Jerry Shears (October 18, 1925March 21, 2010), also known as Gerald Schulman, was the founder and president of the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association (CABA). He was instrumental in organizing international competitions and promoting the use of protective headgear by amateur boxers.

Early history

Jerry Shears was born on October 18, 1925, in

Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. He was the oldest of five children and the son of former Allied Forces bantamweight boxing champion Joe Shears.

Amateur boxing career

At 13, and 95 pounds, he discovered boxing with gloves at neighbourhood clubs. He started boxing competitively in 1938. By the 1940s, he fought in matches and tournaments in Montreal, winning multiple Montreal Golden Gloves championships. After joining the

Canadian Armed Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

at 15, he took the Army's lightweight title in 1942 at 17 years old. Shears won the Canadian lightweight championship in 1947. After a five-round fight at the Oxford YMCA in London, England, in 1950, he announced his retirement from competitive ring combat. He only lost 15 of his 150 fights over a 12-year period. He fought at the

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, and throughout the United States.

Work career

After the army, Shears began a career in insurance as a broker. In 1969, Shears established the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association and served as the organization's president. Throughout the 1970s, he acquired an international reputation when he spearheaded the drive to produce a safer sport and his efforts on

AIBA The International Boxing Association (IBA), previously known as the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA), is a sports organization that sanctions amateur and professional boxing matches and awards world and subordinate championships. ...

's safety commission were rewarded in 1988 when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) mandated headgear at the Olympics for the first time. He was the executive vice president of the organizing committee for the 1981 World Cup Boxing Championships at Montreal's

Maurice Richard Arena Maurice Richard Arena () is a 4,750-seat multi-purpose arena at Olympic Park in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was built in 1962. It is named in honour of Maurice Richard. The rink was renovated in 1994, the arena includes a multi-media exhibiti ...

Death

Jerry Shears died in Ste. Anne's Hospital on Sunday, March 21, 2010, in

Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue () is an Greater Montreal, on-island suburb located at the western tip of the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is the second oldest community in Montreal's West Island, having been founded as a parish ...

, Canada.

Honors and awards

*Montreal Golden Gloves Champion. *Canadian Lightweight Amateur Boxing Champion. (1947) *Inductee of the

Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame The Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame is an honour roll of the top Canadian Olympic athletes, teams, coaches, and builders (officials, administrators, and volunteers). It was established in 1949. Selections are made by a committee appointed by the Cana ...

as a builder. (1976) *Inductee of

Canadian Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, it serves as a hall of fame and muse ...

.(1977) *Inductee of the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame. *Inductee of the Canadian Armed Forces Sports Hall of Fame. (1992)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shears, Jerry Canadian boxers People from Montreal Boxers from Montreal Canadian male boxers Lightweight boxers 1925 births 2010 deaths 20th-century Canadian sportsmen