Earl Walls
Earl Walls held the Canadian Boxing Federation Heavyweight title from 1952 until his retirement in 1955. A feared power-puncher, Walls scored fourteen first round knockouts over the course of his career.
Born February 19, 1928 in Puce, Earl Walls was the great-grandson of a runaway slave from North Carolina who escaped to Canada on the famed Underground Railroad. As a
Windsor Daily Star, March 11, 1947, page 11
teen, Walls took boxing lessons at Pat Drouillard’s gym in downtown Windsor. Having no way to get there, he would jog the twenty-five kilometers from his home in Puce to the city center, and back again when his lesson was finished. He became Ontario Amateur Light Heavyweight Champion in 1947 and turned pro the next year.
After starting his career an unimpressive 13-7, Walls won his next fifteen bouts – fourteen by knockout – over the next two years. It was during this streak that he scored his two most memorable victories; his fourth round knockout of Vern Escoe in June 1952 to become the Canadian Boxing Federation Heavyweight champion, and his first round annihilation in July 1953 of top-ranked prospect Rex Layne. In November 1955, just as it looked as though he might get a chance to fight for the World Heavyweight title, Walls decided to step away from the sport to spend more time with his family.
Sources and Further Reading:
Windsor-Essex County Sports Hall of Fame profile page
Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame profile page
“Ex-Boxing Star Earl Walls Reports He Has No Regrets,” Edmonton Journal, October 28, 1961, page 14