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337:. As Meeks ran into the street, Fontaine fatally shot her, he then fired a second shot into her mother. When Sam Meeks, Hilda's father, returned home he saw Fontaine carrying his daughter back into the house. Fontaine stated "I've done for her and done for the old woman", showing that he believed he had killed both women, though in fact the mother had survived.
344:, a former welterweight champion, who stated "Del shouldn't have been in the ring at all for his last fight. He wasn't in a fit state. ... As a boxer, he has received more punishment than anyone I have ever seen." Sam Meeks countered the claim believing that Fontaine had thrown his later fights. Fontaine was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging by
271:, facing him twice in two months. After losing to Forgione by points in their first encounter, Fontaine was knocked out for the first time in his professional career when he faced Forgione for their second contest in July 1927. Fontaine continued fighting in North America over the next four years, and at the end of 1931 he faced
303:. From his arrival in the U.K., Fontaine's fight record was good with 23 wins, 4 losses and 3 draws, but from November 1933 his form took a terrible reversal with 4 wins, 16 losses and 2 draws. This string of poor results would later be used as Fontaine's defence during his murder trial, with his defence counsel stating he was "
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Despite his first professional defeat, Fontaine returned quickly to his original form, winning his next 4 fights. On 8 May 1926, Fontaine had his second attempt at the
Canadian middleweight belt which had become vacant. Fought in Ottawa against Henry Henning, Fontaine won the match and the title in
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waitress, with dreams of becoming a dancer. Hilda was described by her friends as "flighty". On 10 July 1935, she was caught by
Fontaine making a date with another man on the telephone. Fontaine, who was known to drink, confronted Meeks, taking the phone from her and challenged the man she was
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In early 1931 Fontaine travelled from Canada to the United
Kingdom by cattle boat to further his boxing career. Over the next three years Fontaine faced many of Britain's most successful middleweight boxers, including
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Fontaine left a note "Hilda Meeks broke my heart I spent my last cent on her. She turned me against my own wife." A warden at the prison is quoted as saying "He was the bravest fellow we ever saw go to the scaffold."
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travelled from the U.S. to Canada to face
Fontaine. The contest went the distance, with Moody victorious. Fontaine finished the year with two bouts in the U.S., a win over Joe Anderson followed by a points loss to
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By the time the execution date had been decided, protests had started pleading for a reprieve. A long petition was delivered, but to no avail. On the morning of 29 October 1935 a crowd gathered outside
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the second round with a technical knockout over his opponent. From this point, Fontaine attracted a better class of fighter, beginning with his first fight outside Canada, travelling to
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who fought between 1925 and 1935. He is most notable within boxing for winning the
Canadian middleweight boxing championship in 1926 and again in 1931. In 1932 he travelled to
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Although
Fontaine had a wife and children back in Canada, he had begun a two-year relationship with 21-year-old Hilda Meeks whilst living in Britain.
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At the trial
Fontaine's defence contended that the boxer was suffering from acute depression and was probably "punch drunk". The defence called upon
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The following year
Fontaine travelled widely around the U.S. and Canada fighting with mixed results. His most notable fight that year was against
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for the vacant
Canadian middleweight title. The fight went the distance of ten rounds, and Dillon won the Championship on a points decision.
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361:, hymns were sung and politicians made anti-capital punishment speeches. That morning Fontaine was hanged by
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Fontaine's boxing style was described as aggressive and crowd-pleasing, but with a poor regard for defence.
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speaking to. Meeks' mother came into the room to protect her daughter and
Fontaine pulled out a
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569:People convicted of murder by England and Wales
435:"'Punch Drunk' Is Boxer's Plea in Killing Case"
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365:in what was to be his penultimate execution.
275:, regaining the Canadian middleweight title.
539:20th-century executions by England and Wales
215:French Canadian Fontaine was a resident of
181:(22 February 1904 – 29 October 1935) was a
564:Canadian sportspeople convicted of crimes
469:"Ammanford's professional boxing history"
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544:Canadian people convicted of murder
247:in a win over experienced American
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549:Canadian people executed abroad
497:Boxing record for Del Fontaine
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467:Tony Lee (19 August 2008).
328:-born Meeks was a one-time
315:Murder charge and execution
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406:"Boxer sentenced to death"
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179:Raymond Henry Bousquet
44:Raymond Henry Bousquet
386:Del Fontane biography
320:Murder of Hilda Meeks
554:Canadian male boxers
237:Regina, Saskatchewan
534:Middleweight boxers
307:" and therefore of
473:terrynorm.ic24.net
58:Winnipeg, Manitoba
439:Milwaukee Journal
408:. 8 December 2007
359:Wandsworth Prison
346:Mr Justice Porter
202:Wandsworth Prison
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245:Philadelphia
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229:Jack Reddick
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119:Total fights
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102:Middleweight
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71:(1935-10-29)
25:Del Fontaine
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524:1935 deaths
519:1904 births
478:20 November
445:20 November
412:20 November
305:punch drunk
301:Harry Mason
262:Rocky Smith
257:Frank Moody
159:No contests
513:Categories
388:boxrec.com
373:References
297:Jack Hyams
293:Tommy Farr
285:Jack Casey
281:Billy Bird
135:Wins by KO
90:Statistics
50:1904-02-22
352:Execution
342:Ted Lewis
273:Ted Moore
225:Moose Jaw
97:Weight(s)
83:, England
335:revolver
330:West End
255:fighter
221:Manitoba
217:Winnipeg
183:Canadian
60:, Canada
326:Bristol
194:Bristol
190:Britain
501:BoxRec
198:hanged
143:Losses
81:London
499:from
253:Welsh
186:boxer
151:Draws
480:2009
447:2009
414:2009
299:and
127:Wins
66:Died
40:Born
235:at
200:at
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