Clifford G. BLACKBURN

Cliff Blackburn rose to prominence as a welterweight boxer during the mid-1940s and contested his first Canadian National Championship in 1946, losing in the final to Billy Powell. Powell again got the best of Blackburn in 1947, but retired several months later, leaving the title vacant. In 1948, Blackburn made it to the finals of the national championships, which doubled as the Olympic Trials, and won on a walkover after two other semifinalists, Larry Simons and Billy Goulding, refused to fight each other. Blackburn was declared the national champion, but the Olympic selection committee refused to name him their delegate because he had not fought anyone in the final. Over a month later, a tournament between Blackburn, Simsons, and Goulding was called to determine who would represent Canada at the Games. Goulding, by then out of shape, declined to appear, leaving the spot contested between Simsons and Blackburn, the latter of whom won the bout.

In London, Blackburn defeated Mariano Vélez of the Philippines in the opening round, but then had the misfortune of being pitted against upcoming gold medalist Július Torma of Czechoslovakia and was eliminated. Blackburn began contesting the middleweight division in 1949, but was unable to regain a national title and retired from active competition shortly thereafter.