Charley Zivic
Encyclopedia
Charley Zivic later known as Charley Affif, was a Lebanese American professional boxer
from 1944 through 1951, with 42 wins, 13 losses, and 4 draws. Notably, he fought through his entire career with a metal plate in his right arm – limiting his range of motion to 5 to 7 inches – and a dead or dying kidney, both as a result of childhood injuries.
in Pittsburgh, Affif was ahead in a fight with Laurent Dauthuille
, in the elimination bout for a title shot with Jake LaMotta
. After getting knocked down in the ninth round, Affif was on his feet taking the mandatory standing eight count, when Dauthuille moved out of his neutral corner and pounced on him for the kill at 1:15.
Affif went into the ring four more times after this loss, winning two and losing two, his last loss to Gene Hairston. He'd signed to meet Bobby Dykes and was back in training at the Pittsburgh Lyceum, when he complained of an unusual weariness. He was taken to the nearby Mercy Hospital where X-rays revealed that he had a dead right kidney that dated back to 1944, the same year that he began his boxing career. Doctors explained it as not a boxing injury at all, but an old football injury from his years as a semi-professional running back.
Affif's story is also the basis of the 2011 novel "Poor Man's Out".
, who was not only still active in the ring himself, but also owned a growing stable of other professional prizefighters. When Fritzie lacked the adequate time to devote to Affif's career, he sold his contract to Billy Sarkis and Hymie Schwartz, also of Pittsburgh. From then on, he fought under his birth name, Charley Affif.
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
from 1944 through 1951, with 42 wins, 13 losses, and 4 draws. Notably, he fought through his entire career with a metal plate in his right arm – limiting his range of motion to 5 to 7 inches – and a dead or dying kidney, both as a result of childhood injuries.
Career
In April 1950, at Duquesne GardensDuquesne Gardens
Duquesne Gardens was the main sports arena located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA during the first half of the 20th century. It opened 3 years after a fire destroyed the city's prior sports arena, the Schenley Park Casino, in 1896. The arena was the first hockey rink to use glass above the dasher...
in Pittsburgh, Affif was ahead in a fight with Laurent Dauthuille
Laurent Dauthuille
Laurent Dauthuille was a French boxer.Arriving in Montreal in the late 1940s, he was nicknamed the Tarzan of Buzenval. On September 13, 1950 he fought Jake LaMotta, a boxer he once bested by unanimous decision, for the world middleweight championship...
, in the elimination bout for a title shot with Jake LaMotta
Jake LaMotta
Giacobbe LaMotta , better known as Jake LaMotta, nicknamed "The Bronx Bull" and "The Raging Bull", is a former American world middleweight champion boxer...
. After getting knocked down in the ninth round, Affif was on his feet taking the mandatory standing eight count, when Dauthuille moved out of his neutral corner and pounced on him for the kill at 1:15.
Affif went into the ring four more times after this loss, winning two and losing two, his last loss to Gene Hairston. He'd signed to meet Bobby Dykes and was back in training at the Pittsburgh Lyceum, when he complained of an unusual weariness. He was taken to the nearby Mercy Hospital where X-rays revealed that he had a dead right kidney that dated back to 1944, the same year that he began his boxing career. Doctors explained it as not a boxing injury at all, but an old football injury from his years as a semi-professional running back.
Affif's story is also the basis of the 2011 novel "Poor Man's Out".
Ownership and Name Change
For the first part of Affif's career he was owned and managed by fellow Pittsburgher and ex-Welterweight Champion of the World, Fritzie ZivicFritzie Zivic
Fritzie Zivic , born as Ferdinand Henry John Zivcich , was an American boxer.-Biography:...
, who was not only still active in the ring himself, but also owned a growing stable of other professional prizefighters. When Fritzie lacked the adequate time to devote to Affif's career, he sold his contract to Billy Sarkis and Hymie Schwartz, also of Pittsburgh. From then on, he fought under his birth name, Charley Affif.