Pete Rademacher
Encyclopedia
Thomas Peter Rademacher (born August 20, 1928) is a former boxer
who made boxing
history by being the only man to fight for the world heavyweight championship in his first professional fight.
(he lost in 1950 to Zora Folley
, who he would face several times in his career), and the US Amateur Championship
as a heavyweight
in 1953—avenging his earlier loss to Folley. He also captured the Chicago
Golden Gloves, the All-Army
championship, and the Service championship in 1956, before qualifying for the Olympic
team. In the Olympics
, held in Melbourne
, he captured a gold medal in the heavyweight division.
Rademacher also attended college, playing offensive line on the football
team for Washington State
.
into defending his crown against the debutant Rademacher. It is the only time to date that a fighter making his professional debut has challenged for a world title.
Rademacher dropped Patterson in round two, but Patterson recovered and defeated him by a knockout
in six.
Rademacher later on went on to fight Zora Folley
, Brian London
, George Chuvalo
, Lamar Clark, Buddy Turman
, and the former world light heavyweight champion, Archie Moore
. He lost to Moore, Folley and London but beat Chuvalo, Clark, and Turman. His last bout was against former world middleweight champion Carl "Bobo" Olson, whom he beat by decision.
.
Rademacher is active in local politics in Medina County, Ohio. He is also well known in northern Ohio for the amazing gasoline-powered one wheel "unicycle" he rides in local parades.
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...
who made boxing
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...
history by being the only man to fight for the world heavyweight championship in his first professional fight.
Amateur career
In his amateur career, Rademacher had 79 fights, going 72-7. He won a series of tournaments, including the 1949, 1951, 1952, and 1953 Seattle Golden GlovesGolden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
(he lost in 1950 to Zora Folley
Zora Folley
Zora Folley was an American heavyweight boxer. He was well skilled with a good defence and also a punch to go with it....
, who he would face several times in his career), and the US Amateur Championship
National Amateur Heavyweight Champions
Below is a list of National Amateur Boxing Heavyweight Champions, also known as US Amateur Champions, along with the state or region which they represented...
as a heavyweight
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
in 1953—avenging his earlier loss to Folley. He also captured the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
Golden Gloves, the All-Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
championship, and the Service championship in 1956, before qualifying for the Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
team. In the Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
, held in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, he captured a gold medal in the heavyweight division.
Olympic results
- Defeated Josef NěmecJosef NemecJosef Němec is a boxer from Czechoslovakia.He competed for Czechoslovakia in the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia, going out in the quarter finals of the heavyweight event...
KO 2 - Defeated Daan Bekker KO 3
- Defeated Lev MukhinLev MukhinLev Dmitrievich Mukhin was a Soviet boxer, who won the silver medal in the Heavyweight division at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, , losing by RSC-1 , to Pete Rademacher of the United States. Radmeacher would score three knockdowns, before the bout was stopped...
KO 1
Rademacher also attended college, playing offensive line on the football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team for Washington State
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
.
Professional career
After winning the gold medal, Rademacher started saying that he would be able to become world heavyweight champion in his first professional fight. He made his belief public and was able to lure world Heavyweight champion Floyd PattersonFloyd Patterson
Floyd Patterson was an American heavyweight boxer and former undisputed heavyweight champion. At 21, Patterson became the youngest man to win the world heavyweight title. He was also the first heavyweight boxer to regain the title. He had a record of 55 wins 8 losses and 1 draw, with 40 wins by...
into defending his crown against the debutant Rademacher. It is the only time to date that a fighter making his professional debut has challenged for a world title.
Rademacher dropped Patterson in round two, but Patterson recovered and defeated him by a knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
in six.
Rademacher later on went on to fight Zora Folley
Zora Folley
Zora Folley was an American heavyweight boxer. He was well skilled with a good defence and also a punch to go with it....
, Brian London
Brian London
Brian London, born Brian Sidney Harper, 19 June 1934, in West Hartlepool, is a retired English heavyweight boxer. He was British and Commonwealth Heavyweight champion from 1958 to 1959, and had two world heavyweight title fights...
, George Chuvalo
George Chuvalo
George Louis Chuvalo, CM is a retired Canadian heavyweight boxer who was never knocked down in ninety-three professional fights between 1956 and 1979. He is often considered to have had the greatest chin in the history of boxing and to be one of its most durable fighters...
, Lamar Clark, Buddy Turman
Buddy Turman
Reagan Garth "Buddy" Turman was an American professional heavyweight boxer. He was born in the rural community of Noonday, Texas.-Boxing career:...
, and the former world light heavyweight champion, Archie Moore
Archie Moore
Archie Moore, born Archibald Lee Wright , was light heavyweight world boxing champion who had one of the longest professional careers in the history of that sport....
. He lost to Moore, Folley and London but beat Chuvalo, Clark, and Turman. His last bout was against former world middleweight champion Carl "Bobo" Olson, whom he beat by decision.
Later life
After retirement, he went into business at McNeil Corporation in Akron, Ohio. He retired as President in 1987. In 1996, he and his two daughters helped carry the Olympic torch around the streets of Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
.
Rademacher is active in local politics in Medina County, Ohio. He is also well known in northern Ohio for the amazing gasoline-powered one wheel "unicycle" he rides in local parades.