Big man or small, Wally Holm knew how to handle them, how to separate them from clinches, send them to neutral corners following knockdowns and generally how to take charge of the ring he had been assigned to oversee.

Holm was a master of his craft. He kept strict order in the space he oversaw and blended into the background until such time as needed to keep a bout functioning according to the rules.

He spent forty years of his life as a referee and judge, roles he took seriously and was well equipped to understand as a former fighter himself, a fighter judged by some as a possible contender in his weight class had he not suffered injuries during World War II that reduced his effectiveness.

Boxing was a passion with him that he shared unsparingly in conversations with colleagues, friends and his son, Terry, among others.

Amateur or professional, Holm refereed in both and never lost his love for the sport in which
he excelled as a young man, winning what are now called Upper Midwest Golden Gloves titles in 1940 and 1941 fighting as a lightweight.

“Then he turned pro,’’ Terry added, “and won 14 consecutive fights.’’

The Marine Corps followed for three years, and Holm won the Lightweight Pacific Championship.

His undertakings at that time were far more foreboding and dangerous than a few rounds

in the ring. He was a flamethrower, a sitting target, in the battles at Okinawa and Peleliu.

“When he came home he had about four fights (eight, in fact) but had shrapnel in his back and leg from the war, and that was pretty much the end of his career. The war had taken too much out of him,’’ Terry added. As testament to what he had undergone, Holm came home the recipient of two purple heart awards.

Holm’s last fight before going overseas was on June 4, 1942 and he fought to a six-round draw at the Minneapolis Auditorium against Jack Haley. On the same card was former welterweight champion Fritzie Zivic who outpointed Reuben Shank over 10 rounds. Zivic had outpointed the once incomparable Henry Armstrong for the title in 1940 and stopped him in a rematch the next year.

That bout was the last for Holm until December 13, 1945 in a six-round decision over Dick Czerniak at the Minneapolis Auditorium.

Holm last fought on January 20, 1947, losing by knockout for the only time in his career, in the fourth of eight rounds against unbeaten Vince Foster at the Omaha City Auditorium. Holm retired with a 12-2-2 record with one knockout of his own.

“After he was done, he would spar with
(Hall of Fame fighters) Del and Glen Flanagan,’’ Terry added. “He also sparred with (former lightweight champion) Lew Jenkins and
Zivic when they were in town.’’

Holm oversaw several of Minnesota’s most notable fights in his years as a referee. Terry attended many of those fights and recalls them with vivid accuracy.

One he recalls with special interest was the bout between Andy Kendall and unbeaten Hall of Fame fighter Pat O’Connor at Met Sports Center.

“I really looked up to Pat,’’ Terry said. “He took such a beating in that fight, and dad stopped it in the seventh round. I always thought of Pat as a great kid.’’

Holm was also the man in the middle in the second fight between Duane Bobick and Scott LeDoux. Bobick had won the first match for the state heavyweight title, and would keep the title in the rematch. Holm stopped that fight after LeDoux was down twice in the eighth round.

Holm was in the ring for the LeDoux fight against Ken Norton also, a bout declared a draw after an overconfident Norton appeared physically unprepared and was on the canvas twice in the final round. Holm also oversaw fights involving two other Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame inductees, Rafael Rodriguez and Gary Holmgren.

“Boxing was a great big part of his life,’’ Terry added. “It introduced him in the business world and he became the No. 1 salesman at Griggs and Cooper for many years.’’

Holm also served on the Minnesota Boxing Commission for four years at the tail end of his career. He was visible on the Minnesota boxing scene for decades, never more so than as a referee, a role that earned him a spot in the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame. “It is ironic,’’ Terry added. “Dad was born in 1918 and 100 years later he is being given this honor.’’