Bryan Gibson (born November 10, 1947, in

Kentville, Nova Scotia Kentville is an incorporated town in Nova Scotia. It is the most populous town in the Annapolis Valley. As of 2021, the town's population was 6,630. Its census agglomeration is 26,929. History Kentville owes its location to the Cornwallis Riv ...

) is a former Canadian

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

, who represented

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

at the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

, and is the first boxer of African descent from Nova Scotia to compete in the Olympics. He now coaches the Evangaline Trail Amateur Boxing Club in his hometown of

Kentville Kentville is an incorporated town in Nova Scotia. It is the most populous town in the Annapolis Valley. As of 2021, the town's population was 6,630. Its census agglomeration is 26,929. History Kentville owes its location to the Cornwallis Ri ...

. He has coached a variety of amateur boxers including some amateur national champions and a gold medallist at the most recent Canada Games. He is also a bus driver for the Annapolis Valley Regional School Board in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Amateur boxing career

Gibson fought at the 1973 Western New York Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament. In 1974, he won the Canadian National Amateur Boxing Championships in the 178 pounds division, and in 1975 he won another national amateur boxing title. He beat Ernie Barr in the 1975 North American 178-pound amateur championship bout at the

Miami Marine Stadium The Miami Marine Stadium is a marine stadium on Virginia Key, Miami, Florida, United States. The facility, completed in 1963 on land donated to the City of Miami from the Matheson family, is the first stadium purpose-built for powerboat raci ...

. He qualified for the

1975 Pan American Games The 1975 Pan American Games, officially known as the VII Pan American Games () and commonly known as Mexico 1975 (), were held in Mexico City, Mexico, from October 12 to October 26, 1975, exactly twenty years after the second Pan American Games ...

in Mexico City as a light-heavyweight boxer, but he lost in the preliminary round. The Kentville native represented

Team Canada Canadian National Team or Team Canada may refer to: Canada at multi-sport events * Canada at the Olympics ** Canadian Olympic Committee * Canada at the Paralympics ** Canadian Paralympic Committee * Canada at the Commonwealth Games * Canada at ...

in the men's middleweight division at the

. He was defeated by

Bernd Wittenburg Bernd Wittenburg (born 1 April 1950 in Neukloster) is an East German former middleweight boxer who competed at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and who won titles for the SC Dynamo Berlin / Sportvereinigung (SV) Dynamo The Sportvereinigung Dynamo ...

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

at 75 kilograms.

1976 Olympic record

Below are the results of Bryan Gibson, a Canadian middleweight boxer who competed at the 1976 Montreal Olympics: * Round of 32: lost to Bernd Wittenburg (East Germany) by a third-round knockout

Honors and awards

*1974 Canadian National Amateur Boxing Champion. (1974) *1975 Canadian National Amateur Boxing Champion. (1975) *1975 North American Amateur Boxing Champion. (1975) *

participant. (1975) *

participant. (1976) *Inductee of the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame. (1991) *Honored with a mural in Kentville.

External links

Canadian Olympic Committee

References

1947 births Living people People from Kentville, Nova Scotia Black Canadian boxers Black Canadian sportsmen Boxers at the 1976 Summer Olympics Olympic boxers for Canada Middleweight boxers Canadian male boxers Black Nova Scotians 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Boxing people from Nova Scotia {{Canada-boxing-bio-stub