BY THE NUMBERS: SAL BARTOLO by Don Stradley • Illustration by KronkAAArt
from the mob,” reported The Boston Globe. With a paid attendance of 12,130 people, it seemed Bartolo had brought big-time fights back home. Bartolo’s reign included three title defenses and several non-title bouts. Though he was primarily a Boston attraction, Bartolo also took his featherweight title on the road for fights in New Orleans and St. Louis.
fights at Madison Square Garden » Unlike most Boston fighters of his day, Bartolo fought often in New York. While he was successful in such venues as The St. Nicholas Arena and even Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, he was snakebit at Madison Square Garden. During his 1941-42 Garden campaign, he lost once to Chalky Wright and twice to Maxie Shapiro, making him
Long after his retirement in 1949, boxing fans in East Boston liked to say that if not for Willie Pep, Sal Bartolo would’ve been the greatest featherweight of his time. Such accolades say more about the loyalty of Boston fans than anything Bartolo did in the ring. Still, his status as a top featherweight of the 1940s is undeniable. Here’s his story by the numbers.
0-3 at New York’s premier fight location. By 1945, he had pulled even at the arena, notching wins over Pedro Hernandez, Aaron Seltzer and Freddie Russo, though the loss to Pep in 1946 left him 3-4 at the house that Tex Rickard built. Bartolo relocated to New York for a time, and it was there that he changed his style under the tutelage of such trainers as Freddie Brown and Ray Arcel. Al Lacy, who had trained Bartolo during his amateur days and the early part of his Boston career, never approved of the change. In 1983, Lacy told the The Daily Item that Bartolo had been “a picture fighter,” but the New York trainers “made him into Jake LaMotta.” Yet Bartolo’s stint in New York was a valid business strategy. “I’d been a top contender for five years,” Bartolo said, “but in those days, if you didn’t fight for [New York promoter] Mike Jacobs […] you didn’t get a shot.” After suffering a badly fractured jaw in his third loss to Pep, Bartolo stayed out of boxing for more than two years. A brief comeback in 1949 saw him win two fights, but he knew his time was up. His final record was 73-18-6 (16 KOs). “I’m quitting the ring to stick to my business, my home and leave boxing to the kids,” he said. Bartolo (1917-2002) spent 30 years operating a successful East Boston establishment called Bartolo’s Ringside Cafe (where Sal was once busted when police raided the place for illegal gambling). By the 1980s, he’d given up the cafe and worked in various courthouses as a court officer. In 1996, The Ring rated Bartolo number six on a list of great Massachusetts fighters, putting his name alongside Rocky Marciano and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Bartolo once summed up his career by saying, “I was a good boxer, no question about it.” No question here, either, though the International Boxing Hall of Fame has yet to honor Bartolo. Apparently, 73 wins and a featherweight title aren’t enough for some people. But for Boston’s fight fans of the 1940s, Bartolo’s name meant a great deal. He was part of a longstanding tradition in boxing: the local kid who made good. years old at the time of his retirement »
bouts with Willie Pep » Two of the losses during Bartolo’s glory years, as well as the one that brought them to an end, were to the same man: Willie Pep. Of course, Pep is one of the
all-time greats, so there’s no shame in being number two to the legendary “Will o’ the Wisp.” The first was a 10-round split decision for Pep at the Boston Garden in 1943, a close fight Pep recalled as “life and death.” The second took place two months later at Boston’s Braves Field. This time, Pep, with his Ring/NYSAC featherweight title at stake, controlled the action and won on points over 15 rounds. The Bartolo camp claimed their man had been weakened by a case of “the grippe,” which is what old-timers used to call the flu. When Bartolo won the NBA title, it seemed inevitable that he and Pep would meet a third time and put their respective belts on the line. Moreover, Bartolo knew his NBA title meant nothing if he couldn’t beat Pep. Unfortunately, in June 1946 at Madison Square Garden, Pep demolished Bartolo in the 12th, winning by KO and sending Bartolo back to East Boston with a broken nose and a broken jaw. It appeared Pep had tired of the rivalry and put a violent end to it, once and for all. As the United Press reported, “Pep ended the dispute decisively with a short right hook to the chin that dropped Bartolo flat on his back. The little dark-haired Italian managed to roll over onto his side as referee Ruby Goldstein counted him out at 2:41 of the 12th round.” Bartolo couldn’t blame this one on the grippe.
years old when he turned pro » After a brilliant amateur career, the young man born as Salvatore Interbartolo entered the professional ranks in 1937. After four quick wins, he was matched against Red Hutchins, a flinty veteran with more than 70 fights. Yes, young fighters were matched hard in those days. Hutchins handed Bartolo his first loss, and “The Pride of East Boston” would suffer more losses and draws in the next few years. There were signs, however, that Bartolo was coming into his own, such as a 10-round decision victory over the vastly more experienced Dave Barry in 1939. Unfortunately, he followed that with a loss to future featherweight champion Petey Scalzo. Bartolo later recalled this early period as frustrating. “There was a Depression,” he said, “and no money, so I took a shot at fighting and succeeded by coming up the hard way.”
years as National Boxing Association featherweight champion »
Bartolo’s best period was from June 1942 to May 1946. His tough apprenticeship imbued him with the skills to go 39-3 during this four- year stretch. Bartolo also changed his style a bit, forgoing his past as a careful counterpuncher to become a more aggressive and more entertaining fighter. As The Boston Globe described, “Sal now has sparkle.” His highly vocal manager, Murray Waxman, claimed Bartolo’s mentality had changed. Among Bartolo’s victims in this period were Spider Armstrong, Jock Leslie, Lefty LaChance and former two-time titlist Joey Archibald. Bartolo’s biggest night, however, was in March 1944, when he won a 15-round decision over Phil Terranova for the NBA featherweight title. Bartolo’s victory made him Boston’s first champion since Jack Sharkey’s brief reign at heavyweight over a decade earlier. “Sharpshooting a welt over Terranova’s right eye and coaxing a steady trickle of gore from the tiny champion’s nose, Bartolo won a unanimous decision and an ovation
22 RINGMAGAZINE.COM
RINGMAGAZINE.COM 23
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker