The Contender Who Walked Away

Earl Partitions was largely unknown when he stepped by means of the ropes in Edmonton, Alberta on July 3, 1953 to face Rex Layne, the world’s eighth ranked heavyweight prizefighter. The favored and extremely regarded Layne held victories over such high abilities as Jersey Joe Walcott and Ezzard Charles, amongst others, and, simply two years earlier than, had battled Rocky Marciano, the reigning undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. However after only one minute and ten seconds of the primary spherical, Layne was not so extremely regarded, and Earl Partitions was not an unknown.   

The Canuck contender with the 24-7 report had answered the bell, as The New York Instances would put it, “with fists flying in each course” in a vicious assault. A startled Layne backed away as Partitions pursued, “hurling haymakers as quick as the attention may comply with.” Partitions simply stored coming, firing hooks for a full minute till the person from Utah collapsed to the canvas after which didn’t beat the rely. The ten thousand followers on the outside ring had been surprised by the upset and cheered hysterically. Seemingly from nowhere, 25-year-old Earl Partitions had slugged his method into the highest rankings of  the heavyweight division.

However whereas the knockout of Layne reworked Partitions from an unknown right into a viable menace on the elite degree, two years later he shocked the boxing world for a second time when he abruptly introduced his retirement, regardless of there being severe discuss on the time of a doable bout towards Marciano for the world title. On the age of simply 27-years-old, Earl Partitions walked away from the battle sport having by no means reached his full potential and whereas on the cusp of championship glory. However there have been no regrets. 

Earl Partitions was born on February 19, 1928 in Maidstone Township close to the historic Puce River community in Ontario, Canada. He was the descendent of American slaves, as his nice grand-father, John Freeman Partitions, had escaped from a plantation in North Carolina and made his method to Canada in 1845, by means of the fabled Underground Railroad. The second of ten youngsters, Partitions grew up poor on the household farm situated in Essex County, about 25 miles east of Windsor, Ontario. 

The boxing profession of Earl Partitions started inauspiciously. As a younger man he was an admirer of Joe Louis and he as soon as had the prospect to be within the stands of the Detroit Olympia for a battle card the place Louis was performing because the referee. One of many boxers scheduled to battle backed out of his match on the final minute and Partitions volunteered to enter the ring in his place. He later recalled that it was a call he quickly regretted. “The man nearly killed me,” stated Partitions. “After he beat me, I had a black eye and after I went dwelling my brothers and sisters laughed at me. From then on I used to be decided I used to be going to lick someone.” 

Spurred on to show himself after this primary disastrous outing, Partitions started coaching below the tutelage of Invoice Swinhoe at Patsy Drouillard’s Gymnasium in Windsor. On the age of eighteen he give up college and moved to Toronto after which later to Detroit, the place he labored as a bouncer and continued to coach. After a handful of novice bouts, and after profitable the 1947 Ontario novice gentle heavyweight title, Partitions signed with Toronto promoters Jimmy Jones and Shirley Jackson. Recognizing Partitions’ expertise, they despatched him to New York Metropolis for teaching at such locales because the legendary Stillman’s Gymnasium.

Partitions turned professional with a primary spherical knockout of Dick Lee on Could 5, 1948 on the Jamaica Area in Queens, New York, however his profession suffered a direct setback as he misplaced his subsequent three matches, together with a fourth spherical KO defeat to Joe Lindsay in June 1948. However Partitions quickly turned issues round and by the tip of 1948 had a report of 5-3. After opening 1949 with a pair of wins, Partitions travelled to England for his subsequent six fights. The British press dubbed him “The Hooded Terror” as a consequence of his behavior of sporting a towel draped over his head whereas ready for the beginning of a bout. Partitions reeled off 4 straight victories, together with first spherical knockouts of Belgian heavyweight champ Piet Wilde and Frenchman Albert Coulbaly, whom he despatched to the canvas six occasions. 

Subsequent was a slugfest towards Lloyd Barnett on the Royal Albert Corridor in London. Partitions, as at all times, began quick, knocking Barnett down 3 times within the second spherical and battering him severely within the third. However Barnett one way or the other weathered the barrage and battled again to attain a knockdown over a drained Partitions within the ultimate spherical and take a detailed resolution. The next month, Partitions boxed Alf Gallagher at Earls Courtroom Empress Corridor and misplaced once more. After warning each boxers for clinching, the referee disqualified Partitions within the sixth. 

