Earl Walls

Born February 19, 1928, in Maidstone Township, just outside of Puce, Ontario, Earl Walls used his rich family heritage for inspiration as he and his nine brothers and sisters grew up on their family farm in Essex County. While always having an active interest in boxing, Walls’ journey into the sport began rather unconventionally. Deciding to take in a match one evening at the Detroit Olympia, it was released that one of the fighters scheduled would not be able to make the event, so Walls decided he would be up to the task in replacing him^[1] The fight, refereed by the legendary Joe Louis, was an absolute blowout. Walls stood no chance, but his experience in the ring turned into his motivation to be a boxer and to never be humiliated in such a way ever again.

Walls learned the ins and outs of boxing at the gym of Patrick “Patsy” Drouillard in downtown Windsor under the mentorship of Bill Swinhoe. Beginning at the young age of 19, Walls began climbing the Canadian boxing ladder with ferocity and soon found himself as the Ontario Amateur Champion, and not long after, became the Canadian Heavyweight Champion following a title bout against Vern Escoe in Edmonton on June 14, 1952. He was known throughout Canada and the United States as “The Hooded Error” due to his insistence of wearing a towel over his head as he entered the ring.^[2] Walls had a successful career in the sport. In 43 total professional fights, he either lost or drew a no-decision only 7 times. In these 36 victories, 32 of them were won by knockout, 14 of those coming in the first round.^[3]

To the surprise of most of the boxing world, Walls announced his retirement on November 2, 1955, at the age of 27. Although he never faced the American legend Rocky Marciano, Walls felt it was time to move on from the fight game and focus on his family instead.^[4] Never relinquishing his title of Canadian Heavyweight Champion, Walls peaked at the number three position in the world rankings of boxers and saw himself as the number one boxer in all of the British Commonwealth. Inducted into the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame in 1978, his career remains legendary in Canadian boxing and in African-Canadian sporting history. 

Researched and written by Mark McWhinney, University of Windsor student