Pete Rademacher Amateur record

[Caractacus]

Pete Rademacher (the 1956 Olymic Gold Boxing HW Champion) is listed as having an amateur record of 72-7.
Who did he fight ?
Did he fight any future contenders other then Zora Folley in the amateurs ?

[Caractacus]

check out this article from 2016.

https://magazine.wsu.edu/2016/04/29/pete-rademacher/

[Kalan]

America did extremely well in Boxing Olympic Gold Medals for a very long time. Europe and other continents produced weak teams. That's no longer the case as other countries have poured money and effort into their Amateur Boxing programs and the USA hasn't answered the challenge... Other countries also stepped up their Basketball, Track, Skiing, Skating, and Swimming programs and the US pushed back furiously in those sports in the last couple of Olympics.

We won a lot of Golds in the '50s.. In the 1952, '56, and '60 Olympic Games the United States won 10 Gold Medals... In the 5 Olympic Games of the 20th Century USA Men's Boxing Teams have won 1 Gold Medal -- Andre Ward in 2004. In the last Olympic Games our Men's team failed to win even a Bronze.

With the Heavyweight Division, here's part of the problem https://www.si.com/vault/2015/01/19/106 ... anna-fight

WHERE HAS the U.S. heavyweight gone? The answer is a complex one. The criteria have changed, for starters. Size matters. Many of the top heavyweights of the 1970s and '80s (Ali, Joe Frazier, Tyson) stood 6'3" or under. Since the mid-'90s the division has been dominated by jab-happy giants; Lewis (6'5") gave way to Vitali Klitschko (6'7"), who passed the torch to his brother, Wladimir (6'6"), who has ruled the division since 2005. That trend isn't changing, either. The new wave of heavyweight prospects is led by Britain's Tyson Fury (6'9") and Anthony Joshua (6'6") and New Zealand's Joseph Parker (6'4"). "You need to look like an NFL tight end to have a chance," says DiBella. "If not, don't bother."

[Dixonian]

Pete Rademacher (the 1956 Olymic Gold Boxing HW Champion) is listed as having an amateur record of 72-7.
Who did he fight ?
Did he fight any future contenders other then Zora Folley in the amateurs ?

Apparently he invented the 'Radecycle' - a one-wheeled motorcycle. Here's the evidence:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kevingessner/4753121609

[Caractacus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cybuFehvGPY

[Kalan]

For some reason Rademacher always looked like he was 50-years-old.. Even when he fought as an amateur.. At first I thought "Who's that old guy?"

The receded hairline.. the rounded upper-back.. and the plodding movement all gave the impression of a guy who should be refereeing and not boxing.

[Bob]

If you send me an email address I will send you what I have on his amateur record...will give you a pretty good idea on his amateur history. Too long to type out here...Bob

[Caractacus]

Could it be that he really was 50 years old (or older) in 1957 ?
maybe he has some sort of portrait in his closet or something.
I mean how many people are you aware that are still around who had fought the Old Mongoose"

Do you think that he would have been more popular with the general public back then if he had had a full head of hair ?
If Pete Rademacher had fought Ingemar Johannson instead in his very first professional fight how would that have gone ?

[Bob]

Pete Rademacher

1949

Feb Elmer Hartie W 3 Seattle Pacific Northwest Golden Gloves
Feb 22 Chuck Pomianek W 3 Seattle Pacific Northwest Golden Gloves
Feb 22 Art Semft W 3 Seattle Pacific Northwest Golden Gloves
Apr 1 Yakima Central Washington Golden Belt semis
Apr 2 Bill Waltman W 3 Yakima Central Washington Golden Belt finals

1950

Feb 21 Chuck Ross W 3 Seattle Pacific Northwest GG quarters
Feb 22 Zora Folley L 3 Seattle Pacific Northwest GG semis

1951

Feb 8 Fred Goodrich TKO 2 Tacoma Tacoma GG quarters
Feb 9 Mike McMurtry KO 1 Tacoma Tacoma GG semis
Feb 9 Bud Jagger KO 1 Tacoma Tacoma GG finals (record now 20-1)
Feb 22 Don Brabant KO 1 Seattle Pacific Northwest GG semis
Feb 22 Bill Waltman KO 3 Seattle Pacific Northwest GG finals
Mar 17 Bill Waltman KO 2 Yakima Yakima Golden Belt finals
Apr 9 Bill Baker W w/o Boston, MA National AAU
Apr 10 Henry Ebron W 3 Boston, MA National AAU quarters
Apr 11 Norvel Lee L 3 Boston, MA National AAU semis

