Born in Nottingham and raised in a Bilborough council house along with seven siblings, Wally Swift took up boxing at the age of 10 and won three schoolboy titles.
[3] He lost the title in his first defence in November 1965 when he was stopped in the twelfth round by Johnny Pritchett due to an eye injury.
In February 1967 he faced Pritchett at the Nottingham Ice Stadium for the title, losing on points over fifteen rounds.
Swift's final fight came in July 1969 when he met Les McAteer for the vacant British and Commonwealth middleweight titles.
[5] After retiring from boxing Swift became a bookmaker but retired after injuring his back in a fall from a ladder;[5] He went on to become a trainer, manager, and promoter, working with fighters such as former British champions Del Bryan and Roy Smith, as well as his two sons Wally Jr, who became British light-middleweight champion, and Tony, who fought for the Commonwealth welterweight title.