Jim Maloney standing with other inductees into the Black Belt Hall of Fame. Photo by Bridget Stevens

A Living Legend, James (Jake) Maloney, honoured. Jim starts out life the youngest of 9 children. Jim was born December 21, 1945, a short distance from here in Sipekne’katik First Nation (Indian Brook). Sipekne’katik First Nation is a community rooted in the traditions and history of our ancestors and takes pride in Mi’kmaw culture, language and way of life. Although Jim has travelled the world he has never lost touch the Mi’kmaw culture, language and way of life.

The Early Years

At age 16 Jim headed to Boston…. It was then that he began his Karate journey at the Mattson Academy operated by George Mattson an American serviceman who studied at the Uechi-Ryu Karate-Do headquarters. Returning from Okinawa/Japan, as a Black Belt, Sensei Mattson was the first to teach this style professionally, resulting in the original growth in the United States.

The team that helped develop Jim quickly sensed there was something very special about him; the manner in which he tackled complex training, the way he battled with grace the difficulties and prejudices of his work days in the construction field.

Preparing for this inductee bio; one of Jim’s sparring instructor from that time commented on the discrimination found within Boston in the 60’s. “I would always marvel at how he always dealt positively with such abhorrence and how he always managed to pull through and make himself one of the most gracious and helpful human beings on the planet despite the ugliness in his life” Sensei Van Canna

In the years to follow Jim would go on to become an undefeated New England Champion in free fighting and cement breaking competitions {1967-1973]. A tournament Champion in all categories; kata, breaking and fighting.

His kata strength and beauty that remain unique and defining to this day. ‘He could break just about anything with his tremendous power. I have seen him snap rebar braced against the wall with his neck. I have seen him smash multiple cinder blocks with his wrists. He did this feat to win the title of the Strongest Man in New England much to the surprise of all the others who had never seen anything like it! After he won the competition, I asked him why he choose that particular break. His response was masterful even then ‘because I knew I could” he said. Sensei Buzz Durkin.

Returning to Canada

Before returning to Canada in 1972, Jim was considered the most feared fighter in the East Coast of the United States. The first Canadian to achieve Black Belt rank in Uechi Ryu Karate and the first person to introduce Uechi Ryu Karate into Canada. Uechi Ryu Canada could not have found a better father. As an official representative to Okinawa/Japan for Canada, he has trained more than 16,000 students Internationally as well as trained and developed hundreds of fighting champions. Under his care Ralph Hollett would take the Canadian Kickboxing

Championship (November 27, 1979). Canadian Middleweight Championship in boxing (two consecutive years – January, 1980 and June 14, 1981). Many others would benefit from Jim’s training expertise including Trevor Berbick who fought 22 professional bouts between 1976 and 1981. All but two of these of these bouts were fought here in Halifax. On his 23rd fight Trevor would go on to defeat Muhammad Ali December 11, 1981. It was during this time that boxing flourished in Halifax, it is no coincidence that during this time Jim was officially licensed as a professional boxing promoter, promoting many professional cards, including ABC’s Wide World of Sports in conjunction with Top Rank Inc – Bob Arum. In the 1970s and ‘80s, Top Rank founder and CEO Bob Arum was one of the first promoters to harness the power of closed-circuit and pay-per-view models of selling televised fights. He later parlayed this knowledge into ground- breaking deals with HBO, Showtime, ABC and a host of other networks.

After developing a system of internationally recognized Karate Schools on the East Coast and a hugely successful Private Investigation and Event Security businesses, Jim would leave all of this to trusted students and in 1988 he would leave Halifax to begin another journey – to organize and operate the first independent, all Aboriginal Training Institute in Canada named the First Nations Tribal Justice Institute. Responsible for training hundreds of First Nations people across Canada. First Nations Tribal Justice Institute is a privately-owned post-secondary institution controlled by a First Nations board of directors. Its eight-month course provided police training of the same caliber as that offered by the RCMP. Jim would spend the next fifteen years working on the West Coast of Canada continuing to develop outstanding athletes and developing Tribal Police Forces for communities in need.

Because of Jim’s career in policing and his superior investigative skills he would go on to free many wrongfully accused First Nations from incarceration throughout Canada. As Chief Investigator for the Donald Marshall Inquiry, and after seventeen years and multiple police investigations he was still able to find undisclosed evidence to help clear up Donald’s name.

Present day

Returning home to Nova Scotia has brought Jim many successes, both in business and in life. Jim continues to operate the Mi’kmaq Institute of Trades & Technology, President of Mi’kmaq Dawn-Works a First Nations Economic Development Consultancy and Chebucto Security and Investigations a premier First Nations security firm working across Canada. Far beyond his business success is the success of his marriage to his beautiful wife and business partner Bridget Stevens who together continue to develop outstanding athletes and professional fighters. Successfully operating Boxing Clubs and Karate Clubs, producing world class fighters is in Jim Maloney’s blood, he is a true warrior. Jim continues to fight for First Nation rights and injustices; now the as the district War Chief for the Wabanaki Confederacy.

On August 6th of this year Jim Maloney received his 10th Degree Black Belt and title of Grand Master – an honest man, a true man, a traditionalist, a true warrior, a Uechi Ryu Karate treasure and Canada’s Ambassador.