A chat with former world flyweight contender - Scotty 'The Bulldog' Olson

He stood only 5 feet tall but when he stepped into the ring, he certainly lived up to his nickname. Scotty “the Bulldog” Olson, from Edmonton, Canada, would fight professionally for 12 years and amass an impressive 34-4-2 (25 KO’s) record.

Olson was all fire and fury in the ring, with a style that saw him swarm his opponents and dig hard and heavy to the body and head. As a result, he was quickly a fan favorite after turning pro. However, despite being Canadian born and bred, it was south of the border where he really attracted attention from some of the game’s elite flyweights along with some of boxing’s biggest promotional players who liked what they saw in Olson.

After turning pro, Olson decided that there would be a lot more opportunities, especially for smaller weight fighters, in the southern U.S. So, he packed up the car, hit the highway and headed to Sin City to convince some boxing boardroom heavyweights that the little, big banger from the cold climate of the north was red hot in the ring and could perform on boxing’s biggest stages.

Olson headed to the fight capital of the world, Las Vegas, Nevada, with one goal in mind - winning a world title and showing the boxing world he could compete with boxing’s best little, big men - and that he did.

From 1990-1992, Olson went a perfect 23-0 with 20 of them coming before the final bell. He would taste defeat for the first time in December of 1992 in Phoenix, Arizona against Jose Luis Zepeda, (a fighter that would contest for a world title in his very next fight).

Olson then reeled off 5 more wins over 1993 before losing for the 2nd time in February of 1994 in Inglewood, California in a split decision loss to Jorge Luis Roman, another fighter who would fight for a world title in his very next bout.

Over the next 8 years Olson would fight 10 times going 6-2-2 with 9 of the 10 bouts occurring in Canada and 9 of them in his hometown of Edmonton. Included in that run would be his one south side fight in 1997 in Corpus Cristi, Texas that would see Olson battle flyweight legend, and Hall of Fame fighter, Michael Carbajal.

While Olson would get stopped late in the fight, he gave a very good account of himself against an outstanding champion; Olson really cemented his legacy as a great flyweight fighter. After 3 more wins, Olson would get stopped (in fairness to Olson, fighting well above his natural weight) by undefeated, future world champion, Steve Molitor in a bid for the Canadian super bantamweight title.

After the fight Olson would retire from boxing with an outstanding 34-4-2 (25 KO’s) record and well-earned reputation as one of our countries great flyweight fighters.

Maxboxing had a chance to catch up with Olson from his home in Edmonton where the married father is enjoying life.

Bill Tibbs: Hey Scotty, how are you doing?

Scotty Olson: Good, thanks Bill.

BT: Let’s touch base quickly on your amateur career before we get into your pro run.

SO: Yeah, I had a good experience in the amateurs, I go to take some great trips and represent my country. I was 59-23 as an amateur and stopped about two-thirds of my opponents. I got into boxing at age 14. I wasn’t really gifted in other sports. I was just a short, tough guy like my Dad (laughs). I really got interested in trying boxing after I heard Al Ford speak one time. That really sparked an interest. The last sport my Mom wanted me to do was boxing but she said I could do it if I stayed in school and kept my grades up. I did well and went from being a Junior boxer right into the Senior category in a fairly short period. I won a Gold medal at the Commonwealth Games and made it to the 1988 Olympic Games in Korea. I beat (future world champion) Wayne McCullough and then faced (future world champion and flyweight legend) Michael Carbajal in the quarter-finals but lost to him. Carbajal edged it; was the 3rd time we had fought. At that point it was a matter of deciding what to do next - stay in the amateurs or go professional.

BT: When you decided to go pro, you headed down to the United States to convince (Las Vegas-based promotional firm) Top Rank Boxing to take a chance on you. Is that accurate?

SO: That’s pretty much what I did. I drove down there with a friend and went to see them at Top Rank to try to convince them to take a shot with me. The first guy I ran into when I got to their offices was (Hall of Fame matchmaker) Bruce Trampler who said, ‘You look like a little leprechaun, get outta here’ (laughs). But, they took a chance on me and I had great run down there. I was treated very well by Top Rank and I have very fond memories of my time in Vegas. I would love to get a chance to see the guys from Top Rank again sometime.

BT: I was chatting with Michael Carbajal last summer when I was in Phoenix at his gym and we called you. He remembered you fondly and commented on what a great fight you guys had, he had a lot of respect for you. Was that fight the biggest fight of your career in your opinion?

SO: The biggest? I guess so. Michael was a great fighter and we knew each other well from the amateur days. Timing is such a big thing when fights happen. At that time, going into the fight there were so many things going on. The biggest thing was the weight issue. I was having trouble making 112, let alone 108. But, I don’t want to take anything away from him, he won fair and square and he’s a great fighter. But, with most of my fights I can push guys back with my punches but I couldn’t move him on that night. There were a lot of things going on at that time behind the scenes but probably the biggest factor in that fight was the weight issue.

BT: You fought 9 of your last 10 fights in Canada, mostly Edmonton. Had you decided to finish your career here or had things kind of dried up in the U.S. for you?

SO: I wouldn’t say they had dried up but I think Top Rank didn’t see a clear spot for me moving forward or they weren’t quite sure what to do with me maybe? I always wanted to fight in Edmonton, even though I was a bigger star, as far as being known, in Las Vegas. But, fighting in Edmonton was different. I wanted to defend my IBO flyweight title at home. Even though the title wasn’t that well known at that time, I wanted to defend it there. I knew I’d be returning to Canada when my career was over so I wanted to maybe get myself known a bit more in Edmonton. I was always competing with hockey and other sports for attention.

BT: You have had a few health issues with your heart. How are you feeling these days?

SO: I’m feeling OK, Bill, thanks for asking. It’s a roller coaster, I have good days and bad days. I suffered a heart attack in 2015 and was recovering and doing the exercises, taking the medications and all that and then I had another one and actually went into cardiac arrest. They said I had about a 5% chance of survival. In that same period my brother was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer, so it was a really tough time in my life. When I went into cardiac arrest I did lose some oxygen to my brain so I have had a few problems with my memory and a few other things but it is coming back slowly. One thing that really helped me was working with a local fighter named Ryan Ford. We had talked about maybe me showing him some things and I did work with him when I was healthy enough. It really helped me at a time when I needed purpose and something to make me feel like I doing something positive because I was really battling some depression at that time. Ryan was great to work with, a great student who really wanted to learn and he really did a lot for me in letting me work with him. At that time, he really saved me in a lot of ways, he helped me a lot; he helped me out of a dark place. Yeah, he’s a great fighter, great guy to work with.

BT: You worked in auto sales after you retired?

SO: Yes, I did. I worked at Kentwood Ford in Edmonton and they were great to me. I’m not working right now but hope to get back to work at some point when I am feeling myself again.

BT: You are married with children?

SO: Yes, 21 years. I have 2 daughters, age 18 and 21 who are both in university.

BT: Scotty, I sure remember all the great nights in the ring. You had a great career Scotty, you should be very proud.

SO: Thanks Bill, I appreciate that. Yeah, I had some good fights and I’d say from about the early 90’s to about ’94, I could compete with any flyweight fighter in the world.

BT: It was pleasure to chat with you and catch up. Thank you.

SO: Thanks for the call Bill. It was great talking to you, I appreciate it.