Miramichi

OVERVIEW~ Miramichi is the story of Yvon Durelle—the classic underdog—whose unlikely journey takes him from pulling up lobster traps and building ship anchors to within a whisper of a World Championship. Growing up in the remote fishing village of Baie Sainte-Anne, NB, he stares down a bleak future of poverty and hardship. The story primarily covers his life and career starting in 1946, when, as a bored, uneducated teenager, the seeds of alternate future are sown when he is introduced to boxing. Alternating between fishing and fighting, he quickly establishes himself as a boxer to be feared. All of his adversaries are not in the ring however. He battles another formidable foe: a wild, impulsive nature which threatens to derail the pursuit of his dreams. Yet, with no formal training, an aversion to training and an unorthodox style in the ring, he claws his way to the top of the boxing racket by sheer determination and heart. Along the way, he has many glorious victories (two Canadian titles) and several crushing defeats. He wrangles with crooked promoters, shady managers and his own inner demons. But along the way he captures the hearts of the fans with his formidable persistence and unwavering belief in himself. On December 10, 1958, Yvon Durelle gets a shot at his dream. He shocks the boxing world and the country on that unforgettable night in the Montreal Forum, displaying his lion’s heart in an epic battle which has been ranked 6th best fight of all time. Although his dream was lost on the canvas that night, his valiant effort—within one second of victory—elevated him to a place he never dreamed of as a young man on a fishing boat in the Miramichi Bay: hero. He was a man with one hand on his dream. ACT ONE ~ Learning the Ropes 1946, Yvon is 17. He is restless living in Baie Sainte-Anne. His future choices (lobster fisherman or blacksmith) are bleak. He sees only a dead end. No education. No plan. No opportunities... until... his older brothers PLACIDE and ALYRE return in one piece from WW II with the key to a world far beyond the docks and shores of Baie Sainte-Anne: a pair of 16 oz. boxing gloves. They build a makeshift ring in their backyard to stage fights with the locals for fun. After word gets around, Yvon meets DODE DEALY (a promoter) and CLYNE CASSIDY (a fighter), who have just started a boxing club in Chatham, NB. Yvon finds his calling. After some rudimentary training from Placide, Yvon immediately establishes himself as a fighter to be feared, his punches so furious and explosive he rarely fought more than 2 rounds. He wins his first 19 fights and a regional belt. Winning convinces him he doesn’t need to train hard. His managers disagree and force him to move away to advance his career. He meets THERESE, the future love of his life. It’s a love story but no fairy tale. He keeps winning but mounting pressures of training, travel, money and their relationship make him question if the dream was everything he thought it was. He learns the hard way that not everyone in the boxing world is on the level. Desperately unhappy, he has to decide if he’ll continue to chase his dream. ACT TWO ~ The Wild Years Yvon meets several new figures who will heavily affect his career trajectory--some for the better, some not. CHRIS SHABAN (one of the good ones), a highly-connected promoter offers to manage Yvon and get him bigger paydays. He does, but Chris’s strict philosophy of rigorous training eventually causes a riff and they part ways. ARNOLD FLEIGHER, a local boxer with movie star looks and a silky smooth style in the ring is brought in to be Yvon’s chief sparring/training partner. They could not be more different but they forge a deep friendship. They learn things from each other about boxing, but just as importantly, about living life, chasing dreams, bouncing back from disappointments. They joke about someday having to stand toe to toe in a ring. Yvon’s new manager BOB TALBOT is one of those shady 50’s operators. Talbot gets him a big title shot for the Canadian Middleweight title. Yvon is defeated, questions his whole existence and considers quitting boxing. He is all of 21 years old. After a two-year courtship, he marries 17-year old Therese. His career trends upward but he discovers marriage wasn’t what he thought it would be. Trouble in the henhouse as Yvon continues to learn that the fight game is full of unscrupulous money-grabbers, cheaters and schemers. Sure enough, the day comes when he must face his friend Arnold in the ring. When they meet centre ring for the introductions, Arnold--concerned that Yvon’s effort will reflect their friendship--implores him, “Make sure it’s your best, Doux.” It is: Yvon puts him out like a light in the second round but takes no pleasure in it. First child GENEVA arrives as the fights dry up. Facing unsteady paycheques and the pressures of fatherhood, Yvon makes a rash decision: he joins the Army in 1953, shocking the Canadian boxing world. Therese feels abandoned. In the Army, Yvon trains a rag-tag troupe of men to fight in the Armed Forces boxing championship, eventually winning. Yvon has a mid-career upswing: he wins the Canadian Middleweight belt. It doesn’t last long. The boxing world of the 50s is full of booze, broads and bright lights: too many temptations for a lobster fisherman from the docks of Baie Sainte-Anne. Yvon falls easily for the perks of his fame. Yvon lands a high profile fight against future World Heavyweight Champion FLOYD PATTERSON but loses a unanimous decision despite battering Patterson for much of the fight. He is mid-career, 27 years old and has three children now. A losing streak leads to heavy drinking and fewer fights. Yvon’s life pinballs. The highs and the lows take their toll. He is finally confronted by Therese about his infidelities. It looks like the end of both career and marriage. The dream seems dead. ACT THREE ~ Destiny Yvon turns to the only manager he ever trusted: CHRIS SHABAN. Yvon agrees to train like his life depends on it. Chris talks powerful boxing mogul TRUMAN GIBSON into giving Yvon a title shot at the magnificent world champion Archie Moore. The Fight: DURELLE vs MOORE, December 10, 1958, Montreal Forum. On the line: the World Light-Heavyweight Championship. It’s Yvon’s destiny, his dream. Yvon is a 4-1 underdog. The match will be 11 rounds of intense combat, brutality and fate. Before the fight, Yvon meets his hero--JOE LOUIS. The Brown Bomber gives him advice but also confidence when he tells Yvon he can beat Moore. In the first round, Yvon shocks the world when he floors Moore three times. It’s mouthpiece-flying, legs-wobbling, rope-grabbing, eyes-glazing time for Moore, the most nightmarish round of his entire storied career. The third knockdown prompts Moore to say later, “I felt as if the top of my head was blown off.” But, the referee starts the count late, actually giving Moore closer to 13 seconds to get up, which he does, beating the count at 9. Yvon Durelle comes within one second of becoming World Champion. Yvon is eventually knocked out in the 11th round.