Walter Henry (1938 -) Inducted 1972

Walter Henry was born in Hong Kong, but it was as a schoolboy in Ireland that he showed promise as a boxer. Coached by his father and trained by his brother Jerry, he won the Irish schoolboy championship at the age of nine. Boxing became his whole life, and he was dedicated to his career, which continued when the family moved to Canada.

His list of accomplishments is impressive. In 1958, he represented Canada in the British Empire Games. On a return trip to Ireland in 1962, he won the Irish Senior Flyweight Championship. He fought in the Olympics in Tokyo in 1964 and in Mexico City in 1968. He was a boxing judge in the 1976 Olympics. In 1967, he had the honour of being the first Canadian ever to win a medal in boxing at the Pan-American Games held in Winnipeg. Henry is 9 times Canadian Flyweight Champion and has won 20 Ontario titles. He was inducted into the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame in 1974.

Walter Henry retired from boxing in 1971 after a career that included 403 fights, losing only 18.

Orillia is proud of this popular successful athlete when he says; "I am from Orillia, and proud of it", with just a trace of his Irish accent.