On the heels of those setbacks, Partitions returned to Canada and recorded two knockout victories earlier than his profession reached its lowest level in 1950. In a bout towards Argentinian Abel Cestac in New York, Earl misplaced in simply 44 seconds when a left hook floored him for the total rely. An additional defeat adopted in February of 1951 as he dropped a six-round resolution to Jimmy Slade on an undercard at Madison Sq. Backyard. Following this, Partitions didn’t compete once more for greater than fifteen months. He had been a professional boxer for 3 years, combating in america, Britain, and Canada, however now Partitions determined to, as he later put it, take management of his personal future. From this level on he self-managed and negotiated his personal bouts, at all times making certain he obtained a assure plus a share of the gate.

Now combating out of Edmonton, Partitions returned to the ring in Could 1952 and reeled off eleven wins over simply twelve months earlier than he stepped into the ring towards Rex Layne. All however a type of victories was by knockout and included profitable the Canadian heavyweight title from Vern Escoe. Partitions had beforehand labored as Escoe’s sparring accomplice, however now the roles can be reversed with Escoe serving as Partitions’ chief sparring accomplice and tutor. The primary spherical knockout of Rex Layne put Partitions among the many world’s high heavyweights and within the combine for a title shot towards world champ Rocky Marciano, because the Nationwide Boxing Affiliation now included Partitions of their quarterly rankings. 

Regardless of being brutally knocked out of their Edmonton bout, Layne exercised his contractual proper to a direct rematch. This time the duel was held on Layne’s dwelling turf on the Salt Lake Metropolis Fairgrounds Stadium in his native Utah. It was a furiously contested affair with Layne dashing at Partitions within the early rounds and proving to be quicker and stronger than the Canadian. Layne was far forward on factors after 5 rounds, however Partitions rallied, sending the American down early within the spherical with a proper to the jaw. Layne rose however two extra knockdowns adopted and Partitions received the KO victory in spherical six. 

Two straightforward wins capped 1953 for Partitions: taking out Joe Kahut in two rounds and blasting Bernie Reynolds in simply thirty seconds. Now firmly positioned within the high ten rankings, a bout with Rocky Marciano for the world championship was a particular risk. In press interviews, Marciano himself referred to Partitions as a powerful candidate for the subsequent protection of the world title. 

However the momentum of Partitions’s ascent was interrupted by a call loss in his subsequent battle to eighth ranked contender Tommy Harrison of Los Angeles. The match was held on January 26, 1954 on the venerable Maple Leaf Gardens and drew a report crowd for a Toronto boxing occasion with nearly fifteen thousand followers within the stands. Regardless of this, the bout was a disappointment for the Canadian warrior. Knocked down within the fourth and sixth rounds, Partitions went the gap however misplaced a unanimous ten spherical resolution. 

The defeat to Harrison revealed for all to see the constraints of the younger contender. Partitions was acknowledged as a “pile-driving puncher who stiffened foes with one nerve-shattering shot,” as Milt Dunnell in The Toronto Star had put it, but his abilities had by no means been totally developed. Vern Escoe, who past boxing Partitions, has additionally locked up with the likes of Ezzard Charles and Archie Moore, acknowledged his good friend’s flaws. He later recalled that Partitions was “by no means a lot of a boxer. He may have been, however he was too cussed to study. He used to throw himself away by attempting to place every part into each punch. However anyone he hit within the first two or three rounds, Earl would harm him.” 

A right away rematch with Harrison was scheduled and the pair squared off a second time on April 12, 1954, once more in Maple Leaf Gardens. Within the weeks between the 2 matches, Partitions considered nothing however the rematch as he watched the movie of his loss over and over. He later remembered, “I turned obsessed. I don’t imply hatred. I by no means hated an opponent. Tommy had crushed me pretty. And badly. I simply wished to redeem myself.” 

Dan Florio, a coach who had labored with Gene Tunney and Jersey Joe Walcott, was introduced in to assist put together Partitions for the rematch. On the day of the bout, Florio proved his value. He reminded Partitions that Harrison was shorter and that each time Partitions had linked with a strong shot of their first assembly, Tommy would drop down, main Partitions to overlook along with his follow-up punches. Florio now instructed Partitions to drop down himself.  

