- Pete Rademacher
Infobox_Boxer
name=Pete Rademacher
realname=Thomas Peter Rademacher
nickname=
nationality=Flagicon|USAmerican
weight=Heavyweight
birth_date=Birth date and age|1928|8|20|mf=y
birth_place=Tieton, Washington
death_date=
death_place=
home=Medina, Ohio
style=Orthodox
total=23
wins=15
KO=8
losses=7
draws=1
no contests=0T. Peter ("Pete") Rademacher (born
August 20 ,1928 ) is a former boxer who madeboxing history by being the only man to fight for the world heavyweight championship in his first professional fight.Amateur career
In his amateur career, Rademacher had 79 fights, going 72-7. He won a series of tournaments, including the 1949, 1951, 1952, and 1953
Seattle Golden Gloves (he lost in 1950 toZora Folley , who he would face several times in his career), and the US Amateur Championship as aheavyweight in 1953 -- avenging his earlier loss to Folley. He also captured theChicago Golden Gloves, the All-Army championship, and the Service championship in 1956, before qualifying for the Olympic team. In the Olympics, held inMelbourne , he captured a gold medal in the heavyweight division.Olympic results
* Defeated
Joszef Nemec KO 2
* DefeatedDaan Bekker KO 3
* DefeatedLev Mukhin KO 1Rademacher also attended college, playing offensive line on the football team for Washington State.
Professional career
After winning the gold medal, Rademacher started saying that he would be able to become world heavyweight champion in his first professional fight. He made his belief public and was able to lure world Heavyweight champion
Floyd Patterson into defending his crown against the debutant Rademacher. It is the first and only time to date that a fighter making his professional debut has challenged for a world title.Rademacher dropped Patterson in round two, but Patterson recovered and defeated him by a
knockout in six.Rademacher later on went on to fight Zora Folley,
Brian London ,George Chuvalo ,Lamar Clark and the former world light heavyweight champion,Archie Moore . He lost to Moore, Folley and London but beat Chuvalo and Clark. His last bout was against former world middleweight champion Carl "Bobo" Olson, whom he beat by decision.Later life
After retirement, he went into business at McNeil Corporation in Akron, Ohio. He retired as President in 1987. In 1996, he and his two daughters helped carry the
Olympic torch around the streets ofCleveland, Ohio .Rademacher is active in local politics in Medina County, Ohio. He is also well known in northern Ohio for the amazing gasoline-powered one wheel "unicycle" he rides in local parades.
External links
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* [http://www.boxing-records.com/palm/voirpalma.phtml?boxeur=rademape.html Alternate record site]
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