Freddie Steele?

[Russell]

Just found out about this guy, and his records pretty amazing. 125-5.

Three of those losses coming at the very end of his career.

The other two were 4 and 6 round points losses which he both avenged.

Anyone know anything about him?

[Russell]

Just watched his fight with Vince Dundee, and I've got to say... Guys amazing.

[bumdujour]

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.

[Russell]

Seemed a lot taller than his listed height of 5'10 1/2 as well.

Started his career at 14 years old and 105 pounds...!

[Stonehands89]

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.

[Russell]

It's pretty amazing the guy grew from being basically a lightweight to one of the hardest hitter middleweights of all time.

I've heard that Ray Arcel stated that, Stonehands. Ever hear it from anyone else?

Funny how Steele avenged his only loss in his first ten something years of fighting, and two of his losses were due to broken bones.

Final and only real loss was after a multi-year lay off.

Hell of a fighter.

[Stonehands89]

It's pretty amazing the guy grew from being basically a lightweight to one of the hardest hitter middleweights of all time.

I've heard that Ray Arcel stated that, Stonehands. Ever hear it from anyone else?

Funny how Steele avenged his only loss in his first ten something years of fighting, and two of his losses were due to broken bones.

Final and only real loss was after a multi-year lay off.

Hell of a fighter.
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!

[Russell]

I'm just saying, he was a 105 pound 14 year old. That's god damned small.

He could of obviously fought below middleweight later in his career, in my opinion.

He also beat Apostali previously, and then broke a damed bone against him in his breastbone. I can see why he didn't exactly want a third fight.

[salsanchezfan]

...........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 shit about him.

[Stonehands89]

...........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 shit 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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[Russell]

Where do you feel he ranks as a welterweight, Stonehands?

As a middleweight?

[Stonehands89]

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.

[Russell]

Top 20? Top 15?

I find it funny how he has almost no knockouts at welter and below, but as he moved UP he became absolutely devestating.

Only man to ever knock down the ultra tough Gorilla Jones.

[Stonehands89]

Top 20? Top 15?

I find it funny how he has almost no knockouts at welter and below, but as he moved UP he became absolutely devestating.

Only man to ever knock down the ultra tough Gorilla Jones.
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.

[salsanchezfan]

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.

[Only registered and activated users can see links]



.........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.

[Russell]

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.

What do you feel were his best wins?

Just how highly do you think of his power/

[Seamus]

.........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.

Pearl Jam came from Seattle. Nirvana started in Aberdeen. It is a horrible, depressing town with the highest heroin addiction rate in the US.

Al Holstak used to come into a dive bar I frequented as a very young man. I met him once, not knowing who he was until days later. The old timers who knew him had a very high opinion of the guy.

[salsanchezfan]

Pearl Jam came from Seattle. Nirvana started in Aberdeen. It is a horrible, depressing town with the highest heroin addiction rate in the US.

Al Holstak used to come into a dive bar I frequented as a very young man. I met him once, not knowing who he was until days later. The old timers who knew him had a very high opinion of the guy.


..................:patsch Guh! Yes, you're right. :oops: That's embarrassing, I can't believe I wrote that.

Yeah, there isn't much going on in Aberdeen. It's really just a thru-point for people driving to Ocean Shores for the weekend. Used to be a cool little town dependent on the timber industry, but when they started curtailing that, it became like something out of a Springsteen song.

[Seamus]

There used to be a tavern in Georgetown (Southern Seattle) that Al Holstak visited. All the oldtimers loved the guy, said he was a real quality guy. The Tavern got turned into a parking lot and the whole neighborhood was "gentrified". Lost times, lost memories. That was my one real encounter with a true old time fighter.

[Stonehands89]

What do you feel were his best wins?

Just how highly do you think of his power/
I'd say that his defeat of Dundee may have been the best. Vince was KOd once in 154 fights and it was a devestating one. Steele reported that he hurt the pop in his jaw and it sickened him. His defeat of Garcia was impressive and I'd love to see the finishing combination in the first one -it seemed to have been Hearnsesque. He was the first to stop Lesnevich who was a LHW.

I think that his power was comparable to those Philly sluggers like Hart or at least Briscoe.

[Raging B(_)LL]

Nice to see Steele get a mention here, he is one guy who sadly is seldom heard or talked about today. He was the goods, in shape, powerful and always looking to take your head off with that thunderous left hook. I`d bet good money that he would clean house today at 160, and would likely have fared well at 168 as well. Why this man isn`t in the HOF is beyond me, although he is sadly not the only one to be overlooked for enshrinement from that era. I would have loved to see a fight between Eduardo Lausse and Freddie Steele, that fight has WAR written all over it and I can only imagine what a bruising affair it would have been.

[salsanchezfan]

Nice to see Steele get a mention here, he is one guy who sadly is seldom heard or talked about today. He was the goods, in shape, powerful and always looking to take your head off with that thunderous left hook. I`d bet good money that he would clean house today at 160, and would likely have fared well at 168 as well. Why this man isn`t in the HOF is beyond me, although he is sadly not the only one to be overlooked for enshrinement from that era. I would have loved to see a fight between Eduardo Lausse and Freddie Steele, that fight has WAR written all over it and I can only imagine what a bruising affair it would have been.



..........Hey RB! Welcome back, and thanks again for the fights! I did a writeup here a week ago or so about Galaxy.