Freddie Steele?

very technical and hard hitting.

a great "short puncher". he didnt need to keep you on the end of his punches to knock you out.

 

We shouldn't forget this man.

Steele fought 8 champions, including Ken Overlin, Gorilla Jones, Babe Risko, Ceferino Garcia and Gus Lesnevich. Overlin was stopped once before in his third fight (out of 160) before Steele got him. He knocked Vince Dundee down 11 times in 3 rounds and put him in the hospital. Dundee was effectively finished. Later in life, Steele commented on how he was nauseated when he heard the bone crack in Dundee's jaw.

The Hostak fight did indeed finish him... but his success was really grounded in his relationship with his 300 pound manager -Dave Miller. Miller, who was a father figure to Steele, died of a heart attack right before the Overlin fight and Steele never got over it. It was probably just a matter of time.

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Arcel actually co-trained Steele during those rare occasions when Freddie was on the east coast and commented that "no one really remmebers because he avoided the east coast like a plague."

Mickey Walker once said that Steele was the "greatest short puncher" he ever saw. And whoever saw Errol Flynn in the movie "Gentleman Jim" about Corbett of course, was watching Freddie Steele in the boxing scenes. Steele was Flynn's stand-in.

 

Let's remember that Freddie turned pro when he was about 14 years old! He was still growing.

Steele had a little bit of Virgil Hill in him. He didn't come East until his 130th bout... the VAST majority of his bouts were in the pacific northwest of the US -particularly Washington. New York withdrew recognition of his title in Feb of 1938 after he refused to fight Apostali again after Apostali KOd him in a nontitle fight. That happened at Madison Square Garden, NY.

My conscience agrees with Arcel on his avoidance of the East!

 

...........I'm ashamed to say that despite his accomplishments and talents, he is completely unknown or cared about here in the Seattle area, where he was born and raised and died. No one, and I mean no one, knows about him. This just isn't a fight town, never has been.

I'm also ashamed to say I know jack **** about him.

 

I don't know the area, but can tell you that he owned and operated a restaurant in Westport, WA, and that he died at Aberdeen, WA and is buried at Fern Hill Cemetary in the same town/city. Are these places close to you?

Steele was something special -he turned pro when he was still 14 and his record was unbelievable when you consider the caliber of fighters he fought -and what he did to them. He was 19 when he destroyed the favored Ceferino Garcia in 2 rounds. Garcia was 26 and out for 5 minutes. Then Steele does it again in 6 months --stops Garcia in 2.

He seems to have a been a phenomenon in terms of power and skill -and about as nice a kid as you can meet. I think that the loss of Miller devestated him, and therefore his career... We're just lucky that he was allowed to accomplish what he did at such a young age.

I'm a fan.

This is a picture from the WA hall of fame, Freddie's in the middle.

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I have never taken the time to seriously rank guys although I am in the beginning stages of formulating an objective table that I will see if I can use to plug in all the greats and score them...

I'd rank Steele higher at MW than at WW and would only say that he is far higher than typically thought.

 

Freddie credited Jones as the most clever boxer he ever met. I'd put him within the top 15 easily and more likely than not in the top 10.

 

.........Thanks for the info; got the PM too, thanks much. :good

Westport and Aberdeen are out on the coast, a couple hours away actually. Aberdeen is best known as the place Pearl Jam came from. Sleepy little seaside town.