Lou Salica boxer

Louis ("Lou") Salica (November 16, 1912 – January 30, 2002) was an American boxer, who captured the National Boxing Association World Bantamweight Title twice in his career, in 1935 and 1940. His managers were Hymie Kaplan and Willie Ketchum. Some sources list a different birth date for Salica, July 26, 1913.As a youth, Salica won the Flyweight bronze medal as an amateur at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.Salica was born in Brooklyn, New York to a large Italian family of sixteen children on November 16, 1912. As an exceptional amateur, he won the New York City Golden Gloves Flyweight Championship in 1932. He won the Metropolitan Flyweight Championship in 1931 and 1932, as well as the 1932 National AAU Flyweight Championship.Turning professional and fighting in the Brooklyn area from December 1932 to February 1934, he won fifteen of his first sixteen bouts with one draw.On December 27, 1933, he defeated Native American boxer Pete DeGrasse in a six round points decision in Broadway Arena in Brooklyn. He would fight and defeat DeGrasse again in a longer ten round points decision on May 11, 1937 at Olympic Stadium in Los Angeles. DeGrasse normally fought as a featherweight, outweighed Salica by three pounds. Salica opened a cut over the eye of DeGrasse in the seventh round, but DeGrasse finished strong in the close bout, making many in the crowd question the referee's decision.He defeated Harry Bauman once on April 2, 1934 in a six round points decision at St. Nicholas Arena in New York City.