Rex Layne vs. Willie James

Willie James 205 lbs beat Rex Layne 199 lbs by UD in round 10 of 10

• Date: 1952-02-07
• Location: Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
• Referee: Danny Sears 99-92
• Judge: John Glynn 99-94
• Judge: Joe Santoro 98-94

"Rex Layne, Salt Lake City heavyweight, attempting a fistic comeback at the tender age of 23, today was convinced he had made a false start by accepting an offer to tangle with Willie James of Boston here last night. James, who had only 18 previous professional engagements, had little trouble gaining a unanimous 10-round decision over the wild-swinging and wide-open Layne, who was pudgy at 199 pounds. James, a full head taller, weighed 204 3/4. James' counter-punching damaged both of Layne's eyes and dropped him for a two-count in the 9th round. Despite James' clear-cut win over a much more widely known opponent, few in the slim crowd of 4,712 conceded him any added prestige." -Associated Press

• Layne was also down in the 6th and 8th rounds

Post-fight comments

• "We didn't know what we were running into. We took the match on six days' notice, which didn't give Rex time enough to train down to his normal fighting weight of 190." -Marv Jensen, Layne's manager

• "Layne hit me a good couple of licks in the 2nd round but they didn't hurt. Then I realized I could take all he had and dish out plenty more." -Willie James