15 Facts About Lee Sala

Lee Sala was a leading contender for the middleweight boxing crown in the 1940s and 50s.

Lee Sala was brought up during the Great Depression, with a house full of relatives, including five siblings, and two of his cousins.

Lee Sala's older brother Tony was an All-American football player at Villanova University, as well as intercollegiate boxing champion four years in a row.

Lee Sala's younger brother Fritz was a baseball prospect in his youth.

Lee Sala enlisted in the United States Navy in 1944 during World War II.

Lee Sala then went on a 47-fight winning streak, finally losing a decision to Tony DeMicco.

Lee Sala avenged his loss two weeks later Lee fought many top contenders of his time, and newspaper articles reveal that he was in line for a title shot on several occasions.

Some say that Lee Sala "hit to hard" and that is why those matches never came to fruition.

At one point Lee Sala had outstanding offers to fight both Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta for the title.

Lee Sala was next in line for a title shot against Robinson after LaMotta's loss to "Sugar" Ray in 1951, however Robinson signed to fight Holly Mims One of Lee Sala's most memorable bouts was against Syracuses' Joey Dejohn, who went on to fight Jake LaMotta.

Lee Sala was knocked down five times, but in the 6th round, he was able to turn it around and knock DeJohn out, breaking Dejohn's jaw in the process.

Lee Sala remained a top-10 middleweight contender for the majority of his career, and finally retired after a few setbacks to big-name fighters such as Carl "Bobo" Olson.

Lee Sala had just married Florida beauty queen Adeline Mondello, and was planning on starting a family.

Lee Sala started working in the whiskey distribution business, and later became a deputy sheriff for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Lee Sala lived in Tampa, Florida, with his wife, daughter and grandson, and died on December 3,2012.