1952

Jan 17 Bill Schertler TKO by 3 Spokane exhibition (?)
Jan 26 James Davis KO by 2 Tacoma Tacoma Golden Gloves
Feb 15 Bob Ranck KO by 3 Pullman exhibition (?)
Feb 21 James Davis W 3 Seattle Pacific Northwest GG quarters
Feb 22 Gil Osman KO 1 Seattle Pacific Northwest GG semis
Feb 22 Del Clarke TKO 2 Seattle Pacific Northwest GG finals
Jun 11 Claude Hudgins TKO 1 San Francisco, CA Regional Olympic Trials
Jun 12 Jack Scheberies TKO by 2 San Francisco, CA Regional Olympic Trials
Jul 25 Joe Davis Elma
Sep 5 Bob Ranck W 3 Cody, WY charity bout

1953

Feb 16 Bill Emerson W 3 Seattle Pacific Northwest GG quarters
Feb 17 Richard Reyes W 3 Seattle Pacific Northwest GG semis
Feb 17 James Davis W 3 Seattle Pacific Northwest GG finals
Apr 13 Harold Johnson W 3 Boston, MA National AAU
Apr 14 Robert Middleton W 3 Boston, MA National AAU quarters
Apr 15 Zora Folley W 3 Boston, MA National AAU semis
Apr 15 Jack Scheberies W 3 Boston, MA National AAU finals

1954 Military service
1955 Military service







1956

Len Kanthal L 3 Miami, FL
Feb 1 Paul Daniel KO 1 Montgomery, AL District GG finals
Feb 8 Al Tillman KO 1 Montgomery, AL Alabama State GG finals
Feb 14 Joe Reeves TKO 1 Nashville, TN Southern GG semis
Feb 15 Jug Hewitt TKO 1 Nashville, TN Southern GG finals
Feb 28 Billy Ray Smith TKO 1 Chicago, IL National GG
Feb 28 Ben Bankhead W 3 Chicago, IL National GG 2nd round
Feb 29 Booker Staten W 3 Chicago, IL National GG quarters
Mar 9 Solomon McTier L 3 Chicago, IL National GG semis
Apr 27 Montgomery, AL Maxwell AFB show
Sep 24 Clemmie Turner KO 3 Fort Myer, VA All-Army Games quarters
Sep 27 Oliver Smith W 3 Fort Myer, VA All-Army Games semis
Sep 29 Johnny Johnson Wdisq 2 Fort Myer, VA All-Army Games finals
Oct Jim Stewart W 3 Camp Lejeune, NC Interservice Games semis
Oct 5 Joe Hemphill W 3 Camp Lejeune, NC Interservice Games finals
Oct 18 Johnny Johnson W 3 San Francisco, CA Olympic Trials quarters
Oct 19 Joe Hemphill W 3 San Francisco, CA Olympic Trials semis
Oct 19 Hal Epsey W 3 San Francisco, CA Olympic Trials finals
Nov 28 Josef Nemec KO 2 Melbourne, AUS Olympic Games quarters
Nov 30 Daan Bekker KO 3 Melbourne, AUS Olympic Games semis
Dec 1 Lev Moukhine KO 1 Melbourne, AUS Olympic Games finals


Notes:

1. attended Castle Heights Military academy in Lebanon, Tennessee from 1944-48;
boxed here for two years (1946-48) as a light heavyweight

2. attended Yakima Junior College: 1948-50
attended Washington State University: 1950-51

3. won Inland Empire Gloves in Washington: 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953

4. could not box for college teams because of Golden Gloves experience

5. said he did not box after the Scheberies win in 1953 until his return in 1956

6. he said he fought 32 bouts in 1956

7. he said the Kanthal fight was his 2nd bout on his return;
he then scored five 1st-round knockouts after that;
after the McTier loss he fought in Fort Benning (Georgia), then another Army tournament
prior to the Fort Myer All-Army Games