Former Olympic boxer Willie deWit looks forward to new challenge as an Alberta judge
For 30 years, Willie deWit was a fighter — first as a boxer and later as a criminal defence lawyer. Now, as one of Alberta's four newly appointed Court of Queen's Bench judges, he's the referee.
His appointment in Calgary, along with the appointments of three other judges, was announced on March 24.
For deWit, who has practised law for 22 years, the appointment represents the end of one chapter in his life and the beginning of another.
He had thought about being a lawyer when he was younger, but not passionately. He hadn't seriously considered boxing either, until he was 17 years old.
"When I first started, it was just kind of a thing where I wanted to learn how to take care of myself," deWit said Saturday.
"Then, maybe a few bouts, try for the Golden Gloves, and then it progressed from there."
And progress it did — the amateur boxer fought his way to a chance at the top of the amateur boxing world, going from well-known in the Edmonton and Grande Prairie area to a household name in just five years.
Moving up the ranks
The boxer routed his competition as a 17-year-old fighter, moving quickly up the rankings in western Canadian amateur boxing. Five years after first stepping in the ring, deWit stood tall on the podium at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia.
After winning the gold medal in the heavyweight class, he had his sights set on the Olympics.
With deWit and fellow Canadian superstar boxer Shawn O'Sullivan, Canada's hopes at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles were high.
Both deWit and O'Sullivan were favourites to win their respective divisions representing Canada, but each settled for silver.
DeWit lost the gold medal in a unanimous decision against American Henry Tillman, a fighter he had beaten three times before.
He said the pressures of being thrust into the international spotlight as the favourite affected his ability to perform throughout the Olympics.
"I don't think I handled it that great at the time," deWit said.
In 1984, he said, boxers didn't have nearly as many support services available to them as they would today.
"Back then, we had nothing," he said. "You didn't want to show any weakness. People are taught how to control these [emotions]."
Right after the Olympics, deWit turned pro and only lost once, with 21 wins and one draw. His last fight was, fittingly, against Tillman, whom he beat in a unanimous decision.
At the age of 27, deWit traded the gloves for some books, a year after losing his father Len and brother Theo when they were killed in a small plane crash.
Black-and-white stripes
As he transitioned from the ring to law school, deWit saw many similarities between the two.
"There are a lot of analogies between the fight game and being a trial lawyer," he said.
"Doing a really good cross-examination and really getting to a person the way you want to is a pretty good feeling. Not as good as dumping a guy with a left hook, but it's pretty close."
He's worked on many high-profile cases in Calgary, including the Les Kaminski perjury case, the John Herrera Garcia murder trial and the three Calgary police officers accused of assault causing bodily harm.
But things will be different in his new gig.
"Now, as a judge, of course, it's not my job anymore," he said. "It's not my job to sit there and fight with other people. It's to make judgements.
"I've been fighting for 30 years. It might be nice to be a referee for a change."
Correction : An earlier version stated that deWit won 16 of 18 pro fights. His pro boxing record was, in fact, 21-1-1.(Mar 27, 2017 10:43 PM)
