William Parsons (“Billy the Kid”), was born in Newfoundland and Labrador in 1880. Parsons was an amateur boxer from 1905-1910 and fought in the professional ranks from 1910-1927. He held the Maritime Lightweight title for 14 years and the Canadian Lightweight title from 1918-1921.

Parsons was an intelligent boxer both in and out of the ring. He was short, stocky, and was equally effective against skillful and wild-swinging boxers. His quickness and hard punch served him well in his more than 80 professional bouts against other boxers, including Johnny Boyle, Roddie MacDonald and Johnny MacIntyre.

Along with being an excellent boxer, Parsons was also a fine hockey player. He played for teams in Glace Bay in the early 1900s and was at one time a coach of the Sydney Millionaires.

Parsons was a member of the Cape Breton Boxing Commission for many years and worked with the North Sydney Fire Department for 40 years.

He passed away in 1962 in Sydney. Billy is an original Sport Hall of Fame inductee.