JAMES (Jimmy) WALTER "ring of desire"
by Brian Zelley with detailed data provided by Steven Kodiak.
(Steve became one of the original six administrators for the
newly created British Columbia Amateur Boxing Hall of Fame);
Photo: (1954 JIMMY WALTERS and BARNEY ROSS)
Jimmy had an interesting amateur boxing journey
from the late Forties and into the early Sixties
some of which was recorded
by Jimmy in his book "Ring of Desire".
Special thanks to Steven Kodiak for providing
the pages of the autobiography that were given
to him by Jimmy before he passed away.
The Early Years beginning in the late forties:
The boxing journey of Jimmy Walters begins in the "Eagletime
Boxing Club" in the winter of 1949 when he walked into the
gym that was located in the basement of the notable "Penthouse"
in downtown Vancouver, BC, Canada. Jimmy's introduction
to boxing came at the hands of a seasoned boxer by the name
of Sid Morrisroe.
In his early days as a junior boxer, Jimmy won his share of
club shows and tournaments and was one of the earlier
boxers to be named an "Emerald Boy" as the best boxer
in the junior open tournament, but at the age of 16
Jimmy would win his first senior tournament
at the 1954 BC Golden Gloves at Vancouver's
exhibition gardens. Walters would enter the
lightweight division but to make the finals, Jimmy would
have to defeat three opponents. Also, in the division
was that experienced knockout artist Bill (Curly) Adams.
At the time of his first golden gloves tournament, Jimmy
was coached by Bert Lowes and Pat West at the
South Hill Boxing Club. And, in a wild fight with Adams,
it was Jimmy Walters that won the day. For his achievement,
Walters would be named "Golden Boy runner-up" while the
Golden Boy would be the tough scrapper from the east end
named Billy Stone. In a follow=up Diamond Belt tournament
Jimmy Walters would end up with a split decision loss to
USA army boxer Wardell Jackson.
Beyond 1954, Jimmy Walters rocks-on in the ring:
It was in 1955, when Jimmy, Lloyd Dupas and another boxer
would travel to Tacoma for the '55 Tacoma Golden Gloves.
In the finals, after two wins, Jimmy would defeat Denny Moyer,
who would one day become the world light-middleweight
pro boxing champion of the world. Moyer would also train
with many one time BC boxers over the years such as
ALAN CURTIS, the 1960 Golden Boy from Victoria, BC.
The Road To The 1958 Commonwealth Games
Between 1955 and 1958, Jimmy would win a good share of
tournaments including a Canadian title on the road to the
Commonwealth Games
Alumni of the South Hill and Firefighters:
These are just a few of the faces of boxers that fought under the
direction of Bert Lowes and Pat West. There would be many more
Mann, Tohill, Deugau, Coulson, Kacer, Sinitsin, MacDonald
Ostapovich, McMillan, Jack Snaith, Roger Adolph and many more.
The group photo includes Bert and Pat and boxers such as Jimmy and Lindy
The individuals include: Freddy Fuller, Dick Findlay, Dave Wylie, Brian Zelley,
Gordie Lawson, Jimmy Walters, John Gamble, Frank Scott and Lindy Lindmoser.
