VIDEO: Fred Apostoli vs. Freddie Steele

Two of the most underrated and overlooked middleweights of all time collide, in one of the biggest MW fights of the '30s.

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This was in fact a rematch. They had previously fought a few years earlier, before either one was champion, when Apostoli had only had about 5 fights and Steele had had about 100 (gee, brilliant matchmaking there... atsch:roll. Apostoli had reportedly given Steele hell early, but Steele wore him out and stopped him in the 10th and final round (it was the first time Apostoli had fought more than 6 rounds).

Since then, Steele had won partial recognition as MW champion and Apostoli had established himself as the clear #1 contender. They each had basically cleaned out the division, and there was currently no other match for either of them except each other. However, perhaps remembering the tough battle a green-as-grass Apostoli had given him the first time, Steele seemed reluctant to put his title on the line against him. Eventually, they agreed to meet in a non-title match while continuing to negotiate for a title match. That is the fight that's shown above.

The two rivals were very much contrasts in style. Steele was tall and rangy, very fast and skilled all-around, and could bang with both hands. Apostoli was a burly, heavily muscled brawler. In the footage above, Apostoli is the shorter, huskier fighter who generally presses the fight, while Steele is the lanky fellow who often bounces on his toes and throws combinations (I believe Steele also has a white waistband on his trunks, although it's hard to see).

Apostoli pressed the fight right from the start. Despite Steele's wealth of talent, nothing he could do could faze Apostoli or slow him down. As the rounds mounted, Apostoli's tireless pressure began to wear on Steele, who found it increasingly harder to hold him off. Late in the fight, there was something of a controversy when Steele complained of a low blow and tried to get some time to rest. The referee didn't grant it and ordered the fight to continue. The film disintegrates before showing the ending, but the fight came to an end in the 9th round when Apostoli swarmed all over a weary and bloody Steele and finally the referee stopped the fight. Steele is reported to have finished the fight with, among other injuries, a broken breastbone.


Post-script:
Naturally, the entire boxing world agreed that Apostoli should get a shot at Steele's title. However, Steele refused to do so and instead gave the next shot to Olympic champion Carmen Barth, which led the NY Commission to strip him of recognition and grant it to Apostoli, leaving Steele with only the NBA recognition as champ. Although Steele defeated Barth, his image as a champion was badly tainted by this episode, and it actually marked the beginning of a surprisingly swift end for his career - whether because the punishment he had absorbed had taken something out of him, or because the loss had exposed weaknesses for other opponents to exploit; or perhaps, as has been speculated, his breastbone injury never really healed properly. In his next defense, he defended against Al Hostak, a big puncher but not well-known outside of his native Washington state. Hostak jumped right on Steele from the start, and shocked the entire boxing world by dropping him four times and blasting him out in only a single round. Steele announced his retirement the next day, only around 25 years old. He made one comeback attempt a few years later, which ended in disaster when journeyman Jimmy Casino busted him up and stopped him on cuts.

Surprisingly, Apostoli's time at the top didn't last much longer. He went on to beat Young Corbett III, which earned him west coast recognition as MW champ and made him just one fight (Hostak) away from unifying the title. But while eyeing the fight with Hostak, he put his title on the line against ex-welterweight contender Ceferino Garcia, who scored one of the biggest upsets of the year when he KO'd Apostoli in 7 rounds to strip him of his title claims. Apostoli figured to be simply too big and strong for Garcia, but instead proved to have no answer to Garcia's superior inside technique and quicker, sharper hitting. Although Apostoli fought on for nearly another decade, he never fought for a title again and never regained the stature he once held; and his once impervious, Chuvalo-esque chin appeared to have lost some of its sturdiness. He tried to make a run at the LHW title and succeeded in toppling leading contender Melio Bettina in a brutal war; but he took another beating and was stopped in a rematch with Bettina, after which he returned to MW. He performed well in losing a competitive non-title match with a peak Tony Zale, but knockdowns cost him an otherwise close fight. After serving in WWII, he made one more run for the MW title. In his absolute "last hurrah", he succeeded in edging contender Georgie Abrams on a razor thin decision, but lost his next fight and then retired for good.

 

Sorry, but I can't understand a word you're saying.


EDIT: Nevermind, just saw your thread in the lounge.

 

Garcia was very popular and highly regarded during his stay atop the MW division. Many people rated him as the top fighter in the division (better even than Hostak), and in fact it was Hostak who turned down chances to make a unification fight between them. His win over Apostoli doesn't seem to have been dismissed as a "fluke".

Here is some excerpts from a NY Times report on the fight:

This championship came to Garcia in one of the most savage ring encounters this, or old Madison Square Garden, ever had seen and in a startling upset.

Apostoli was favored at 5 to 8 entering the ring and was solidly backed. ...But he met his master in Garcia, who could absorb Apostoli's best blows and who could hit harder because he hit more sharply and more accurately.

Apostoli supplied some of the thrills with his dashing fighting against a punishing foe. Garcia, however, provided the big moment.

The only complaint with his[Garcia's] station is its controversial condition. He has not undisputed possession of the crown once worn by Stanley Ketchel. Al Hostak of Seattle is recognized as champion by the National Boxing Association and it will take a battle between the two to decide the question beyond dispute - if Hostak can be dragged into a ring with the fighting demon who toppled Apostoli.

But those who saw Garcia score this victory are satisfied he is the champion. For Garcia embodies everything that goes to make a titleholder, notwithstanding his long years of ring service and his 29 years of age.

He is strong. He can box. He can punch. He can absorb punishment. He can adjust himself to ring situations as they develop, is resourceful, alert, cool under fire, a perfect fury when the tide swings his way.

Garcia battered past the best Apostoli had to offer in four of the first six rounds. He won the first, blazing away with a volley of blows in a reckless onslaught that jarred Apostoli and foretold at least a smashing battle. He won the third and fourth rounds after withstanding a body raking in the second that would have crushed a less hardy, determined fighter.

He came back and won the sixth, on competition and penalty, after having been thoroughly hammered in the fifth. When the seventh came he started by outjabbing his foe, quickly turning to a blistering fire of damaging, finishing blows, once he had stung the man he was to succeed as champion.


The article does mention that Apostoli had to massage off a half-pound at the weigh-in in order to make weight, so I suppose it's possible Apostoli was having trouble making 160 at this time (which would also explain why he jumped up to 175 in his next fight). It's also possible he got sucked into the kind of inside fight that suited Garcia, rather than use the boxing skills that he was reputed to have. It also seems he was unprepared for how to defend against Garcia's awkward way of throwing looping uppercuts from the floor, and he was a standing target for them.

The reason those guys are "underrated" today is, for all the talent/achievements they might've had otherwise, their title reigns were generally disappointing, or ended very suddenly and ant-climacticly.

-Yarosz lost his title in his first defense to Risko.
-Steele was crushed on a 1st round KO by Hostak.
-Apostoli was destroyed by Garcia.
-Garcia was whupped by Overlin.
-Hostak lost in his first defense to Kreiger, albeit he did regain it.
-Soose vacated his title without making a single defense.

Sometimes, I think it might actually be better to have never won a title than to have won one and had a poor/disappointing reign. At least that way, you can gain notoriety as "one of the best fighters never to win a title", like guys like Burley, Bivins, Briscoe, Quarry, etc. do.