Petey Sarron

Petey Sarron (November 21, 1906 – July 3, 1994) was an Assyrian-American boxer who became a National Boxing Association (NBA) Featherweight Champion on May 11, 1936, defeating Freddie Miller at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2016.

Pete Sarron was born in Birmingham, Alabama on November 21, 1906.

Sarron's parents emigrated to Alabama from Lebanon.

Like many boxers of his era, he made an early living selling newspapers, beginning at age six.

Early in life, he found Dave Evans at the Birmingham Boy's Club who mentored him in boxing, and helped manage his career.

He would return the favor and support the club after becoming a successful boxer.

After High School, he had ambitions to study law and become an attorney.

Sarron was a member of the Olympic Team at flyweight in boxing for the United States during the 1924 Summer Olympics.

Dave Evans and Jimmy Erwin worked as his managers and promoters.

He was best known as a fast, elusive battler, with a windmill attack.

During his career he defeated such opponents as Benny Bass and Frankie Covelli.

He lost his World Featherweight Championship to the gifted Henry Armstrong in a sixth-round knockout at Madison Square Garden.

Sarron fought future World Flyweight Champion Fidel LaBarba at the age of eighteen in the May 1924 National AAU Flyweight Semi-final and Olympic Trials in Boston.

Sarron's performance allowed him to become an alternate for the United States during the 1924 Summer Olympics.

Known for his boxing in the America, Foreman had served two years boxing for the US Army in 1924–26, and had been stationed in Virginia.

Silverberg had formerly held the NBA World Flyweight Championship in 1927–8, but had been stripped of the title, and was fighting at the lower featherweight range of 120 with Sarron.

He continued to fight in the States through 1927, and had fought in Washington D.C. on several previous occasions.

On May 25, 1929, Sarron defeated Pinky Silverberg, in an important fifteen round points decision in Melbourne, Australia in the featherweight range at 120 pounds.

In December 1929 Bass had taken the World Jr. Lightweight Title.

He would meet LaBarba again on April 22, 1932, before a crowd of 2,986 at Olympia Stadium in Detroit, losing the NBA World Featherweight elimination bout in a ten-round decision.

The decision for LaBarba was not popular with the crowd, though he used a stinging left jab to sufficient effect to win the bout in the opinion of referee Slim McClelland.

Sarron had trouble evading the jabs of LaBarba though he made a stronger finish in the last two rounds.

LaBarba jabbed frequently with his long left, but tired somewhat in the last two rounds, when Sarron made a stand though his punches lacked the authority to do much damage.

On January 23, 1934, Sarron, at the featherweight range of 128 pounds, met Frankie Covelli at Portner's Arena in Alexandria, Virginia, losing in a ten-round points decision.

On June 29, 1934, Sarron defeated former British and Canadian World Lightweight Champion Al Foreman on June 29, 1934, at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. Sarron had defeated one of his best known opponents in an early win, but it was to be the last professional bout for Foreman, the Jewish Canadian champion who retired to Montreal.

Sarron first met Benny Bass on August 27, 1934, at Griffith Stadium in Washington D.C., winning in a sixth round disqualification.

Sarron had a small reach advantage of nearly two inches.

He defeated Bass in the next bout on September 24, before 5,000 fans at the Arena in Philadelphia in a ten-round decision.

Sarron, who was fouled in the seventh, came back to briefly drop Bass to the floor, and then gain more points in the eighth, reigning a series of blows on the former champion.

Sarron took chances with Bass, acting as the aggressor from the start, and boxing a fast-paced bout.

On March 8, 1935, however, he beat Covelli at the Coliseum in Coral Gables, Florida in a ten-round points decision.

On March 2, 1936, Sarron met Southpaw Freddie Miller at the Coliseum in Coral Gables, Florida losing in a fifteen-round decision.

The Referee and one judge scored the fight for Miller with 6 rounds won, 3 tied, and 6 even.

Two of the six rounds given to Miller were due to Sarron fouls.

On May 11, 1936, Sarron first took the National Boxing Association World Featherweight championship from Freddie Miller in a fifteen-round points decision at Griffith Stadium, an American League ball park, in Washington D. C. Before an impressive crowd of 23,000, Sarron swarmed over Miller, came up with an early lead in points, and nearly scored knockouts in the thirteen and fifteenth rounds.

Sarron had previously lost to Miller three times.

The new champion bobbed and weaved expertly, sometimes ducking close to the floor to avoid the blows of Miller, who seemed to have an advantage in the first four rounds.

In the ninth through fifteenth, Sarron showed his strongest advantage.

Sarron collected the relatively modest sum of $10,000 for his win.

In 1940, Covelli would contend for the NBA World Featherweight Title in Washington D.C.