Earl Walls vs. Rex Layne (1st meeting)
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Rex Layne 206 lbs lost to Earl Walls 192 lbs by KO at 1:03 in round 1 of 10
- Date: 1953-07-03
- Location: Exhibition Grandstand, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Referee: Johnny Behr
"Canadian heavyweight champion Earl Walls set himself up as a contender for the world title Friday night by knocking out the 8th ranked Rex Layne of Salt Lake City at 1:03 of the 1st round in their scheduled 10-round bout at the outdoor Edmonton Exhibition Park. The tall, rangy Walls smashed one tremendous right hand from a flurry of infighting square to the jaw. Layne fell like a wet log and didn't twitch as referee Bill Behr of Chicago tolled the count." -Canadian Press
- Attendance - 10,000 (app.)
- Purses: Layne - 30% of the gate or $10,000 (whichever was greater), Walls - 20% of the gate.
- Walls' Pacific Northwest heavyweight title was at stake.
- There was a verbal promise of a rematch within 60 days and they met again on September 8th.
- Walls' manager Jimmy Jones was seeking a title fight with British Empire heavyweight champ Don Cockell, which never materialized.
Post-fight comment
- "I won that one for Canada. I hit him with a left hook and a straight right hand."