Ottawa never has been a Mecca of boxing, never had the cache of Montreal or the big city feel of Toronto, but that's not to say the love for the sweet science has been absent.

Being a boxing enthusiast I've always been interested in great Canadian boxers of the past; names like George Chuvalo, Jimmy McLarnin, and Sam Langford, all stellar fighters, each in their own respect. Being from Ottawa I decided to try and find who was best fighter from the National Capital Region was. It didn't take long before I found about about former Canadian welterweight champion Gale Kerwin.

Kerwin was just 11 yrs old when his uncle taught him to box, transitioning from the classic Canadian past-time of hockey to the confines of the squared circle. Before long he was fighting on the Canadian amateur circuit, ending up with an impressive if not spectacular 48 wins in 53 bouts. He performed well enough to catch the eye of an amateur Ottawa-area promoter named Mel Schwartzman. Mr. Schwartzman had sent another talented Ottawa prospect Joey Sandulo to New York manager Al Lang. He sent Kerwin to Long Island which turned out to be a good move.

Gale Kerwin fought professionally between lightweight and welterweight throughout his career, bringing a hard left hook with him from Ottawa. His first three fights were all in Brooklyn, NY in 1954, all victories. Then, in only his fourth pro fight, he made his debut in boxing's biggest mecca, Madison Square Garden; his first victory in the famed Garden but certainly not his last.

While he would drop two of his next three bouts by decision, things quickly turned around for the Canadian as he reeled off a 12 fight winning streak which included returning to Ottawa twice during that span to the delight of his hometown fans. He lost his next fight as the result of a cut before reeling off 6 more wins. Next up would be the toughest test of his career, a fight with future hall of famer Carlos Ortiz. Ortiz was 18-0 on his way to stardom when the 22-3-1 Canuck stepped into MSG to face him. The record states Ortiz won a unanimous decision however Kerwin was able to knocked Ortiz down in the 2nd round, the first time Ortiz had been down in his career.

Kerwin won 4 of his next 5 fights which included upset victories over prospects Jimmy Archer (15-1 at the time) and 17-0 Stephen Redl. Kerwin would suffer an upset loss of his own, losing his next fight to 7-8 Davey Dupas in Texas. The rematch, just 15 days later, took place in Ottawa and Kerwin, despite hitting the canvas, scored the decision victory.

Two fights later he was fighting back in Ottawa, this time for the vacant Canadian welterweight title against rugged Cliff Bobo Fiddler of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Close to 1500 people witnessed their hero stop Fiddler in the 12th round to win the national belt. During training for the Dupas bout in Ottawa, Kerwin was stricken with an anaemic blood disease. The doctors attributed this condition to not giving his body enough time to rest in between bouts which threatened to end his career. He took a year off to recuperate, but was never quite the same fighter after that. He still went 4-4-2 in his final ten fights, defending his Canadian title before he stepped in the ring with former world light welterweight champion Dullio Loi of Italy. Loi collected 100 victories against a mere two defeats before facing Kerwin in Milan in December 1961. It would be Gale Kerwin's last pro fight and the game Canadian was there to win. In the end, the bout was stopped in the seventh round, Kerwin's previous battles and busy schedule had finally caught up to him. It would be the only time Kerwin was truly stopped as a pro. He had lost fights due to cuts before but in his career he never failed to get up before the 10 count.

He ended his impressive career with a record of 32-12-3, winning and defending his Canadian title. He was undefeated on home soil, fought multiple televised bouts throughout the United States, faced four world champions, and he attained the ranking of the #10 ranked welterweight in the world.

Later in life he successfully ran for city council and represented the Dalhousie Ward, as well as being a successful businessman. Always an advocate for youth facilities, he helped start the Gale Kerwin boxing club.

On September 19th, 2001, Gale Kerwin passed away due to heart complications at the age of 66, and Ottawa lost a fighting legend.