By Ian S. Palmer
After seven years out of the ring, 44-year-old Canadian boxing icon Fitz ‘The Whip’ Vanderpool will be stepping back into the squared circle at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph, Ontario on Saturday Sept. 15th. The former WBF Champion will be taking on Phil Rose in a six-round super middleweight bout at the ‘Royal City Rumble.’
Vanderpool’s last fight took place in April of 2005 when he was stopped in the first round by Marcos Antonio Avendano of Mexico. The Whip will be carrying a professional record of 24-7-4 with 13 KO’s with him when he enters the ring while Rose, a 30-year-old from Whitby, Ontario, has a 4-1-1 record with three knockouts. Rose last fought in April and beat Danny Netzer by a four-round majority decision in Toronto.
Most international boxing fans will remember Vanderpool as a former WBF Super Welterweight World Champion and Canadian Welterweight Titleholder. He was born in Trinidad and moved to Canada with his family in 1972. The Whip fought some of the toughest fighters of his era including Charles Murray, Ray Oliveira, Stephan Johnson, Hercules Kyvelos, Fernando Vargas, and Marco Antonio Rubio.
All five of the Vanderpool boys took up boxing after settling in their new homeland with older brother Felix turning pro in 1983. Fitz and his brother Syd then followed suit in 1993 by heading down to Boston, Massachusetts to launch their pro careers. Syd (35-4, 23 KOs) was a top middleweight contender for several years and fought the likes of Bernard Hopkins, Jeff Lacy, Alejandro Berrio, Glen Johnson, and Tito Mendoza, before retiring in 2005 as well.
For Fitz, who is also a member of the Waterloo Region Sports Hall of Fame and former Athlete of the Year, the hardest part of his comeback was getting licensed by the Ontario Athletics Commission. The Whip said it was a frustrating process and there were times when he just felt like throwing his hands up in the air and giving up. However, the determined fighter stuck to his guns and was eventually granted a license for the bout against Rose.
To do it though, he had to go through a series of medical tests which included Cat scans, EEG’s EKGs, hand testing, neuropsychological and neurological exams. In addition, he also had to undergo a 12-round test fight with a total of five different sparring partners. In all, it was a long two-year process to get his license, but Vanderpool feels it was well worth the wait and admitted that he almost started to cry when it finally arrived in his mailbox.
Vanderpool thought he might have to head south and cross the border into America for his comeback bout in Detroit, but he happened to find a card close to his hometown of Kitchener, Ontario after meeting a local promoter at the International Boxing Hall of fame in Canastota, New York. If he gets past Rose, Vanderpool is hoping to land a shot at a Canadian title in either the middleweight or super middleweight division.
This will be a step up in weight for somebody who’s fought most of his career at welterweight and super welterweight as will his fight against Rose, which is at a catch weight of 165 lbs. Vanderpool said he plans on coming into the ring at about 160 lbs. and if he wins the fight he may drop down to junior middleweight and go from there.
The seeds for a comeback fight were planted in the ex-champion’s head two years ago while watching a Canadian championship bout on television. He said the fight wasn’t overly exciting and felt he could do just as well as the two combatants. Vanderpool believes that one of the first things a fighter loses is their speed, but he hasn’t lost his. He also claims that age is nothing but a number and as long as you’re dedicated and are willing to work hard, it shouldn’t stop anybody from trying to live out their dreams.
Although he hasn’t fought for close to a decade he’s always in the ring as The Whip owns and operates the Vanderpool Fitness and Boxing center in his hometown. This is where he trains young amateur boxers and works with the InReach, Big Brothers, and Big Sisters organizations. His center also works with street gangs and troubled youths and provides some of them with free passes to summer camps with the champ.
Just a few days before his return to the ring, Vanderpool said, “I want people out there to know there’s no limit to what can be achieved. Without hope you have nothing. With hope it’s possible.”
The card will also feature Buzz Grant (9-4, 4 KOs) against Harrison McBain (4-4-1). This is a rematch of their 2009 bout which Grant took by a unanimous decision and will be for the OBC super lightweight title. Natasha ‘The Nightmare’ Spence, a two-time Golden Glove winner with a 5-0-1 record with 4 Kos, will be taking on Kristine Shergold (4-6, 1 KO) of Britain in a super featherweight title bout. Fans will also be treated to an OBC cruiserweight championship match between John Mercante (3-2-1) and Emile Arsenault (7-1-1), who fought to round draw back on June. In addition, Undefeated Canadian Logan McGuinness (17-0-1, 9 KOs) will be taking on Krzysztof Szot (16-3-1) of Poland.
