Pete Herman was one of the all time great bantamweight

Bantamweight

Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...

 world champions. An Italian-American, Herman was born Peter Gulotta in New Orleans, Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

, and fought from 1912 until 1922. He retired with a record of 69 wins (19 by KO), 11 losses, 8 draws and 61 No Decisions in 149 Bouts.

Pro career

Herman was a smooth boxer and great body puncher. He fought his first pro fight at the age of 16, and two years later held his own during a 10-round No Decision bout against world bantamweight champion Kid Williams

Kid Williams

John Gutenko who boxed under the name Kidd Williams, was a boxer from Denmark.-Biography:Williams was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He traveled with his parents to the United States in 1904 where they ended up in Baltimore, Maryland...

. Herman eventually won the title from Williams, even though Williams was allowed to pick his own referee for the match. Nevertheless, referee Bill Rocap awarded Herman the decision and the bantamweight title after 20 rounds of fighting.

Herman's most memorable match was fought against Jimmy Wilde

Jimmy Wilde

Jimmy Wilde , was a Welsh world boxing champion. He was the first official world flyweight champion and was rated by American boxing writer Nat Fleischer, as well as many other professionals and fans including former boxer, trainer, manager and promoter, Charley 'Broadway' Rose, as "the greatest...

, the legendary English flyweight

Flyweight

Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing less than 112 lb but above 108 lb .-Professional boxing:...

 champion of the world. The two fought in 1920, three weeks after Herman lost his bantamweight title in Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...

 to Joe Lynch

Joe Lynch (boxer)

Joseph Aloysius Lynch was an American Bantamweight boxer.-Pro career:He won the world title at that weight in 1920, defeating Pete Herman. Herman defeated him to regain the title the following year...

.

The Wilde-Herman fight was staged in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. Herman used his weight advantage and body punching to wear Wilde down. Herman hurt Wilde in the 15th and knocked him through the ropes three times in the 17th round to end the fight. The classy Wilde made no excuses. He stated after the fight "I can sincerely say that Herman beat me because he was the better boxer."

On July 25, 1921 Herman fought Lynch in a rematch for the world bantamweight title in storied Ebbets Field

Ebbets Field

Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...

. This time Herman easily outpointed Lynch to regain the crown fueling speculation that he had thrown the first fight. He lost his championship two fights later when he was outpointed by Johnny Buff

Johnny Buff

John "Johnny Buff" Lesky was an American boxer. He was World Bantamweight Champion from 1921 to 1922.-Boxing career:...

.

Herman had begun losing sight in one eye, and he claimed to have been blind in that eye when he fought Buff. He fought five more times, knocking out number one contender Packy O'Gatty in one round, and retired in 1922.

Life After Boxing

Herman eventually became completely blind. After his retirement from the ring, he owned and operated a club in the famed New Orleans French Quarter

French Quarter

The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...

. Pete Herman's was a New Orleans landmark until Herman's retirement.

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