Boxing star Art Hafey was born and raised in Canada. In his illustrious career he has an impressive record of 53 wins, eight losses and four draws.
Despite his immense achievements in the sport, the Canadian icon is among the least recognized boxers over the past half century. However, some of his fight footage served as motivation for a significant number of contemporary boxers.
Where can I find Art Hafey right now?
It’s likely that Art Hafey is currently in his 70s at this point. He is no longer active in the boxing industry as he has already retired.
It was widely believed that Hafey, a dominant figure in the sports world in the 1970s, had passed away in 2014. However, no one in his family has provided any official confirmation of this information.
He is considered one of the strongest punchers in boxing history. Although no longer active in the sporting world, he will forever be remembered for his influence on the boxing scene in the 1970’s.
In 1975 he had a fight against Vicente “Yambito” Blanco which became one of his most famous fights. Likewise, his fight against Salvador Torres, which resulted in a win for Hafey after 10 rounds, is considered one of the most famous fights of the era.
At the launch of Toy Tiger, Hafey (center) and his friends were there to support him.
Myotonia congenita was a neuromuscular disorder that Hafey reportedly suffered from, as stated by the website MDA.org (MC). After all, he was often faced with the phenomenon that his muscles could not quickly relax after a voluntary contraction. Hafey overcame his illness and persisted in his quest for success; The entirety of his life was portrayed in the film Toy Tiger, which was released in 2009.
With the money saved, Hafey has been able to lead an uncomplicated and frugal life for more than three decades. He has never sought greater recognition than was bestowed upon him, and he has never complained about being denied greatness.
Speaking about his family, he married one of his tenants and used the money he made from his boxing career to purchase some apartments in Nova Scotia. All this was done with the money he earned.
Art Hafey, a Canadian boxing legend; Learn more about him on Wikipedia
Hafey was a phenomenal Canadian fighter hailing from Nova Scotia. He was born on January 17, 1951, his year of birth 1951.
Hafey’s ancestors can be traced back to both Ireland and Canada. He is known for his powerful punches, which he used in boxing matches against opponents from around the world.
His small build and lightning-fast technical skills earned him the nickname “The Toy Tiger” during his boxing career. Modern-day boxers of smaller stature look up to him as a source of motivation.
According to IMDB, Hafey rose to prominence after appearing in the boxing documentary The Toy Tiger produced by Little2reel Films. 2009 was the year it opened to the public.
In the 1970s, Hafey made an attempt to knock out one of his opponents.
In the book “The Toy Tiger” the author deals with the life and career of the “Irish-Canadian” prizefighter Art Hafey, who is considered the most successful fighter of the last fifty years. Similarly, the film examines the unique circumstances that led to the death of one of Canada’s greatest athletes.
Toy Tiger also portrays Art in all his breakneck, bone-crunching and unrealized greatness, from the sport’s corrupt “governing” organs to his argumentative coach, the effects of an unknown neuromuscular disease and finally an assessment of the man himself.
Bradford Little is both writing and directing Toy Tiger. JJ provided the voice for it.
Johnston and opened to the public in October 2009. The documentary was rated 8.8 stars by the Internet Movie Database.
One of his most notable battles took place in the state of California. Between 1972 and 1976 he reigned as a terrifying force in the featherweight division.
Both the California Boxing Hall of Fame (on June 26, 2010) and the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame (1980) inducted Hafey into their respective Halls of Fame.
Art Hafey’s career stats including his height
Art Hafey had a height of 5 feet 2 inches, which is 157 centimeters. He has competed in featherweight boxing in the past.
As Hafey’s manager in Quebec City looked for new opponents for his young thug, boxing promoters were quick to regret their earlier eagerness to take on Hafey. Hafey is a young thug.
When Hafey made his professional boxing debut in 1968 at the age of 17, he weighed 116 pounds and possessed devastating strength.
In 1972, his team moved to California, and the boxer took the opportunity to take on a talented group of featherweight boxers in the state.
In a brutal fight that took place in 1975, Hafey (right) defeated Salvador Torres in 10 rounds to claim the victory.
Hafey was known for both his dexterity and technical ability. His remarkable career has seen him win a record 54, lose 8 and draw 4. His record is a perfect 100. He also has a career record of 66 fights, most of which he has won by KO.
A KO percentage of 55% is achieved by the boxer. During the 1970s, the boxer faced off against a number of notable contenders including Eddie Paris, Tiger Lo, Alex Martin, Angelo Perez, Jackie Burke and Jo Jo Jackson.
The fight against Santos Gallardo, which took place on June 17, 1976, is considered his last victory. The battle was fought in El Paso, located in the United States.
Similarly, his last fight was in Inglewood, USA against Danny Lopez. The boxer was defeated by technical knockout in the seventh round of the match.
Boxing vs Baseball
When Hafey was 12, he and his older brother Lawrence decided to take up boxing after realizing they couldn’t handle the physical demands of baseball. Hafey recalled falling flat on his face every time he tried to sprint to first base after hitting the ball. “As soon as I hit the ball and tried to run to first base.” His condition, a rarer form of muscular dystrophy known as Thomsen’s disease, wreaked havoc on his muscles.
As the boys’ father was a boxing enthusiast, he must have been delighted when his youngest son Art won the Nova Scotia Paperweight Champion title at just 14 years old and weighing in at a whopping 75 pounds.
After that, Hafey easily defeated all other competitors in his amateur weight class in the Maritime Provinces of Canada. During a recent phone interview, he stated, “I knew absolutely nothing about technique or presentation,” and he was absolutely right. “Nothing but wild haymakers,” he said.
Search for new opponents
Quebec City boxing promoters quickly regretted their early willingness to accommodate Hafey when his manager there was looking for new opponents for his young thug. Hafey was a young talent with a lot of potential. When he turned pro in 1968, Hafey weighed 116 pounds of lethal strength. He was then 17 years old.
When he had his first fight of note in Quebec it was against Paul Tope who would go on to become the top lightweight contender in Canada. Hafey was the underdog in this fight. “They arranged it for six rounds and figured that at the end of that period I would no longer be relevant. Then suddenly, while I was still strong in the sixth round, they announced that the fight would now be seven rounds,” he recalled. You must have assumed that Tope would knock me out in the seventh inning without a doubt. At that point I knocked him unconscious.”
Hafey has his own experience of the shady shenanigans and shenanigans that have been a part of the professional boxing industry since its inception. It shouldn’t be his last appearance.
The move to California
Because boxers of similar weight in Canada would not fight Hafey, he was compared to opponents who were 10–15 pounds taller than him. His manager was aware that even as he dominated the competition and cleaned their clocks, it was only a matter of time before he would be hurt by a stronger opponent.
According to Brad Little, the producer and director of “Toy Tiger,” Quebec City’s promoters were intentionally trying to put Hafey in the ring with far larger opponents to “put him out of the competition.” They literally wanted to knock him out of the fight. To create the documentary, which includes actual interviews with Hafey and other fighters, trainers, managers and promoters from the 1970s, it took Little five years to sift through hundreds of hours of archival footage and stills. Little also used still images to illustrate the narrative.
The Hafey team relocated to California in 1972 in what Hafey described as “the best move of my career.” In California at the time, a dynamic roster of featherweight fighters, many of whom were Mexican-born, delighted the boxing world with their furious fighting energy and flamboyant social life.
The Canadian who didn’t smoke, drink, curse, or chase women entered this whirlwind of veteran boxers and party animals. He was the only one in the group who didn’t. Simply put, he was driven by an intense desire to achieve victory in the ring.
