BY THE NUMBERS: FIDEL LABARBA By Don Stradley • Illustration by KronkAAArt
professional fights » LaBarba finished his career in 1933 with a record of 69-15-7, with 16 knockouts and 5 no-decision bouts. He was never KO’d. Among the opponents he defeated were some of the best small men of the time, including Memphis Pal Moore, Tommy Paul, Bud Taylor, Kid Chocolate and Petey Sarron. LaBarba also notched two wins over Willie Smith, a bantamweight who had won a gold medal at the 1924 Games representing South Africa. One of LaBarba’s notable victories in his post-flyweight years was over former bantamweight champion Bushy Graham in May 1930 at Madison Square Garden. He’d beaten Graham in 1928, but since then, Graham had won the bantamweight crown. Strangely, rather than try to avenge his previous loss to LaBarba, Graham spent the rematch running. According to the United Press, it wasn’t until the late rounds that LaBarba “managed to land solidly.” LaBarba hurt Graham at one point and nearly knocked him down. A sad sidenote to the fight was rounds with the bantamweight champion » that the wife of George Blake, LaBarba’s longtime trainer and mentor, passed away suddenly two days before the contest. The woman’s death cast a pall over the team, especially over LaBarba, who looked upon Blake’s wife as a sort of maternal figure. Still, the gallant little slugger went on with the fight and did surprisingly well, keeping Graham on the run throughout all 10 rounds and earning his second victory over him.
failed attempts at the featherweight title » LaBarba returned to New York in May 1931 to challenge featherweight champion Christopher Battalino. Using what the Buffalo Times called “a very scrambled and cluttered technique,” the awkward titleholder had earned the
Fidel LaBarba went from winning a gold medal at the 1924 Paris Olympics to winning the National Boxing Association flyweight title, all before he turned 20 years old. Here’s his unique story by the numbers.
bouts with Jimmy McLarnin » LaBarba was still class president at Lincoln High School when, in only his second professional contest, he was matched against future legend Jimmy McLarnin, who was making his 18th start. The pair ended up fighting three times over the next three months in Vernon, California, with “Babyface” McLarnin taking the first and third bouts by decision, while the middle encounter went into the books as a draw. The first meeting was highly controversial. Though the two ring judges had scored the four-rounder for LaBarba, referee Harry Lee disregarded their scores and inexplicably awarded the bout to McLarnin. Years later, LaBarba explained the situation to author Peter Heller. Apparently, the problems began when an exchange of angry words between LaBarba’s hotheaded brother and Lee turned into a post-fight scuffle. Lee was overheard insulting LaBarba as he gathered the judges’ score slips. After Lee’s stunning announcement, LaBarba’s camp ripped the slips from his hands to show to the fellows on press row. Though the verdict remained a “W” for McLarnin, Lee was admonished, and an immediate rematch was made. Regardless, LaBarba stayed friendly with McLarnin throughout the years. “I speak the highest praise of him,” LaBarba said. “He was a hell of a fighter.”
nickname “Battling” Battalino. That was as close as he came to any sort of affection from press row. Most of the boxing cognoscenti considered LaBarba superior to Battalino, but after 15 rounds of drab mauling, the featherweight champion had retained his title. LaBarba’s only excuse for the loss was, “I just couldn’t untrack myself.” By December 1932, LaBarba was back in the Big Apple for his second chance at the featherweight crown, now held by an old rival, Kid Chocolate. Having split two bouts with the Cuban in the past, a rubber match for the title was a natural. For 15 rounds they battled, with both fighters staggering each other along the way. The Associated Press scored it a draw, but the official verdict was for Kid Chocolate by majority decision. “The crowd booed the verdict lustily, then gave LaBarba a sensational ovation as he shouldered his way out of the arena,” reported the A.P.
wins at the Paris Games » In the legendary Velodrome d’Hiver, a famed venue that hosted
many memorable fights, LaBarba defeated four competitors on his way to the 1924 Olympic flyweight finals. In the other corner was James McKenzie of Great Britain. “He was a tough guy, and I kicked the hell out of him,” LaBarba said. “I really went after him.” Winning a three- round decision and the gold medal “was the greatest thrill in the world,” he added. LaBarba also recalled the intense
damaged eye » Prior to his third bout with Kid Chocolate, LaBarba suffered an eye injury in sparring. This turned out to be a torn retina, which resulted in him retiring a few fights later at age 27. A surgeon would eventually remove the eye.
emotions he felt while standing on the winner’s dais as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played. “Jesus, I couldn’t help it,” he’d say in a 1970 interview. “Tears rolled down.”
cool rope trick » LaBarba (1905-1981) stayed busy after boxing. He served with the old Army Air Corps in Italy in World War II and then became a successful sportswriter. Prior to the war, he had hobnobbed in Hollywood, working as an adviser on boxing movies and contributing to a couple of screenplays for Twentieth Century Fox. He also became great friends with
watched him beat Frankie Genaro » LaBarba was such a big draw in Los Angeles that his bout with Genaro for the vacant NBA flyweight title was a major sporting event. The excitement of seeing
their very own “Los Angeles schoolboy” compete for a title brought 18,000 fans to Ascot Park on August 22, 1925. When LaBarba was awarded the victory, the “crowd swarmed into the ring,” reported the L.A. Daily News, “and it was half an hour before the officer could rescue LaBarba and escort him to his dressing room.” The fight had benefited from a great buildup. With the recent death of flyweight champion Pancho Villa, it appeared Genaro was a logical successor – he’d defeated Villa in the past and was recognized in some circles as the “American” flyweight champion. Like LaBarba, Genaro was a gold medal winner, having earned his at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. LaBarba later recalled Genaro’s speed, saying he could “jump up in the air and hit you three times before his feet landed on the ground.” With the NBA title in hand, LaBarba would unify the belts of the day in 1927 by traveling to New York and beating Elky Clark by 12-round decision, taking the NYSAC title, earning the vacant Ring belt and full recognition as world champion. Just months later, LaBarba announced he was quitting the business to attend Stanford University. Boxing had never been his passion. He was good at it and made money to support his family, but he had other things in mind. LaBarba later claimed his teachers advised him to continue fighting and make some more money before he retired. He did as they suggested but never quite matched the success of his meteoric rise.
novelist and screenwriter Budd Schulberg, even serving as Schulberg’s best man at his first wedding. Troubled in his later years by poor health, LaBarba died at age 76 at a veterans’ hospital in West Los Angeles. Upon LaBarba’s death, Sacramento columnist Bill Conlin recalled young LaBarba’s time on the vaudeville circuit. Fresh off his triumph at the Olympics, LaBarba made money on the Orpheum Circuit with his talent for rope skipping. “LaBarba literally entranced his audiences,” Conlin wrote, “twirling his bejeweled rope with the house lights out and only spots on his center-stage footwork. It was really something.” And so was LaBarba.
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