Why did Yvon come back to boxing? There were two main reasons. The first was that Chris Shaban decided to return as Yvon’s manager if Durelle agreed to train. Shaban was the only manager Yvon trusted. For the first time in his life, Yvon did train quite hard. He moved to Moncton where he and Shaban became great friends. At first, Yvon trained in a small old building. But then the Moncton Air Force base offered him use of their gym. This was a big help. Still, it was hard to find boxers who would train with him.

The other reason for the comeback was that Gordon Wallace had got a British Empire Light-heavyweight title fight and won this title back. Durelle felt he had been treated badly. He hadn’t got a chance at the title even though he had already beaten Wallace three times. Yet Wallace had the title once again. Yvon was very angry. He wanted another title shot. But he knew he needed a number of wins before Wallace would have to meet him.

With his interest restored in boxing, Durelle started to do very well. He won six matches in a row in N.B. In March, 1957, he beat an up-and-coming star named Angelo Defendis in New York. For the first time, he was listed in the Top Ten Boxers in the world in the light-heavyweight class. Now, he was becoming well-known in the United States.

Next came a British Empire Title Fight against the champion, Gordon Wallace, in Moncton. Yvon trained very hard for this fight. Before 6,500 fans, Durelle knocked out Wallace in the second round to become the new champion. Wallace took such a beating that he retired soon after that. Even though there was a huge crowd, Yvon said that he couldn’t hear them. The noise was just a background sound when he was fighting.