BoxRec

Martin Sosa Cameron wrote:Hi, Expug! :)


This very good boy:


Tommy Paul, Gaetano Alfonso Papa

Hello Martin
All The Best to you sir.

"Young Firpo" (Guido Bardelli) . . .

This guy was incredible. Check his record, and match it with his competition. Those familiar with the era will understand.

-Rick Farris

Martin Sosa Cameron wrote:Hi, Expug! :)


This very good boy:


Tommy Paul, Gaetano Alfonso Papa

Great choice, my personal favorite

wsbuf wrote:

Martin Sosa Cameron wrote:Hi, Expug! :)


This very good boy:


Tommy Paul, Gaetano Alfonso Papa

Great choice, my personal favorite

Tell us more about him.

I wrote this in his bio...just a bit of what I know:

Tommy Paul was born March 4, 1909 on Seventh Street in Buffalo’s old waterfront district. His Italian parents christened him "Gaetano Papa."

His love of boxing started early, as his two older brothers, Al and Mickey, were already known around Buffalo for their fighting abilities. At seventeen, Tommy walked into Jack Singer’s gym, where his brothers trained, and asked for a tryout. Singer reluctantly agreed and had Paul in the gym doing all the exercises needed to be a boxer. After seeing such enthusiasm and ambition, Singer knew he had a diamond in the rough. Paul was soon cleaning up the 112-lb division in his early amateur fights. Then Singer entered him in the Niagara district tournament in March of 1927, as a bantamweight. Paul defeated two experienced fighters in one night to earn the title. The championship earned him the right to represent the Niagara district in the National AAU tournament held in Boston, MA, in April, 1927. Paul again swept out his opponents and was crowned the United States Amateur Champion. In May of the same year, he was invited to the Empire State Amateur championships held in Madison Square Garden. Once again, he disposed of the challengers and won his third amateur crown in three months.

On August 1, 1927, Paul had his first professional fight and won by four-round knockout over Freddie Griffith. Paul went his next 27 fights without a defeat, and was by then headlining cards at the Broadway Auditorium and Bison Stadium. He was attracting a huge and loyal following. He was soon after featured on the cover of the September 1931 The Ring magazine.

In 1932, the National Boxing Association invited the eight leading featherweights to a tournament to find the successor to Battling Battalino, who had outgrown the weight class. Paul brought his 53-6-2 record into the tournament and defeated Bushy Graham and Frankie Wallace to earn the chance to fight Johnny Pena for the title. On May 26, 1932, Tommy Paul won almost every round to become Featherweight Champion of the World.

On January 13, 1933, Paul lost the title on a decision to Freddie Miller in Chicago.

Even though Paul was rated in the Top Ten for the next two years, he would not get another title shot he so badly wanted. Tommy fought World Champions such as Panama Al Brown (D6), Fidel LaBarba (1 win, 3 losses), Kid Chocolate (D10), Petey Sarron (2 draws), Freddie Miller (2 wins, 4 losses), Bushy Graham (2 wins) and Frankie Genaro (W6). In all, he fought eleven World Champions and six Hall of Famers with a record of 9-10-4 against them. Paul was rated in the top ten from 1929 to 1934, a total of 66 months. His final record was 79-28-10 with 25 KOs.

Paul retired in 1936 and worked and trained fighters in Buffalo until retirement age.

In April of 1991, Tommy Paul passed away at his North Buffalo home. In 1997, he was inducted into the first class of Buffalo’s Ring No. 44 Boxing Hall of Fame and in 2003 to the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.

Thanks for that Martin, Wsbuf. I hadn't heard of Paul. Impressive resume, I'm just as impressed by some of those draws as I am by some of his wins. He fought some big names.

And thanks Rick Farris for mentioning Young Firpo.


I think most would agree that Pep was the best Italian fighter. Does anyone have any comments about that or perhaps something they want to say about Pep's career in general?

Does anyone know of Young Joey Forchione?

He is my great grandfather, I am trying to research and find information on him for a family tree. We have a lot but it is at my grandmother's house and she doesn't live close by.

Anybody here heard of


Tony DeMarco

Joe Dundee

Vince Dundee

Harry Jeffra

Fidel LaBarba

Pete Latzo

Marty Servo

granberry wrote:Anybody here heard of


Tony DeMarco

Joe Dundee

Vince Dundee

Harry Jeffra

Fidel LaBarba

Pete Latzo

Marty Servo

Most of them have been mentioned.

Harry Jeffra was a double champion---bantamweight and featherweight

Pete Latzo won the welterweight title from Mickey Walker
and later fought Tommy Loughran for the lightheavyweight title.

Fidel LaBarba was a great fighter--film of him beating Kid Chocolate

Tony DeMarco was a great left hooker

Bushy Graham

granberry wrote:Harry Jeffra was a double champion---bantamweight and featherweight

Pete Latzo won the welterweight title from Mickey Walker
and later fought Tommy Loughran for the lightheavyweight title.

Fidel LaBarba was a great fighter--film of him beating Kid Chocolate

Tony DeMarco was a great left hooker

Latzo was Slovakian

nytony wrote:

granberry wrote:Harry Jeffra was a double champion---bantamweight and featherweight

Pete Latzo won the welterweight title from Mickey Walker
and later fought Tommy Loughran for the lightheavyweight title.

Fidel LaBarba was a great fighter--film of him beating Kid Chocolate

Tony DeMarco was a great left hooker

Latzo was Slovakian

That would make sense from his last name.

For some reason he is listed as Italian-American in some sources.

Can you come up with more specifics on that?

The significant thing is that Latzo is a forgotten fighter

even though he beat Mickey Walker for the welterweight title

and, amazingly, jumped over the middleweight division and fought Tommy Loughran for the lightheavyweight title.

Paddy DeMarco? Anybody remember him?

I Feel Fine wrote:Thanks for that Martin, Wsbuf. I hadn't heard of Paul. Impressive resume, I'm just as impressed by some of those draws as I am by some of his wins. He fought some big names.

And thanks Rick Farris for mentioning Young Firpo.


I think most would agree that Pep was the best Italian fighter. Does anyone have any comments about that or perhaps something they want to say about Pep's career in general?

Just wish to add that Willie Pep is, in my mind, the finest pure boxer ever. He was just beautiful to watch, a master. He made them miss, then made them pay!

Ezzard wrote:How can you prove someone is ethnically Italian?

If he has an aunt that's 4foot 5 ,weighs 250 pounds,and has the name Cookie.

Is that Italian fighters with or without knives?

dagosd2000 wrote:

Ezzard wrote:How can you prove someone is ethnically Italian?

If he has an aunt that's 4foot 5 ,weighs 250 pounds,and has the name Cookie.

Also:


Rocky Marciano was the greatest heavyweight champion who ever lived.
Al Capone was really a good guy.
You actually know someone that was in "Goodfellas"
You think Louie Prima had a good voice.
You eat some kind of pasta more than twice a week.
You have never eaten at "The Olive Garden"
You cry everytime you hear Connie Francis sing"Mama"
The first thing your mother says to you when you walk in is"Are you hungry?"
You're not Italian,you're from a certain region of Italy like Sicily,Naples,Calabria.
Joe DiMaggio was a better baseball player than Babe Ruth.
Eating white bread is a sin.
Your sister has hair on her arms.
You dress up to go to the convenience store.
Every one of your friends' names ends in"ie" or "ey" like Joey,Paulie,Louie,Petey

This really came as second nature to me.

What about

Dante Alighieri

Michelangelo

Leonardo da Vinci

Caravaggio

Giotto

Verdi

Petrarca

Boccaccio

Donatello

and a lot of others like this great men?