Freddie Steele

I started writing my reply before your post, so not trying to argue or contradict you. Anyway, I'm not familiar with the state of affairs in WA state during that time, but I think Dan Walton, the sporting editor of Tacoma Ledger, was more knowledgable than me, and he considered Steele's Jan 12, 1928, bout to be his professional debut. But sporting writer of Tacoma News Tribune didn't mention him being amateur or pro, though, so who knows...

 

That's fair. No arguing here, just trying to piece together his great career.

 

I note that Boxrec shows a W KO2 result for Steele over a guy in his mid-twenties - Billy Quilter - when Steele was still 15 years old (a newspaper quote relates him as being 16 but that doesn't tally with the date of the fight and Steele's listed date of birth).

Ok - Quilter's record is poor, 12-24-13, but the record shows he had only been only stopped twice before in those 24 losses and Steele, at the age of 15, in only his tenth bout, KO's him?

If the records are even near to being accurate, it's obvious he's a standout at a young age.