Pittsburgh the best fight city ever?

Possibly.
For its size, probably.

Philadelphia deserves a mention.


Let's be honest, NYC has produced loads of fighters.

 

I grew up there. It wasn't all that small in those days. Has lost about half its population in the past 30 years, after most of the mills closed. There's not one steel mill still operating within the city limits. That said, people did like to fight on the streets back there. Not sure if it's still that way and not exactly sure why, but you expected it.

 

I'm sorry, man- I don't recognize the handle. The book's done. Thanks for asking.

 

Don't forget MW champ George Chip, who established himself in Pittsburgh before moving up to New Castle.

Bantie champ Tony Marino is another.

Wee Willie Davies was arguably the greatest flyweight to never receive a title shot (Frankie Genaro wouldn't give him a shot after Willie beat him 8 of 10 rounds in a non-title affair).

Jack McClelland, the "Pride of Pittsburgh", gave Abe Attell a good beating but Red Mason couldn't induce him to give Mack a title try.

Then there are all those top contenders:

Dominick McCaffrey
Patsy Brannigan
Johnny Ray (future Billy Conn trainer)
Frank Moran
Harry Bobo
Curtis "Hatchetman" Sheppard
Bob Baker
Lee Sala
Tommy Yarosz
Tom McMahon
Buck Crouse
Fay Keiser
Jack Zivic
Pete Zivic
Mose Butch
Bill Bossio(the first ranking fighter Angelo Dundee trained)
Billy Jones (top LHW in the 1930s)
Michael Moorer (from Monessen, just south of Pittsburgh)
Al Quaill

 

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Sugar Ray Robinson with some of the Smoky City's finest: Ossie "Bulldog" Harris, Robinson, Mose Brown, Fritzie Zivic, Harry Bobo, Jackie Wilson, unknown....

 

Ah the name Bill Bossio brings back memory's...Bossio and I served in the Navy at Little Creek, Va...He was a short, compact guy who turned pro later on...

 

Very interesting Burt :good
He looks short against Saddler, look the difference in size !!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETn33hlwc6M[/ame]

 

George Chip was from Scranton.

He later moved to Madison which was more than half an hour away from Pittsburgh at the time and where he learned to box.

He began training in New Castle under Jimmy Dime nearly a year before his first bout in Pittsburgh and shortly thereafter relocated in New Castle, where he lived out the rest of his life.

His daughter Pat was a friend of my mother for years. I got to hear a lot of stories about George and his brothers, all of whom boxed.

Pittsburgh likes to claim all of the stars to come out of south western Pennsylvania but we know better.