Home  Books Book Five Snapshots Retzlaff, Charley
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Charley Retzlaff (1904-1970)
Quest for Heavyweight Title Stopped by Joe Louis
One of the top heavyweight boxing contenders of the early 1930s was born and raised in North Dakota. Famous sports writer Damon Runyon wrote that Charley Retzlaff was “the best looking heavy weight prospect that had bobbed up in a long time.” Retzlaff was undefeated in his first 21 professional fights, losing for the first time by disqualification. He avenged the loss to that opponent one month later and followed it up with 11 more victories before suffering another loss. When Retzlaff went undefeated in his next 10 bouts, his promoter was lining up a title fight with heavyweight champ Primo Carnera. In his tune-up match on August 9, 1932, Retzlaff was upset by Isidoro Gastanaga, and he didn’t get another legitimate crack at the title until over three years later. On January 17, 1936, he needed to get past the number one contender, but young Joe Louis was too fast for the older Retzlaff, knocking him out in the first round. After the defeat, Retzlaff retired to his farm in rural Cass County.
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