He was loved by family, feared by opponents and respected in the town he proudly called home.
He boxed his way to national titles and international acclaim, fighting in hallowed sporting venues like Boston Garden, Fenway Park and the Montreal Forum.
But while Terrance “Tiger” Warrington was a local legend for decades, it was only on June 24 that he truly became immortal – both as a champion boxer and as a pillar of the local Black community.
A towering, one-ton statue of Warrington was unveiled in Liverpool’s Privateer Park during a special ceremony on the final morning of the annual Privateer Days weekend. The statue was crafted by local artist and businessman Ivan Higgins using old photos of the boxer and a live model.
The idea for the statue was first conceived 20 years ago by Queens County historian Tim McDonald and the late Tina Warrington-Joudrey, a great-niece of the boxing champion.
“There are many stories of great contributions that local Black people have made to the success and prosperity of Queens County,” McDonald said before the official unveiling. “However, Tina and I felt that Tiger Warrington’s legacy was in a league of his own.”
Region of Queens Municipality mayor David Dagley called the statue “a fitting tribute to a well-respected man who boxed his way to international fame.” He noted the role Warrington played in advancing the interests of the local Black community. “Tiger’s fame, skill and personality did much to support racial inclusion in Queens,” he said.
Warrington’s daughter, Sharon Johnson, was effusive in her praise for the local committee that helped make her father’s statue a reality. In addition to McDonald and Warrington-Joudrey, she thanked District 3 councillor Brian Fralic, who is widely credited with steering the project to completion. Her most emotional compliments were paid to the J and W Murphy Foundation, the philanthropic legacy of the founders of Mersey Seafoods.
“I do not know if there are enough words to say thanks to the project donors who came forward for this worthy cause,” said Johnson, referencing the fact applications for Canada 150 funding were rejected, putting the project in jeopardy. “When I thought all hope was gone, it was the Murphy Foundation of Liverpool, Nova Scotia, who came forward,” she said.
Johnson, who unveiled the statue along with McDonald, called the day’s events “history-making.”
“If my father was here today, I know that he would be very shy,” she said. “He was a man of few words and very humble. But I know he would be ever so grateful that he helped make Liverpool proud, that he made a difference in his hometown, which he loved so much.”
According to the most reliable records available, Tiger Warrington’s boxing career spanned from 1934 to 1952. He notched 37 wins, 15 losses and one draw, winning both the Canadian heavyweight and light-heavyweight championships along the way. He scored 21 victories by knockout but was never knocked out himself.
Linda Rafuse, director of the Queens County Museum, said Liverpool was still a thriving shipbuilding location when Warrington first began boxing. She said he trained and sparred with other local fighters in sail lofts along the town’s waterfront. In fact, the museum has a pair of his straw-filled sparring gloves on display.
Newspaper accounts from Warrington’s time indicate he stood about 5-foot-10 and typically weighed in the neighbourhood of 175 pounds. During his career, he fought in many parts of Nova Scotia, with bouts in Halifax, Glace Bay, Truro, Kentville, Lunenburg, Yarmouth, Stellarton and Clark’s Harbour. He also squared off in Saint John, Edmonton and many parts of New England and had three bouts in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1938.
On Sept. 20, 1935, Warrington had a top-of-the-undercard bout in Boston Garden against Clayton Settino, an undefeated local fighter who had won 14 of his 17 matches by knockout. Settino put Warrington down for a nine-count in the first round. In the opening seconds of the next round, the Nova Scotia fighter was knocked to his knees by a body shot from his heavier, more experienced opponent. The 11,857 fans in attendance sensed the fight would soon be over. And it would be – but not in the way they imagined. Warrington regrouped midway through the second round and mounted a quick, decisive counterattack.
“(He) came back from the edge of seemingly certain defeat to drive a left to (Settino’s) jaw,” said a reporter for the (Montreal) Gazette. He followed that devastating left hook with “a hurricane attack that knocked the American cold.” Two months later, Warrington and Settino fought a rematch in the Garden. Theirs was the semi-final bout yet again, but this time the crowd measured nearly 15,000.
According to the Boston Globe, Settino “boxed well for about two rounds,” but faded in the face of Warrington’s superior striking accuracy and defence. When he was knocked to the canvas in the fifth round, Settino’s corner threw in the towel.
Tiger Warrington would go on to fight another 17 years.
Settino retired from boxing soon after the rematch. According to his obituary, he took up competitive arm-wrestling and power-lifting and eventually relocated to Michigan.
At one point ranked in the world’s top 10 light-heavyweights, Warrington faced many of the pre-eminent pugilists of his time, including New Brunswick’s Yvon Durelle, known as the “Fighting Fisherman.”
On Sept. 20, 1938, Warrington fought the legendary Al McCoy, an American fighter who went 70-17-5 in a career that included 47 knockouts. The fight, which took place in the Montreal Forum, went to a split decision. To a writer for the Gazette, however, it was much more one-sided. “Warrington outboxed, outpunched, and outmanoeuvred McCoy all the way,” he wrote, “his lightning hitting and impregnable defence earning, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the decision given him by two of the three judges.”
On July 2, 1952, Warrington entered the final match of his boxing career as Canada’s light-heavyweight champion. Battling Eddie Zastre at the Forum in Saint John, he went the distance – as he always did – but lost via split decision.
In 1964, Warrington was one of the original inductees into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. He is the only Queens County athlete to be so honoured. Danny Seaman (baseball) and H.L. “Bud” Thorbourne (softball) were inducted in the Hall’s builder category in 1980.
Although once home to a number of thriving Black communities – including Moose Harbour, Mersey Point (formerly Black Point) and Western Head – the demographics have changed in Queens County over the years. The 2016 federal census indicated only 140 Black residents.
According to Rafuse, many Black residents returned to the United States following the abolition of slavery. Others moved to the Halifax area or to other parts of the country.
A large contingent of Warrington’s family was in Liverpool for the statue unveiling, as well as the Nova Scotia Mass Choir.
According to its website, the choir “reaches audiences that would not normally be exposed to the genre of black gospel music, thereby raising awareness of some of the cultural contributions of African Nova Scotians to the fabric of the province.”
Warrington’s great-nephew Tony Johnson, who grew up in Liverpool but now resides in Dartmouth, was one of the family members in attendance. He said the statue is a tremendous honour to the boxer’s family and a testament to his legacy.
“To see my uncle up on a pedestal like that is very exciting, not just for our family, but for the whole community,” he said. “It’s emotional, really. He was a wonderful guy, easy to get along with. People respected him. He was a gentle giant, but in the ring, it was a different story. He wasn’t so gentle there. It was all business.”
LighthouseNow Progress Bulletin
June 27, 2018
Scott Costen 