Lee Savold

Lee Savold
Lee Savold
	Savold in 1940
Statistics
Real name	Lee Hulver
Nickname(s)	The Battling Bartender
Weight(s)	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Nationality	American
Born	March 22, 1915; Canby, Minnesota
Died	May 14, 1972 (aged 57); Neptune, New Jersey
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	153
Wins	104
Wins by KO	72
Losses	45
Draws	2
No contests	2

Lee Savold (born Lee Hulver March 22, 1915 – May 14, 1972) was an American heavyweight boxer who held the British and European (EBU) version of the World Heavyweight championship between 1950 and 1951 and was a leading contender in the 1940s and early 1950s. During his career he fought storied Heavyweight Champions Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano.^[1] Savold was inducted into the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012.^[2]

Savold has the most fights and the most losses of any heavyweight champion in boxing history.

Personal life[]

Savold was born in Canby, Minnesota (his birth was recorded in the nearby town of Marshall). His parents were farmers and ranchers of Norwegian ancestry. In his youth, he broke horses and herded cattle on his family ranch.

At one time or another he was a bouncer, bartender, road laborer, and stockyard worker. In 1943 he joined the merchant marine and took part in several convoys to Murmansk. After retiring from boxing, he worked for Local 825 of the Operating Engineers Union.

Boxing career[]

On May 25, 1942 he KO'd Lou Nova in the eighth round in a bout which was named The Ring magazine Upset of the Year.^[3]

On March 19, 1948 Lee Savold set the record for the quickest knockout in a main event bout at Madison Square Garden by knocking out Italy's Gino Buonvino. He was the underdog, and had been substituted for Joe Baksi, who had injured his ankle, on only 48 hours' notice. The record stood until Gerry Cooney tied the record by KO'ing Ken Norton in 1981. It was finally broken on March 10, 2007, when Sultan Ibragimov KO'd Javier Mora in 46 seconds.^[4]^[5]^[6]

On June 6, 1950, he defeated Bruce Woodcock on a fourth round cut eye stoppage to win the EBU version of the World Heavyweight title, Savold had lost on a foul in their first meeting in 1948.

On June 17, 1951 he fought Joe Louis in what was the first professional prizefight carried to theaters on closed-circuit TV. He was knocked out in 2 minutes 29 seconds of the sixth round. Although it was a non-title match, after this bout the EBU withdrew recognition of Savold as "world" champion.^[7]^[8]

In his last fight, he lasted 7 rounds before being TKO'd by legendary boxer Rocky Marciano on February 13, 1952.^[9]

Notable bouts[]


Result	Opponent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Location	Notes^[1]
Loss	Rocky Marciano	RTD	6 (10)	1952-02-13	Philadelphia Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Loss	Joe Louis	KO	6 (15)	1951-06-15	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	Bruce Woodcock	TKO	4 (15)	1950-06-06	White City Stadium, White City, London	Won vacant world heavyweight title. Recognized only by the British Boxing Board of Control
Loss	Bruce Woodcock	DQ	4 (10)	1948-12-06	Harringay Arena, Harringay, London
Loss	Elmer Ray	KO	2 (10)	1946-08-28	Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York
NC	Arturo Godoy	NC	8 (10)	1946-03-01	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Loss	Joe Baksi	MD	10	1944-08-07	Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
Loss	Joe Baksi	UD	12	1944-05-26	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	Joe Baksi	SD	10	1944-03-10	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Loss	Tami Mauriello	UD	10	1943-11-05	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	Lou Nova	KO	2 (10)	1943-08-09	Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
Loss	Jimmy Bivins	UD	10	1942-11-27	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Loss	Tami Mauriello	UD	10	1942-10-30	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	Lou Nova	TKO	8 (10)	1942-05-25	Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.
Loss	Billy Conn	UD	12	1940-11-29	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Loss	Buddy Baer	NWS	8	1939-10-30	Des Moines Coliseum, Des Moines, Iowa	Newspaper Decision