Horace Gwynne
Encyclopedia
Horace "Lefty" Gwynne (October 5, 1912 – April 16, 2001) was a bantamweight
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...
professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, who competed in the 1930s and won the gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
medal at the 1932 Summer Olympics
Boxing at the 1932 Summer Olympics
These are the results of the boxing competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Medals were awarded in 8 weight classes. The competitions were held from August 9, 1932 to August 13, 1932.-Medal summary:-Participating nations:...
. He was still an amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
when he won the gold medal.
Born in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Gwynne left school after grade 8, weighing only 65 lb (29.5 kg). When he started to grow, he began working out in Stokley's Gym in Toronto to lose weight in order to become a jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
.
Amateur career
At age nineteen he won the Canadian amateur flyweight championship in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Ontario. He entered the 1932 Olympic trials as a bantamweight, a class permitting up to 118 lb (53.5 kg); he weighed 116.
He won the Canadian amateur bantamweight title, which sent him to the 1932 Summer Olympics
1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, despite his having fought only fifteen bouts. He won the Olympic gold medal match against the German Hans Ziglarski
Hans Ziglarski
Hans Ziglarski was a German boxer who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics and in the 1932 Summer Olympics....
, knocking him down in the second round and winning on points.
Olympics Results
- Defeated Vito MelisVito MelisVito Melis is an Italian boxer who competed in the 1932 Summer Olympics.He was born in Cagliari.In 1932 he was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the bantamweight class after losing his fight to the upcoming gold medalist Horace Gwynne.-External links:*...
(Italy) PTS - Defeated José Villaneuva (Philippines) PTS
- Defeated Hans ZiglarskiHans ZiglarskiHans Ziglarski was a German boxer who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics and in the 1932 Summer Olympics....
(Germany) PTS
Pro career
Immediately after the Olympics he turned professional. He won the Canadian professional bantamweight title in 1935 and held it until 1939, retiring undefeated.Honors
Gwynne has been inducted into the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. He died in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.