Little Dado vs. Tony Olivera (1st meeting)

Tony Olivera 118 lbs drew with Little Dado 118 lbs by PTS in round 10 of 10

• Date: 1940-02-28
• Location: Auditorium, Oakland, California, USA
• Referee: Oakland Jimmy Duffy

Original scheduled meeting on February 7, 1940 at Oakland (Auditorium)

Tony Olivera and Little Dado were originally scheduled to meet on this day in an eagerly anticipated matchup. Dado refused to go into the ring, without receiving his $1,500 guarantee up front. While this was unfolding, Olivera was waiting in the ring for his opponent to arrive. After waiting five minutes, Olivera left the ring, went to the locker room and changed and went home. Dado would later arrive in the ring after Olivera had left.

As a result of this fiasco, the fans stormed the ticket office demanding a refund. The California State Athletic Commission suspended promoter Charlie Marsalli as well as Dado, Olivera, and their management teams. Ironically, the referee for this bout was to have been Lt. Jack Kennedy, the referee for the disastrous 1927 bout at Los Angeles's Wrigley Field between Joe Dundee and Ace Hudkins.

Attendance: 3,000
Gate: $3,832

February 28, 1940 meeting

Dado boxed effectively at long range, while Olivera attempted to box in the inside. While inside, Dado tied him up, though Olivera wrestled with Dado frequently during the bout. Referee Oakland Jimmy Duffy told the Oakland Tribune afterward that he thought Olivera had won the bout, but not enough to merit more than a draw. The Oakland Tribune felt Dado won. Though the weights were not given, the fight was above 118 pounds, thus protecting Olivera's claim to the World Bantamweight Title in California. Dado filed a protest with the California State Athletic Commission, requesting that a rematch be ordered at 118, so that he could challenge for Olivera's title claim.

Gate: $4,301.50

Source: Oakland Tribune