Al Hostak

Albert (Al) Paul Hostak (January 7, 1916 – August 13, 2006), nicknamed "the Savage Slav," was an American middleweight boxer who fought from 1932-1949.

He would begin his boxing career as a 16-year-old in 1932, fighting many of his bouts in nearby White Center.

Hostak would go unbeaten for his first 27 bouts in the Seattle area, all four and six-rounders, before losing a decision to Jimmy Best.

He would continue to fight preliminary matches through the end of 1936, while he worked as a sparring partner for 1936 middleweight title holder Freddie Steele of Tacoma, Washington.

As 1937 began, middleweight champion Freddie Steele's handlers decided to show him on the East Coast away from his home in the Pacific Northwest.

With Steele, Seattle's top boxing draw leaving town, Nate Druxman needed to develop another box office attraction, a role Hostak would fulfill in 1937.

Hostak began the year by knocking out Newark middleweight contender Tony Fisher, in two rounds on January 12.

A month later he knocked out Leonard Bennett, who had broken Steele's jaw in their first bout.

In March and April, Hostak scored second-round knockouts of Johnny Sikes and Young Terry.

This set up a bout with Eddie (Babe) Risko on July 13, 1937.

Risko lost the middleweight title a year before to Steele, and had lost a rematch as well.

Hostak gained national recognition when he knocked out Risko in the 7th round in Seattle.

In a clear victory, Risko was floored by Hostak once in the third, and once in the fourth.

Catching his opponent flat-footed with no defense, Hostak drove his right with great power into Risko's unguarded chin, followed with two rights to the ribs.

Risko went down for the count.

In August, he knocked out Allen Matthews in nine rounds.

With three more knockouts in 1937, he stretching his streak to eleven.

At the end of 1937, Ring Magazine ranked Hostak the #3 Middleweight in the world.

Hostak twice held the National Boxing Association Middleweight title between 1938 and 1940.

He was known as a hard puncher and had a record of 64 wins (41 knockouts), 9 losses (3 knockouts), and 11 draws.

A match with Steele in Seattle appeared likely for the summer of 1938.

Steele suffered a setback in January, when Fred Apostoli stopped him in a non-title bout at Madison Square Garden.

In the process, New York recognized Apostoli, not Steele as middleweight champion.

Seattle promoter Nate Druxman continued with plans to pit Steele against Hostak that summer.

Hostak's bout with Steele was scheduled for July 26, 1938, at Seattle's Civic Stadium.

It would be the largest attendance in Seattle's boxing history, with over 35,000 fans.

Hostak used his own jab to parry Steeles's. Feinting with his jab to entice Steele to drop his right hand, he connected with a rapid left hook that travelled only eight inches, but knocked Steele down.

Though Steele was up quickly from the initial knockdown, Hostak would send him back to the canvas three more times.

Hostak fought again in September 1938, stopping Young Stuhley in three rounds.

He made his first title defense against Brooklyn's Solly Krieger on November 1, 1938, losing a fifteen round decision before a crowd of 10,000, in Seattle.

Hostak broke both of his hands early in the bout.

Krieger fought inside against Hostak, pounding his body.

After his hands had healed, Hostak returned with a third-round knockout of Johnny Erjavec in Seattle, before facing Krieger before a huge crowd of 22,000 in a world middleweight championship rematch in Seattle on June 27, 1939.

Steele arose quickly from his third trip to the canvas, but after a stiff right, Steele was counted out by referee Jack Dempsey at 1:43 of the 1st round, officially giving Hostak his first NBA world middleweight championship.

In 2003, Hostak made The Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.

Hostak was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Slovak immigrants who eventually moved to Seattle, Washington when Hostak was two, settling in South Seattle's Georgetown District.

Having developed a stutter in his youth, Hostak was drawn to boxing after fighting several of his tormentors.

In the 14th round, Krieger sealed a majority decision victory, when he knocked down a tired Hostak for the first time in his career.

With terrific body blows, and savage and effective infighting, Krieger wrested the championship from Hostak.

Krieger employed a successful bob and weave strategy, which puzzled Hostak, and which he could not successfully defend, particularly in later rounds.