The Fighting Fisherman: The Life of Yvon Durelle [Paperback]

Raymond Fraser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 6, 2005

Yvon Durelle fought from the tiny Acadian hamlet of Baie Ste. Anne to within a heartbeat of being light-heavyweight boxing champion of the world.
Durelle emerges in this book as a man of contradictions. His lifelong nickname was "Doux"--gentle--but he mastered a spectacularly brutal profession. Accounts of his fighting career reveal a man of incredible toughness and audacity: in 1952 he fought Olympic gold medalist Floyd Patterson with a broken hand. His life outside the ring was equally audacious: in 1977 he was charged with shooting and killing a man outside a Miramichi drinking club. This biography follows Durelle's painful progress through both worlds.
The Fighting Fisherman is a remarkably frank portrait of a complex man and a punishing sport.

This edition replaces the Goodread edition of this title, ISBN 0-8878-0114-5.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Rare quality for sports biographies: it recognizes the flaws of its subject, and in doing so gives Yvon Durelle a stature and dignity he may never have otherwise received." (Quill & Quire )

"An authentic Canadian tragic hero ... superb!" (Montreal Gazette )

"A story of raw, unadulterated courage; of pathos and sordidness." (London Free Press )

About the Author

RAYMOND FRASER was born in Chatham, New Brunswick. A prolific novelist, poet and editor, his books include The Bannonbridge Musicians (1978) and Rum River (1997).

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Formac; 2 edition (June 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887806562
• ISBN-13: 978-0887806568
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,923,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I originate from Chatham, NB, Canada, and live now in Fredericton, NB, Canada.

First off, I should say that some of my books are listed separately under the name Raymond JOSEPH Fraser, which is an error. I've never published anything using my middle name. If you see books by Raymond Joseph Fraser you should know they are really by Raymond Fraser. Also, one of my books, THE FIGHTING FISHERMAN, is sometimes listed as being by Ray Fraser & Raymond Fraser. It is really only by Raymond Fraser.

My four most recent books are not available at Amazon.com but can be found at Amazon.ca (the Canadian version).

My weblog link is: http://raymondfraser.blogspot.com/

My very latest publication is a kindle ebook: THE GRUMPY MAN selling for a mere $2.99.

Here is a list of my titles, covering the period from 1966 to 2011.

FICTION
The Madness Of Youth (2011)
The Trials Of Brother Bell (2010)
In Another Life (2009)
The Grumpy Man (2008)
In A Cloud Of Dust And Smoke (2007)
Costa Blanca (2001)
Rum River (1997)
The Bannonbridge Musicians (1978)
The Struggle Outside (1975)
The Black Horse Tavern (1973)

BIOGRAPHY
Todd Matchett: Confessions Of A Young Criminal (1994)
The Fighting Fisherman: The Life Of Yvon Durelle (1981)

MEMOIRS, ESSAYS & STORIES
When The Earth Was Flat (2004)

POETRY
Before You're A Stranger (2000)
Macbride Poems (1993)
The More I Live (1971)
I've Laughed And Sung (1969)
Waiting For God's Angel (1966)
Poems for the Mirimichi (1965)

I also co-edited an Atlantic anthology called EAST OF CANADA.

Here are some plugs:

"The best literary voice to come belling out of the Maritimes in decades." -- FARLEY MOWAT

"Raymond Fraser is one of the most gifted writers I know, and among his gifts are two that are all too rare: a zest for life and a sense of humour. -- ALDEN NOWLAN

"I've had the pleasure of reading five of Raymond Fraser's books over the past few years. A great storyteller and one of the country's truly under-appreciated natural resources." -- LAWRENCE CREAGHAN, The Write Stuff

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars ok reading, March 3, 2000

By 

Paula Durelle (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fighting Fisherman: The Life of Yvon Durelle (Hardcover)

Hi - this book is one I read a few years ago and again recently. I feel it was an honest attempt to relate the story of Yvon - but I do feel that more of it should have dealt with the challenges he faced in his boxing career - and less to depict his personality - or the way the author perceived him. The book would have been more intriguing if the reader could 'see' the lifestyle and era that Yvon lived through - for example look at the popularity of Frank McCourt's books - T'is and Angela's Ashes - the style used there would be better used in depicting the story of Yvon - and his wife and kids too. I was a little dissapointed in the sensationalism of negative things in Yvon's life rather than portraying the 'whole picture". The culture, lifestyle, and sense of family and pride is not shown as well as it should be.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Our champion, October 6, 2002

By 

Lester Morrison (Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fighting Fisherman: The Life of Yvon Durelle (Hardcover)

I have read the book on Yvon Durelle at least several times since it was first published. As a 11 year old kid growing up in a small fishing village in Nova Scotia during the time Yvon was at the height of his career, he will never know the impact he made on our daily lives. He was one of us, the fighting fisherman. The author could of spent more time on how the Durelle family lived during this period. The 40's and 50's were difficult times in the Maritimes to say the least. The book should of portrayed the struggle of Yvon's career more. For someone from a small fishing village in New Brunswick to fight the greatest light heavy weight Champion of all time, and almost K.O, is the greatest achievement reached by any Canadian boxer ever. I fully understand that the author in order to write the full story has to write the negetive as well positive side to ones biography. Today we have a tendency to get caught up in the sensational, if the author would of stayed more with the grassroots issues of the day, such as family, the struggle to build a career in a very difficult business, more in depth description of his earlier fights, it would have been a better read. I had the chance to meet Mr. Durelle and his wife 12 years ago. They are very gracious hosts and I look forward to visiting their boxing museum someday in the near future.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not the Ray Fraser of "Labyrinth" or Flight of the Monarch", February 22, 2005

By 

snatrasgal - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fighting Fisherman (Paperback)

Very disappointed that this was not another Ray Fraser mystery and suspense novel. Not at all what I expected! It's the same author name, but definitely not the same mystery and suspense author that I've grown to enjoy. I did notice that the Mr. Fraser I'm familiar with, had a recent release, "I am the Father's Son." I guess I need to be more careful. I didn't realize that that there can be more than one person using the same author name.