Pinkie George боксёр

Paul "Pinkie" George (born Paul Lloyd Georgeacopoulos; January 22, 1905 – November 1, 1993) was an American professional wrestling promoter, boxer and businessman best known as the visionary behind, and first president of, the National Wrestling Alliance. He operated the NWA's Iowa territory, one of the primary members of the NWA based in Des Moines. Described by Sam Muchnick as the father of the NWA George was inducted into the NWA Hall of Fame in 2014.Georgeacopoulos was born to Greek parents Limberis "Louis" and Elizabeth Bolanis Georgeacopoulos in Lowell, Massachusetts on January 22, 1905. When he was a teenager he and his family (including younger brother Andrew) relocated to Black Hawk County, Iowa, where their surname was changed to "George". After completing school, Pinkie embarked on a stint as a boxer; first as an amateur and then as a professional. Fighting as a flyweight, he completed in over 160 bouts with limited success. On August 29, 1928, he suffered a knockout defeat to Speedy Dado which was a turning point in his tenure as a boxer.After marrying his wife, Elizabeth, Georgeacopoulos embarked on a promotional career in Mason City, Iowa. They relocated to Des Moines, Iowa, where George promoted his first professional wrestling match between Joe Stecher and George Vassel in 1928. On September 20, 1934, George was one of many promoters to attend the Ed Lewis–Londos bout at Wrigley Field. He managed numerous fighters such as Johnny Paychek, Glen Flanagan, Abel Cestac and Lee Savold.In 1948, he brought a National Basketball League franchise (the Waterloo Hawks) to Iowa, which proved to be unsuccessful. After losing $20,000 in under a year, he sold the franchise to his brother Andy and Charley Shipp.As a wrestling promoter, George worked closely with fellow promoters in Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Missouri.