Stephen Nolan: Sault boxing success story

From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library:

Many in this community might consider Sault Ste. Marie to be primarily a hockey town. Though many athletes have achieved excellence in that sport, other Saultites have made their mark in other sports as well, like boxing.  

One boxer that achieved success was Stephen Nolan. Born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Stephen was coached and trained by his father, Frank Nolan, who himself was an accomplished amateur boxer.

In 1973, Stephen received a silver medal at the Canadian Junior Olympics at the age of 13. In 1974, he bettered his performance in Edmonton, Alberta where he won the gold medal in the 100-pound class at the Canadian Junior Olympics by defeating Mike O’Reilly from British Columbia.

Stephen was on a strict diet to maintain that weight class but when he arrived home, his mother Charlotte said, “that diet is out the window now and tonight we are having our little celebration to honor him.”

In 1976, a now 16-year-old Stephen Nolan won gold at the Ontario Winter Games boxing competition in the 119-pound category held in Sudbury, Ontario.

He managed a first round technical knockout of Guy Filiatreault from North Bay. Nolan continued his winning streak in 1976 with a gold medal match over Saskatoon’s Randy Smith by clinching the Canadian Amateur Boxing Association Intermediate Championship. Smith was the defending champion and two years older than Nolan.

Following the competition in Sudbury Nolan travelled to Bermuda to participate in a special invitational tournament involving members of the 1974 Junior Olympic team. In June of 1976, he won a unanimous three round decision over Steve Hilyard in Montreal to claim the North American bantamweight boxing championship. That same year he was awarded the H.P. Broughton Trophy, which recognizes the Sports Person of the Year in Sault Ste. Marie.

Stephen would continue his success by winning gold medals at the Canadian Senior Championships from 1977-1983. However, his major goal of representing Canada at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow was finally realized when he was selected for the team.

However, his dreams would be dashed when Canada chose to boycott the Moscow Olympics. He went on to participate in the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia in 1982. In 1983, Stephen participated in the Pan Am Games, which took place in Caracas, Venezuela. In 1984 and 1985, Nolan placed second at the Canadian Senior Championships.

His father, Frank Nolan was asked if professional boxing loomed in his son’s future, to which he replied, “I personally have no desire to see Steve, or any of my children in professional boxing. Boxing is a character builder and a personally satisfying experience.”

Stephen Nolan turned professional with a record of three wins and two losses. Whether or not his father intended him to become a boxer, with his help Stephen made a definite impact on Canadian boxing.

Each week, the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library and its Archives provides SooToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past.

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