Boxing legend Billy “the Kid” Marquardt enjoyed a spectacular amateur career that saw him hold the Canadian Featherweight Championship for four consecutive years (1933-36). It culminated in him representing Canada at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin where he “reached the final before being eliminated”. Marquardt learned his boxing in Winnipeg training at the YMCA and OBU (One Big Union).
Upon his return from the Olympics, he began his professional career and defeated several top-ranked names including Sammy Angott twice (who would later become the lightweight champion). Marquardt steadily climbed the ranks of featherweight, lightweight and welterweight in his quest for a world title during the late ‘30’s but fell short in 1939. Despite being a 9-5 favourite, he lost by knockout in the third round to Texan Lou Jenkins. Marquardt’s next fight would have been against the Champion, Lou Ambers. That loss and the Second World War effectively ended his pro boxing career. The popular boxing website BoxRec lists his fight record at 61 fights, 44 victories with 21 knockouts. Billy Marquardt joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 and resided in Chicago until a heart attack took his life at age 45.
b. August 24, 1917
d. 1962
