54 Facts About Fritzie Zivic

Fritzie Zivic's managers included Luke Carney, and later, after 1942, Louis Stokan.

Fritzie Zivic beat one of the best boxers of all time, Henry "Homicide Hank" Armstrong, twice.

Fritzie Zivic is the first "Hall of Fame" in the entire Slavic boxing world.

Fritzie Zivic's brothers Pete and Jack, the first and second born, went to the 1920 Antwerp Olympics.

Against one of his most skilled early opponents, Fritzie Zivic defeated Charley Burley, fellow Pittsburgh boxer, for the only time on March 21,1938, in their hometown.

Burley started well, but in the later rounds, the more experienced Fritzie Zivic scored with rights hooks to the midsection and pulled Burley in during clinches to reduce Burley's long range game.

In two other meetings, in June 1938, and July 1939, Fritzie Zivic lost in ten round unanimous decisions.

Fritzie Zivic lost to Billy Conn, 1939 world light heavyweight champion, on December 28,1936 before 5,163 in a ten-round split decision at Duquesne Garden in Pittsburgh.

The bout included no knockdowns but in the fourth and fifth rounds, Fritzie Zivic caught Conn on the ropes and belted him about head and body til it appeared a knockout was a possible outcome.

Fritzie Zivic went to the body with hooks and crosses but failed to fatigue Conn who fought on and gained points.

Fritzie Zivic defeated Johnny Jadick, former junior welterweight champion, on February 11,1937 in a six-round knockout at Duquesne Garden in Pittsburgh.

Fritzie Zivic put Jadick down again at the end of the second for a count of five, before the bell sounded.

Fritzie Zivic had previously lost to Jadick in a ten-round points decision in Washington in February 1935.

On January 20,1939, Fritzie Zivic defeated Jackie Burke, former holder of the Utah's Intermountain Welterweight Title, and Pacific Southwest Welterweight Title, in a ten-round mixed decision at the St Louis Coliseum.

Fritzie Zivic notably defeated Sammy Angott, reigning NBA lightweight champion, in a non-title bout on August 29,1940, in a ten-round unanimous decision at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

Fritzie Zivic started by scoring with short right uppercuts in the early rounds.

Fritzie Zivic mounted a slow effective attack, but held no wide margin, as the referee and both judges awarded him eight of the fifteen rounds in the close bout.

Fritzie Zivic did not take a points lead until the sixth and seventh when he banged away with short, accurate, right uppercuts.

Fritzie Zivic was down in the sixth for a no-count from a right uppercut by Zivic.

Armstrong made a valiant effort in the eleventh with a barrage of hooks to the head and body of Fritzie Zivic, allowing him to take the round.

Armstrong caught Fritzie Zivic in a corner and battered him with short jarring blows and then landed a right to the face, but it was a last valiant effort.

The ring doctor examined Armstrong after the round ended, and allowed him to continue, but the referee stopped the fight in the twelfth when Fritzie Zivic lashed his left repeatedly at the face of Armstrong.

Fritzie Zivic lost his world welterweight title in a fifteen-round decision against Red Cochran before 10,000 fans on July 29,1941 at Rupert Stadium in Newark, NJ.

Fritzie Zivic butted Zivic with his head, when Zivic attempted to illegally put an arm around his neck to hammer him with his left.

Immediately after his loss of the title, on September 15,1941, Fritzie Zivic achieved a fifth-round knockout of Milt Aaron in the feature match at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field, before an appreciative hometown audience of 24,972 fans.

Fritzie Zivic had previously lost to Aron in an eight-round knockout on December 27,1939.

Fritzie Zivic lost to the great Sugar Ray Robinson, a future Hall of Famer, on January 16,1942 in a tenth-round technical knockout before 15,745 fans at Madison Square Garden.

Fritzie Zivic took the sixth with sharp lefts, but Zivic clearly won the seventh with hooks to the midsection.

Fritzie Zivic was trying to get to his feet at the count of six, but the referee stopped the bout 31 seconds into the round before he could fully rise.

In what was scored as a close bout, the Associated Press gave Robinson five of the nine, while Fritzie Zivic took three and one was even.

Fritzie Zivic defeated Italian boxer "Izzy" Anthony Jannazzo on March 9,1942, leaving Janazzo unable to return to the ring for the fifth round at Duquesne Gardens in Pittsburgh.

Fritzie Zivic swarmed all over Jannazzo in the first, closing Jannazzo's eye in the second, and firing at it in the third and fourth, till Januzzo, unable to see, failed to answer the fifth round bell.

Fritzie Zivic defeated Lew Jenkins, a 1940 world lightweight champion, on May 25,1942, before 12,134 fans, in a decisive ten-round technical knockout in Pittsburgh.

Fritzie Zivic's ripping rights and left hooks opened two old cuts on Jenkins' face early in the bout.

Fritzie Zivic had drawn with Jenkins on December 20,1940 in a ten-round points decision at the fabled Madison Square Garden.

Fritzie Zivic lost to reigning world lightweight champion and future Hall of Fame boxer, Beau Jack in a non-title bout on March 5,1943 in a unanimous but close twelve-round decision in Madison Square Garden before a crowd of 8,813.

Fritzie Zivic took the sixth, uncharacteristically fighting at long range, but the seventh was closer with a slight edge for Jack.

Oddly, Fritzie Zivic took a beating in the eighth but won the round on a foul, while Jack took punishment in the ninth, but won the bout on a foul.

Fritzie Zivic took the tenth, but the eleventh and twelfth appeared even because of Jack's strong efforts and last attempts at a knockout.

Fritzie Zivic enjoyed a ten-pound weight advantage as well as an advantage in reach of around two inches.

Fritzie Zivic defeated the great Jake LaMotta only once in a fifteen-round split decision in Pittsburgh on July 12,1943 before a crowd of 15,562.

LaMotta at twenty, ten years younger than Fritzie Zivic, rushed and landed clean blows throughout the bout, but Fritzie Zivic scored with his signature left jab, and retained his strength till the tenth round, when he opened up on LaMotta with frequent blows.

Fritzie Zivic had dropped a bout in the previous month to LaMotta in a ten-round split decision, another close bout in Pittsburgh.

Fritzie Zivic lost in two other meetings, one in January 1944, despite LaMotta losing two rounds from low blows, and one in November 1943 in a relatively close bout in Madison Square Garden.

Fritzie Zivic lost to reigning NYSAC world lightweight champion Bob Montgomery on August 23,1943 in a non-title, ten round unanimous decision at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

Fritzie Zivic first lost to Freddy Archer on March 29,1944 in a ten-round points decision at Elizabeth, Pennsylvania.

Fritzie Zivic was serving as a private in the Army Air Corps, and had been away from the ring for three months.

Fritzie Zivic never challenged for a world title after 1941, but from 1941 to 1946, he fought the great boxers Sugar Ray Robinson, Beau Jack, Tommy Bell, Billy Arnold, Jake LaMotta, and Freddie Archer.

Fritzie Zivic served in the Army Air Corps during the end of WWII, being stationed for a time at San Antonio's Normoyle Field, where he continued his boxing schedule in Texas and the Southwest.

Fritzie Zivic attempted a wide range of professions starting with promoting, and managing boxers.

Fritzie Zivic eventually settled into his profession as a steel fabricator or boilermaker with a union card, and got steady work in construction.

Fritzie Zivic died after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease in 1984 after a three-year stay at Veteran's Hospital in Aspinwall, Pennsylvania, and was buried in Pittsburgh's St Nicholas Cemetery.

Fritzie Zivic was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993.

Fritzie Zivic was survived by his wife Helen, two sons, a daughter, and four grandchildren.