Jos Montferrand

Jos Montferrand was one of many legendary strongmen from Quebec, Canada. He was one of several Herculean figures, including Louis Cyr and Victor Delamarre known for their feats of great strength. However, Montferrand was the first of these strongmen and thus deserves a special place as a Canadian hero.

Jos Montferrand was born in the St. Lawrence district of Montreal in 1802. He came to fame as a result of a challenge issued at a boxing match in the Champs du Mars. Two English-speaking boxers had just fought for the championship. The organizers then asked if there was anyone in the crowd who wished challenge the champion of Canada. The sixteen year old Montferrand stepped into the ring and with one punch, felled the (former) champion. News of this surprising event spread quickly.

Montferrand spent much of his life working in the lumber trade in the Outaouais. There was ongoing animosity between Anglophones and Francophones and frequent fights between the English, Irish and French Canadian loggers. Montferrand's prowess with his fists and boots was legendary in avenging the wrongs he and his compatriots were subjected to.