Buddy Daye Wins Canadian Lightweight Championship

Down through the years Pictou County has produced many great amateur and professional boxing champions. However, no one pleased the fans more than New Glasgow’s Desmond Daye, better known in the fistic world as Buddy Daye.

Inch for inch and pound for pound, there weren’t many boxers from the Maritimes who could match Daye in the punching department. He fought several times a month and if possible, every week. Buddy always entered the ring in the best of shape and he won half of his 70 plus fights by knockout, many of which occurred in the first round.

Daye was in demand by boxing promoters because fight fans loved a puncher and he knew how to stiffen opponents. He was quick as a cat on his feet, fast with his hands and tough as nails. Daye hated the 60 second rest between rounds. He was a punishing fighter and once he tagged his man he usually stepped up to finish the job. But boxing was not an easy game then. Daye entered the ring for the first time in May of 1955, a fight he won in 21 seconds, and didn’t have a chance for a Canadian title until 1964. A gimmick used in that day and age allowed champions to weigh in one pound over the weight in which the championship was held, thereby allowing the boxers to fight without fear of losing their titles regardless of the outcome of the fight. Daye had to beat four national champions before finally being able to legitimately lay claim to a Canadian title. On June 30th, 1964 Buddy Daye survived a fifth round knock down and a savage beating in the 12th and final round to capture the Canadian lightweight title over Jack “Kid” Carter before a cheering crowd of 5000 fans at the Halifax Forum.