On the opening bell that evening, Partitions launched a direct two-fisted assault. He knocked Harrison down with a left hook for a rely of 5 and when his opponent got here up reeling, Partitions battered him with rights to the jaw and to the physique with each fists till Harrison slumped to the canvas. Harrison was counted out. Redemption took simply two minutes and 36 seconds. The annihilation of Harrison had been so full that the defeated fighter’s supervisor, George Parnassus, complained bitterly that the referee had endangered his cost’s life by “permitting Partitions to maintain up the barrage.” 

As Partitions recalled, Florio’s recommendation had been of big profit: “Virtually my first shot stung Harrison. I went right into a crouch immediately and you understand what? I couldn’t miss. However you understand that feeling you get generally? I used to be king of the world that evening.” Partitions’ analysis of his efficiency was echoed by the Toronto press who referred to as the bout probably the most thrilling battle within the metropolis’s historical past, and hailed Partitions as “invincible that night, the equal of any heavyweight on two ft.”

After two extra victories, Partitions’ profession took one other stumble as he misplaced a cut up resolution to Argentinian heavyweight Edgardo Romero in entrance of 14,000 followers at Callister Park in Vancouver in 1954. A rematch was ordered, this time in Edmonton and Partitions emerged triumphant the second time round, decking Romero twice within the third spherical on his method to a unanimous ten spherical resolution. It was throughout the Romero bouts that Partitions took a punch to the throat that left him with a gravelly voice for the remainder of his life.

Avenging one other earlier loss was additionally the aim of Wall’s subsequent match. On January 17, 1955, he received a unanimous resolution over extremely regarded Jimmy Slade in a ten spherical bout at Maple Leaf Gardens. Partitions later remarked that he didn’t actually have “the killer intuition,” however famous that, “Should you take a look at my report, you’ll see I at all times had the most effective motivation in return bouts – Jimmy Slade, Harrison, Edgardo Romero.” 

Partitions recorded his thirty fourth professional victory on June 15, 1955, a ten-round resolution over Billy Gilliam in Toronto, and he had no thought as he left the ring that evening that it might show to be the final bout of his profession. He had a strong place as a high contender within the division and the Marciano battle that had been rumored for 2 years was nonetheless being talked about. Partitions’ subsequent match had even been booked, towards Ewart Potgieter of South Africa, however whereas coaching for it, Partitions got here dwelling from the fitness center someday, took a nap, and when he awakened he advised his spouse, June, that she was now married to an ex-boxer. Partitions determined that regardless that he had not fought for the world title, he had achieved what he wished to in his profession and he was unharmed. It was time to stroll away. Partitions introduced his retirement on November 2, 1955. He ended his profession with a report of 34 wins, 9 losses, and one draw.

Partitions later said that, “boxing is a enterprise, strictly a profession with me. I don’t go for violence.” He added, “I by no means loved it. I by no means received a kick out of beating anyone or knocking him out. It was a method to an finish, a method to earn a living.” Certainly, Partitions had beforehand thought of retiring after considered one of his opponents had not moved for fifteen minutes after being knocked out. Partitions by no means regretted his resolution to give up since, as he put it, “I knew the place all the cash I’d made was and I had all my marbles.”  

In retirement, Partitions pursued a profitable profession in actual property in Toronto, was concerned with many charities, and with June raised his household in Etobicoke. His achievements in boxing had been acknowledged along with his induction into 4 halls of fame: the Canadian Boxing Corridor of Fame, the Windsor and Essex County Sports activities Corridor of Fame, the African-American Sports activities Corridor of Fame, and the Etobicoke Sports activities Corridor of Fame. Partitions died of a coronary heart assault on December 13, 1996 and was buried on the John Freeman Partitions Historic Web site cemetery on his household’s farm close to Puce.

The unanswered query of Partitions’ boxing profession was how he may need faired towards Rocky Marciano for the heavyweight title. Marciano himself stated the match would have been “attention-grabbing” because the Canadian was a “fast starter,” one thing he himself was not. Partitions ventured that he would have appreciated the prospect to battle him: “You realize, sure guys suit your fashion and Marciano match mine. I’m not saying I’d have beat him, however you at all times assume you’ll be able to.”

By all accounts Partitions had a beautiful life, however in boxing phrases he stays in the end a might-have-been. Vern Escoe regretted by no means discovering out how his good friend may need fared towards the highest heavyweights, commenting, “I don’t actually understand how good Earl was. However I can inform you this and ensure I’m correct: Earl may have crushed anyone he may hit.”      — Thomas Dade