Jerry Shears | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 18, 1925 |
| Died | March 21, 2010 (aged 84) |
| Nationality |  Canadian |
Jerry Shears (born October 18, 1925 - March 21, 2010), also known as Gerald Schulman, [1] was the founder and president of the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association (CABA). He was instrumental in organizing international competitions and promoting the use of protective headgear by amateur boxers. [2]
Jerry Shears was born on October 18, 1925, in Montreal, Quebec. He was the oldest of five children and the son of former Allied Forces bantamweight boxing champion Joe Shears. [3]
At 13, and 95 pounds, he discovered boxing with gloves at neighbourhood clubs. [4] He started boxing competitively in 1938. By the 1940s, he fought in matches and tournaments in Montreal, winning multiple Montreal Golden Gloves championships. [5] After joining the Canadian Armed Forces at 15, he took the Army's lightweight title in 1942 at 17 years old. Shears won the Canadian lightweight championship in 1947. [6] After a five-round fight at the Oxford YMCA in London, England, in 1950, he announced his retirement from competitive ring combat. [7]
He only lost 15 of his 150 fights over a 12-year period. [8] He fought at the Montreal Forum, Maple Leaf Gardens, and throughout the United States.
After the army, Shears began a career in insurance as a broker. [9]
In 1969, Shears established the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association and served as the organization's president. [10] Throughout the 1970s, he acquired an international reputation when he spearheaded the drive to produce a safer sport and his efforts on AIBA's safety commission were rewarded in 1988 when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) mandated headgear at the Olympics for the first time. [11]
He was the executive vice president of the organizing committee for the 1981 World Cup Boxing Championships at Montreal's Maurice Richard Arena. [12]
Jerry Shears died in Ste. Anne's Hospital on Sunday, March 21, 2010, in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada. [13]
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