Lee Savold

Lee Savold
Statistics
Real name	Lee Hulver
Nickname(s)	The Battling Bartender
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Nationality	American
Born	March 22, 1916(1916-03-22) Canby, Minnesota
Died	May 14, 1972(1972-05-14) (aged 56) Neptune, New Jersey
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	137
Wins	90
Wins by KO	65
Losses	38
Draws	2
No contests	0

Lee Savold (born Lee Hulver March 22, 1916 – May 14, 1972) was a 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.

Background

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. As a youngster, he broke horses and herded cattle on his family ranch.

He fought his first fight at the age of 15 against Wallace Burns, in which he won $25. He later joined a carnival and fought "all comers" at or near his 150 lb weight. His first professional fight was on August 2, 1934. He fought in St Paul against Johnny Marcus, where he won a six-round decision.

He went by the name "Savoldi" early in his career, and generally fought at 190 lbs, though in between fights he reached up to 250 lbs.

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.

On March 19, 1948 Lee Savold set the record for the quickest knockout in a main event bout in 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.

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.

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

Titles in pretence
Vacant Title last held by George Godfrey	World Heavyweight Champion BBBC/EBU recognition June 6, 1950 - June 16, 1951	Vacant Title next held by Muhammad Ali as Lineal champion

References

• Savold Scores Eight-Round Knockout Victory Over Favored Nova
• SAVOLD KNOCKS OUT BUONVINO IN FIRST; Sets Garden's Quickest Finish Record by Halting Rival in 54-Second Upset
• BAKSI WITHDRAWS FROM GARDEN BOUT; Boxer Suffers Ankle Injury -- Savold to Fight Buonvino in Feature Tomorrow
• BUONVINO FAVORED TO DEFEAT SAVOLD; Italian Heavy Is 5-9 Choice in Main 10-Round Fight at Garden Tonight
• The Origins of Boxing Terms and Traditions By B.R. Bearden
• SULTAN IBRAGIMOV’S KO WIN QUICKEST IN GARDEN HISTORY by Ron Ross
• Marciano Knocks Out Savold at Philadelphia for 39th Consecutive Win
• VIDEO IN THEATRES SEEN SPORTS BOON; 'Fantastic' Success of Plan With Louis-Savold Fight to Lead to Expansion
• Lee Savold, Onetime Heavyweight Fighter, Dies
• Professional boxing record for Lee Savold from BoxRec