Steele & Apostoli

I had an old compilation of features from Ring Magazine over the years. I inherited when my grandpa died years ago. It was full of mysterious gems that I doubt you read anywhere else, including retrospectives on Johnny Kilbane's title reign to an examination of claims that Willie Pep participated in fixed fights, to an analysis of mental illness in guys like Ad Wolgast and Joe Louis. I haven't seen it in 7 or 8 years and its probably long lost.

At any rate, I recall one article that praised Fred Apostoli as a brilliant ring tactician, but it made a mysterious allusion to his rapid deterioration as a championship fighter. It said something about how the night before his fateful fight with Ceferino Garcia, Fred went to bed but woke up again an hour or two later and couldn't get back to sleep. After tossing and turning he 'went for a walk in Times Square at midnight. He was never the same fighter again."

It doesn't get more cryptic than that. On the surface it seems to be a clever allusion to Fred getting some prefight horizontal cardio curtesy of an unknown partner. That would square, given that he fought in an era when prefight coitus was surrounded by entrenched superstition. Even though we now know sex before a fight is harmless, if Apostoli BELIEVED it wasn't harmless, it could have hindered his abilities. But it might just mean that he went for a walk, and faced with the pressure of a world title fight looming, doubts began creep in about his future as a fighter. Or maybe whatever happened that night was totally insignificant, and it was the beating Garcia gave him that began his exit from world class competition.

 

My vote is Steele

 

At their respective bests, Steele would be favored. He just so good and consistent when in form.

 

Steele at his best beats Apostoli I believe the loss was really a case of a few factors colliding with Steele injured and all those fights catching him and he got old quick.....5 losses in over 100 fights is some serious consistency with a few losses coming at the end.

 

For his part Steele was extremely talented, with hard right hand a good boxing skills. Steele and Randy Turpin are two guy who I think have a head-to-head standing at 160 that surpasses their accomplishments.

 

Interesting info!

 

Steele for me.

 

Call me a Boxrec warrior, but, 123-5 beats 61-10 any day of the week for me. Add to that that Steele had already had over a hundred fights when he first faced Apostoli, and that he must have been on fumes for the second fight.

Cap it with Steele looking like a million bucks on film.

Steele.

 

Shame they never met in their prime. Apostoli was just a baby when they first met and Steele was just about done the second time they met. I am as big of fan of Steele as anyone is on this forum but I think Apostoli had the tools to always be a tough fight for Steele.

 

Gun to head, Steele.

 

I suspect this would be a very close contest, prime-to-prime.
From the little I've seen of them both, it appears that Apostoli might have just had the style and tenacity to trouble Steele more than most. However, my gut says Steele nicks a decision.

 

Questions

Was was the cause of Steele’s injury in the Apostolo fight?

Steele Apostolo II is considered the greatest brawl in middleweight history . Does apostoli deserve full credit?

When was Steele’s prime?

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Incredible fight, both guys look way ahead of their time