Art Hafey

Art Hafey (born January 17, 1951) is a Canadian former professional featherweight boxer.

Early life Art Hafey was born in 1951, in New Glasgow, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Professional career Hafey turned professional in 1968 at 17 years old. His first three professional years saw him stick to local venues in New Glasgow, Fredericton, and Dartmouth, where he built a fight record of 9-3-1.

At the March 1973 Ali-Norton fight at the San Diego Sports Arena (now Pechanga Arena), both he and his brother appeared on the undercard, with him stopping Valente Vera by knockout in the co-main event.

Hafey's first major bout in California was against Octavio Gomez in May 1973. After being knocked to the canvas twice early in the contest, he recovered to unleash a barrage that opened a deep cut above Gomez's eye, resulting in a stoppage win. He faced Olivares again in March 1974 for the North American featherweight championship, coming up short on the scorecards in a split decision loss, even though he had dropped Olivares in the final round.

Two months after fighting Olivares, Hafey faced Alexis Argüello in May 1974 in Masaya, Nicaragua.

He traveled to Caracas in March 1975 and knocked out the former junior lightweight champion of the world, Alfredo Marcano, in round four. Ring magazine listed Hafey as the number one featherweight contender at the close of 1975. During the fight, he sustained serious facial swelling, which his team ignored in favor of celebrating the win. The bout caused a brain hemorrhage and partial vision loss in both eyes, limiting him to three more fights.

Professional boxing record

Personal life Lawrence Hafey, his older brother, had a professional boxing career spanning the 1960s and 1970s.

Toy Tiger, a 2009 documentary by Bradford Little, explored the life and career of Art Hafey.

Hafey was inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame on June 26, 2010.