George "Sonny" Horne was a professional boxer in the 1940s who faced off against opponents such as Rocky Graziano

Rocky Graziano

Rocky Graziano, born Thomas Rocco Barbella in New York City , was an Italian American boxer. Graziano was considered one of the greatest knockout artists in boxing history, often displaying the capacity to take his opponent out with a single punch...

, Kid Gavilán

Kid Gavilan

Gerardo González , better known in the boxing world as Kid Gavilan, was a former world welterweight champion from Cuba...

, Pete Mead

Pete Mead

Felix G. "Pete" Mead was an American middleweight boxer who fought in the ring from 1942 to 1951. He was defeated in his last fight by Rocky Graziano of New York City. In 1989, Mead wrote his autobiography, Blood, Sweat and Cheers, a collector's item that can sell for as much as $135...

, and Artie Levine

Artie Levine

Artie Levine is a former American boxer in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions in the 1940s.-Overview:Levine, who was Jewish and from Brooklyn, was a legitimate contender who flattened 36 opponents with a devastating left hook.Levine, who stood at 5' 8", was a right handed slugger,...

. An outstanding defensive boxer, Horne lost only 10 bouts and fought one draw in 121 professional fights.

Early years

Horne grew up in a working-class Irish-American family in Niles, Ohio

Niles, Ohio

Niles is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. The city's population was 20,932 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area....

, a town located in the industrial

Industry

Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...

 region of the Mahoning Valley

Mahoning Valley

The Mahoning Valley is a geographic valley encompassing the area of northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania that drains into the Mahoning River. The Mahoning River empties into the Beaver River, which empties into the Ohio River. The Mahoning River flows through Lawrence and Mercer counties in...

. He began his amateur 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...

 career in the late 1930s, under the guidance of local trainer and police chief Matt McGowan. By the time he was 17 years old, the fighter had already established an impressive amateur career. By 1941, he had won several Golden Glove

Golden 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...

 titles and was considered one of the most promising amateurs in his weight class in the country. In the late 1940s, Horne relocated to New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 to establish a professional career.

Professional career

Horne won 24 of his first 26 professional fights and lost only six of his first 50. While he fought many of the leading boxers of his day, including Bobby Dykes and Tommy Bell

Tommy Bell (boxer)

Tommy Bell was an African-American boxer. As a professional, he faced legendary fighters such as Jake LaMotta, Fritzie Zivic, and Kid Gavilán. Bell fought for the welterweight title against Sugar Ray Robinson in 1946....

, Horne is best known for three matches with the legendary Rocky Graziano. He first stepped into the ring with Graziano in New York on January 18, 1946, losing in the 10th round. Horne faced Graziano again on April 5, 1948, and a final time on December 6, 1949. In both cases, he lost in the 10th round. Horne also faced middleweight contender Pete Mead, losing a bout in 1946, but defeating Mead in a rematch the following year. In the late 1940s, he was knocked out by Artie Levine.

Illness and death

Horne's career came to a tragic end when he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease in the late 1940s. He succumbed to the chronic illness in 1959. His accomplishments were remembered in his native Ohio, where Horne was the first person to be inducted into the Trumbull County, Ohio and Area Boxers Hall of Fame. Horne's daughter, Marilyn Horne Nickell, was on hand for the induction ceremony. Among the local celebrity boxers who attended the ceremony was former IBF

IBF

IBF may refer to:*International Boxing Federation is one of several boxing organisations* International Bandy Federation former name of Federation of International Bandy , an international governing body for bandy...

 lightweight champion Harry Arroyo

Harry Arroyo

Harry Arroyo is a former American boxer who gained international recognition as the IBF Lightweight Champion of the World from 1984 to 1985.- Early years :...

.