated that happened. I wanted to be Canada’s oldest champion, and I knew I could do it. I went in completely prepared, everything was just right that night and they took it away from me. Hey, life goes on.

MP: What occupies Donovan Boucher’s time these days?

I’m happy with two kids, a beautiful wife, working for the City of Toronto and training my daughter in soccer; I’m the coach of her soccer team. I’m also involved in the movie business doing stunt work. Everything is comfortable. I’m blessed.

MP: Do you follow boxing today, and if so, which fighters do you enjoy most?

I follow boxing quite a bit. I just turned off the television before you called. I was watching Amir Khan and Marcos Maidana. What an excellent fight! Today I love the sport of boxing. I’m heading up to the Molson Center in the town of Barrie for the next big night of boxing which is coming up shortly.

Floyd Mayweather, JR., is a buddy of mine, we used to train together in Las Vegas back in the early days when he was just an amateur kid starting out. He was a good little fighter looking to fight for some big promoter. We used to hang out together at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. I really enjoy watching him fight and watching him progress as a fighter over the years.

MP: Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans?

It’s been a great ride. I’ve met a lot of people along the way, a lot of interesting people and seen a lot of places. I just like to be honest with people; always remember, don’t care what anybody else says, just do what you think you can do and do it to your damndest. Do it to the best of your ability and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. Just be positive and just continue doing what you think is right. Keep properly focused and never give up. You do that and you can attain anything you want.

Donovan Boucher
Division: Middleweight

Professional Record: 33-7, 18 KO’s

Date Opponent Location Result

1985-08-15 Zest Holmes Sarnia, CA W UD 6
1985-09-19 Marco Carella Toronto, CA W KO 1
1985-11-16 John Shepherd Reno, US W MD 6
1985-12-19 Terry Francis Ottawa, CA W UD 6

1986-02-10 Ray Greene Toronto, CA W KO 1
1986-03-27 Benoit Boudreau Dartmouth, CA W UD 6
1986-06-08 James Sudberry Toronto, CA W MD 6
1986-08-25 Cortez Treadwell Winchester, CA W UD 8
1986-09-30 Gerry Meekison Halifax, CA W UD 8
1986-11-10 Chris Clarke Halifax, CA L UD 10

1987-01-27 Ira Hathaway Toronto, CA W UD 6
1987-02-10 Denis Sigouin Montreal, CA W UD 10
1987-03-16 Robin Smith Toronto, CA W TKO 4
1987-04-22 Jacques DeBlois Toronto, CA W TKO 2
1987-04-30 Arnie Wells Detroit, US W TKO 6
1987-07-07 Danny Winters Halifax, CA W KO 7
vacant Canada Welterweight Title
1987-11-19 Wayne Gordon Windsor, CA W TKO 11
Canada Welterweight Title

1988-03-25 Shawn O’Sullivan Toronto, CA W KO 2
Canada Welterweight Title
1988-08-11 Ali Salaam New York, US W TKO 1
1988-09-27 Pat McWilliams Halifax, CA W TKO 7
Canada Welterweight Title

1989-01-23 Paul Jones Toronto, CA W DQ 6
1989-06-20 Jason Watters Atlantic City, US L UD 10
1989-09-28 Glenwood Brown Atlantic City, US L TKO 7
WBA Inter-Continental Welterweight Title
1989-11-23 Gary Jacobs Motherwell, UK W PTS 12
Commonwealth (British Empire) Welterweight Title

1990-05-31 John Battle Vaughan, CA W TKO 5
1990-07-11 Marvin Ladson Kitchener, CA W KO 1

1991-01-09 Brad Jeffries Toronto, CA W TKO 2
Commonwealth (British Empire) Welterweight Title
Canada Welterweight Title
1991-04-17 Kirkland Laing Kensington, UK W KO 9
Commonwealth (British Empire) Welterweight Title
1991-06-04 Mickey Hughes Bethnal Green, UK W PTS 12
Commonwealth (British Empire) Welterweight Title
1991-10-17 Stan Cunningham Winnipeg, CA W TKO 6
Canada Welterweight Title
Commonwealth (British Empire) Welterweight Title

1992-03-17 Robert Wright Mayfair, UK W TKO 11
Commonwealth (British Empire) Welterweight Title
1992-11-24 Eamonn Loughran Doncaster, UK L TKO 3
Commonwealth (British Empire) Welterweight Title

1993-05-07 Ariel Cruz Las Vegas, US W TKO 2
1993-10-09 Crisanto Espana Manchester, UK L TKO 10
WBA World Welterweight Title

1996-02-10 Dezi Ford Las Vegas, US W TKO 4

2007-09-14 Martin Desjardins Montreal, CA W UD 8
2007-11-22 Claudio Ortiz Edmonton, CA W UD 8

2008-04-01 Gareth Sutherland Toronto, CA L TKO 9
Canada Light Middleweight Title
2008-06-20 Gareth Sutherland Edmonton, CA L SD 10
Canada Light Middleweight Title
2008-09-12 John McLean Edmonton, CA W UD 8

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