For followers of boxing, George “Rock-a-bye” Ross is one of the pioneers. He has had a colourful 11-year career, one that began at the Merchant Seamans Club in Sydney in 1942.

Ross came into his own during the 1945 Golden Gloves tournament when he emerged as the welterweight king. Within two years he was the middleweight champion of Canada. It was in this division that he impressed, notching 36 wins and one draw before his first defeat.

He set up the George Rock-a-bye Ross Amateur Boxing Club in Port Hawkesbury. George Ross was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 1983.