Steve Dalton Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles 1925

[hkraychir]

It was mentioned to me that Steve Dalton fought the first main event at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles about 1925, when it was opened. I know the venue was developed for the 1932 Olympics and was used primarily for Boxing afterwards. Does anyone have any records or a way of verifying this account. From BOXREC records he stopped boxing in 1923, however there was a large grand opening with Jack Dempsey and others there...is it possible he fought an exhibition match there. Over the years memories fade and stories get distorted. From all accounts he was a local legend here in Los Angeles, so he might have been asked to participate in the event.

Any information about the Dalton Brothers would be helpful.

[Matt]

First boxing show and event was on August 5, 1925, and he definitely didn't appear on that show, since we have researched the LA Times in the period around the opening of the Olympic Auditiorium. See: http://www.boxrec.com/show_display.php?show_id=62246

[hkraychir]

Thanks...very helpful information. I thought as much, especially since Steve Dalton's career ended some two year earlier.

[Chuck1052]

Charlie and Steve were from a large Los Angeles
Italian-American family, the Daltos. There was
a ca. 1915 Los Angeles Times article about the
Daltos accompanied by a photo of the entire
family. At the time, the mother was a widow.

Steve was a popular four-round fighter who fought
mostly in the Los Angeles area for much of his career.
But while fighting under the ring name of Sailor Steve
Dalton, he had a number of bouts in San Francisco
Bay Area during World War I. I assume that he
was in the U.S. Navy and stationed in Northern
California at the time. According to the
California Death Records database on RootsWeb,
one Steven Dalto died in 1951.

- Chuck Johnston

[hkraychir]

Thanks Chuck...I did not know he was also called sailor Steve and in the navy. His nephew will be happy to know these interesting facts. His nephew is the legendary Mike Henry- 14th Tarzan and football great. After I write the chapter on the Dalton Brothers, I will post portions related to boxing.

[hkraychir]

The following article (portion) gave reference to Charlie or Charles - Dalton, yet the records on BoxRec does not have it listed - by either fighter. It seems to be the same time period from both boxers.

Boxing
The gala opening of the Windward Athletic Club (sometimes called the Venice Athletic Club) on April 30, 1909, was marked by a 20 round boxing match between Charles Dalton, a Venice favorite and Fred Corbett. The club, located on the second floor of a Windward building had a gymnasium that provided training quarters for many of boxing's early stars; Jimmy Calbby, Joe Rivers and "English Freddie Welsh.


http://www.westland.net/venicehistory/a ... sports.htm

[hkraychir]

Another notation - it was reported Charlie Dalton had a fight in 1925 although BoxRec has his last fight some 5 years earlier.

NEW CASTLE NEWS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8 1925.
(New Castle, Pennsylvania)

Another fight was booked and Charlie Dalton, a native son of California lost to the fistic pathfinder of the Picato family, which resided just outside the corporate limits of Los Angeles.

[hkraychir]

I respectfully ask the question again, is it possible that either Steve or Charlie Dalton fought sometime during the opening ceremony - which from all accounts lasted some seven days?

[wasserman]

It was mentioned to me that Steve Dalton fought the first main event at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles about 1925, when it was opened. I know the venue was developed for the 1932 Olympics and was used primarily for Boxing afterwards. Does anyone have any records or a way of verifying this account. From BOXREC records he stopped boxing in 1923, however there was a large grand opening with Jack Dempsey and others there...is it possible he fought an exhibition match there. Over the years memories fade and stories get distorted. From all accounts he was a local legend here in Los Angeles, so he might have been asked to participate in the event.

Any information about the Dalton Brothers would be helpful.

[wasserman]

All I can say is that Abe Hollandersky, first cousin of my great grandmother Rose Hollandersky, listed Steve Dalton as a boxer he had fought to a four round draw in the back of his book, Abe The Newsboy; Hero of a Thousand Fights. Abe lived in the Los Angeles Area after 1927 or maybe a little earlier. Abe was the Heavyweight Boxing Champion of Panama in 1913, and fought quite a few well known US boxers in his career, eventually being credited with fighting a total of over 1300 fights in his lifetime. He lists about 480 of these in the back of his book. BoxRec only lists about 40 of Abe's better known fights.

Do you know how long Steve Dalton continued to box? Did he occasionally box an exhibition match as late as 1927-28?

Thanks