1 Name: Wally Thom Born: 1926-06-14 Nationality: United Kingdom Hometown: Birkenhead, Merseyside, United Kingdom Boxing Record: click The digger you dig into the ring record of Birkenhead Wally Thom the more impressive becomes the fight career of a man who must rank very high on the list of Merseyside’s all time boxing greats. As an amateur he was a junior ABA finalist on two occasions, a senior ABA finalist, was to box internationally against Denmark, reaching the finals of the European Championships in Dublin, and also won a Welsh title. As a professional boxer he suffered greatly from cuts around his eyes in the later stages of his career yet he met and beat some of the top fighters in the world. He reigned as the British and Empire welterweight champion and in a professional career lasting from 1949 to 1956 he won 42 of his 54 contests, with 11 defeats – mostly due to cuts -, and one draw. He was one of the most effective southpaws of all time, yet if the old Birkenhead club trainer Tommy Murray would have had his way Wally would have been an orthodox boxer. Wally’s interest in boxing was stirred by his father who bought him a speed ball from a sports shop in Grange road Birkenhead. “ I had great fun with it but had not thought of taking up boxing until one day at school – Tollemache road , Birkenhead – a teacher called for volunteers to represent the school in the Birkenhead boys championship for the Blake cup. I had a go and won through to the event at Byrne Avenue Swimming Baths, Birkenhead, only to be declared half a stone under the weight required”. I eventually boxed in a specialist contest and although I lost to Jimmy Finch I treasured the medal I received.. The Birkenhead heavyweight Johnny Cooke was in my corner and he suggested I join the Birkenhead club. I took his advice but trainer Murray wouldn’t let me box as a southpaw despite being left handed. Birkenhead was no different to any other club, as southpaws where discouraged everywhere. I was 12 years old at this time but when we lost our gym during the early wartime bombing we were allowed to train with the pros at Alex Powel’s gym in Edgerton Street. Alex quickly allowed me to develop my natural southpaw stance and I never looked back. 2 In 1945 Wally, then 19, had returned from Army service in Belgium where his commanding officer had entered him in the Welsh Championships. Although he was overweight for the welter title he knocked out three opponents to become middleweight champion. The same year he stopped every opponent to reach the ABA final at Wembley where he lost on points to Randy Turpin after dropping him twice. The same thing happened in 1949 when he every championship stage but lost in the final to Alex Buxton. “we had a strong team in Birkenhead at that time which made it more difficult to get opponents. I felt it would be degrading to box for money but after many offers I took, age 23, the plunge in 1949.” Under the Birkenhead manager Johnny Campbell Wally had success after success winning his first 23 contests – most inside the distance. This run included a points defeat over Jimmy Molloy for the Central Area title and British title eliminator wins over Alf Danahar and Cliff Curvis. However contest number 23 was to prove unlucky in bringing the first of the eye injuries which would become more severe during his career. Two months after Wally, as the underdog, took the British title from Eddie thomas , the Welsh miner, beating him on points at Harringay. He followed up this win with wins over Titi Clavel, Dutch champion Gil De Roode, Terry Radcliffe , and a draw with Danny Womber . He lost his title, his first defence of it, to the Welsh southpaw Cliff Curvis who KO’d him in nine rounds at Liverpool stadium. This was on 24 July 1952, and just over year later he retained his title. In 1953 he lost to his fellow Birkenhead boxer Peter Fallon on points in a final eliminator but he went on to win over Billy Wells, Bernie Newcombe and Kit Pomey. When Curvis relinquished the title Wally was matched with Fallon for the vacant title at Liverpool stadium on 24 September 1952. Wally was to win with the slimmest of margins over 15 rounds. In 1954 Wally added the European title to his collection when he stopped the Frenchman Gilbert Lavoine in 10 rounds. Two months later on 19 October 1954 he made the Lonsdale belt his own by knocking out Lew lazar in six rounds. This was Wally’s last championship victory. He was stopped with cuts by American Jimmy King and by the South African Benny Nieuwenhuizen, then dropped his European title to Frenchman Idrissa Dione on points at Liverpool. Wally made a successful move up to middleweight to score a treble of great wins, but when cuts forced him to retire in five rounds against Peter Waterman on 6 June 1956 he felt it time to hang up his gloves. The call of the ring was so strong that he almost immediately applied for a referee’s license and got this in 1957. 3 The Times Wednesday December 5 - 1951 4 Boxing News 19 March 1952 Radcliffe Outclassed by Welterweight Champ Any title aspirations which Terry Radcliffe may have had were swept aside by the British and Empire welterweight champion Wall Thom, who knocked out the young Bristol boilermaker in the ninth round. Radcliffe went down from a flurry of blows to the body and although hurt and winded he was still in command of all his faculties, but completely misjudged the count. Thom had been on top throughout the contest so much so that we did not score a single round in favour of his opponent. In the second session Thom whipped home a left to the jaw which put Terry on the canvas for “nine” but he managed to keep his feet for the remainder of the round. Wally kept up a steady attack driving home straight rights and lefts to the head and body. Ratcliffe had no answer to Thom’s southpaw stance and despite the fact he improved a little as the fight progressed he was sourly outclassed. It looked like the end when Ratcliffe went down in the seventh from a left to the head. As he rose at the count of “eight” Thom nailed him again with a left hook that sent him spinning to the canvas for “nine”. Wally pressed home his attack and battered his opponent to the floor once again from lefts and rights to the body. It was lucky for Terry that the bell sounded the end of the round as the count reached “eight”. Ratcliffe backpedalled a good deal in the following round but scored with straight lefts to the head, and for the first time landed with a good right hand punch. Thom was quite confident as he had been from the first gong, and when the end came midway through the ninth it caused no surprise. Both boxers weighed inside the stipulated 10st 9lb. 5 Boxing News 16 April 1952 Thom holds Womber to Draw Full marks to Freddie Mills for providing a lively nights entertainment at the Empress hall, his second venture as a London promoter. Wally Thom did not give quite enough to justify Freddie’s hopes that he could be matched with Kid Gavilan, but our welter champion certainly made himself very popular by the way he met the vigorous onslaughts of nonstop Bang-Bang Womber. The verdict of a draw at the end of ten rounds favoured Thom a little, but Womber came in for several cautions while he hit with an open glove at times. A percentage of the spectators thought the American 6 consistent attacking should have earned him the decision, but quite as many applauded Thom’s great efforts in the last three rounds .Which undoubtedly influenced the referee’s decision. Womber opened the fight with a fierce attack, driving Thom to the ropes, where he landed a succession of swings to the body. Wally got clear, then surprised the American by hanging a hefty left hook on his chin. As he reeled from the effects of the blow Wally chinned him again with the left but Womber was in grand condition and recovered quickly after hanging on for a few seconds. They punched away freely but Thom’s blows carried more weight. Danny took the second, beating Thom to the punch with his left and then whaling away at the body two fistedly. Wally hit back fiercely but he was on the retreat and the American made up his mind to keep it that way. Womber was the most versatile of the pair. He swung, hooked, jabbed and uppercut and although Thom took the bulk of these on his elbows and gloves some proportion got through. When stung Wally would sail into his man and punch away furiously to the delight of the onlookers, but these spells were both infrequent and short lived. 7 Rounds four and five went to the American, who now and again changed to southpaw stance, at which did look surprisingly well. It looked odd to see them jabbing at each other with the right, but Thom had more practice at this art and Womber soon reverted to the orthodox stance. THE American came in for several rebukes for resting his head on Thom’s chest while he banged away to the body, but generally Danny showed great sportsmanship.