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Henry
'K.O' Yutzy's
Boxing Career
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Henry "K.O." Yutzy
(1902-1986) -- who married our Edith Minerd of the family of James
W. and Minerva (Bodkin) Minerd -- began boxing at the age of 14 in his
hometown of Meyersdale, Somerset County, PA. His nickname "K.O" or
"Kayo" was a play on words for "knock out," and he carried
it to the end of his life. Also known as the "iron jawed coal miner,"
he boxed as a welterweight in 60 known matches, 51 of them officially
sanctioned, during the period of 1922 to 1930.
His first manager was John "Doc" Daugherty of Meyersdale.
On March 3, 1924, at the age of 22, his contract was purchased for $275 by
promoter Vic Ricker of Cumberland, MD. The new contract covered three years, with
Ricker earning 25 percent of K.O.'s earnings.
K.O. was considered one of the only men
in Cumberland who took his craft so seriously that he got in shape for every match. A
news reporter once noted that K.O. had "the worst pair of cauliflowered
ears we have ever seen and we've met many boxers over the past 28 years."
His nose was broken at least four times.
|
Cumberland (MD)
news story, 1971 |
K.O.'s first fight in Cumberland, MD --
his future home -- is said to have been against Cocky Dilla
of Pittsburgh, but no date has been found. Other opponents whose fight outcomes
are not yet documented were Bobby Crafton and Buster Reid. He mainly fought in
Maryland and Pennsylvania but also had matches in Ohio and Indiana He is said to
have been so well liked in Youngstown,
Ohio that he had bouts there 11 times. He never fought in Pittsburgh.
The Altoona (PA) Tribune (March 12, 1923)
said that K.O. "is fairly well known here and has appeared on several occasions both here and in Johnstown, and always has pleased. While not one of the first-raters, yet he is a good battler, with plenty of grit and ability to give and take hard wallops."
The Indiana (PA) Gazette (Dec. 29, 1923) carried a photo and feature
story which said that K.O. was "a young, willing fighter who can fight, will fight and does fight. He is a fighting Junior Welterweight of class who has won his last four fights by a knockout. A glutton for punishment, a real offensive fighter.
Yutzy will give the fight fans of Indiana a fight feast long to be remembered."
His promoter Ricker was widely regarded
as a teller of tall tales. One of his favorites was that while in training, K.O.
once hit his sparring partner so hard that the man became wedged in back of a radiator pipe and had to be removed by friends.
"The blow put the heating system out of whack and the pipefitters had to go to
work," he said.
K.O.'s last known fight took place in
June 1930, a loss against Joe
Colombo (or "Palumbo") of Clarksburg, WV. In retirement, he
remained in Cumberland and was well known as a good man and gentle soul. At age 48, in February 1948, he had a comeback of sorts as a boxing judge.
In April 1962, he and his former promoter Ricker were pictured in the
Cumberland Evening Times at a testimonial dinner for 100 guests held at the Cumberland Country Club.
On Sept. 26, 1971, he received a lifetime membership in the Has-Beens, Inc., a
group of boxing enthusiasts who revived amateur boxing in Cumberland..
This list of K.O.'s known matches has
been compiled through a Newspapers.com search and by cross-checking against
detailed records on BoxRec.com.
~
Boxing Career of Henry "K.O." Yutzy of Cumberland, MD ~ |
Date |
Opponent |
Location |
Winner/Comments |
1922 |
|
|
|
Sept.
21, 1922 |
K.O.
Circus |
Firemen's
Casino, Meyersdale, PA |
Draw |
Oct. 13,
1922 |
Albert
"Bobby" Green |
Liberty
Theater, Cumberland, MD |
Green |
Nov. 4
or 24, 1922 |
Freddie Lux of Pittsburgh |
Frohsinn
Hall, Altoona, PA - Promoted by Al Delozier |
Draw |
|
|
|
|
1923 |
Opponent |
Location |
Winner/Comments |
Jan. 26, 1923* |
Young Dudley |
Somerset,
PA |
Yutzy -
TKO in 9th round |
Feb. 20,
1923 |
Steve
Carter |
Moose
Temple, Johnstown, PA |
Yutzy -
knockout in 3rd round |
March 12, 1923 |
Frankie Farmer
of Youngstown, OH - or Johnny Fowles |
Altoona,
PA |
Farmer
or Fowles in 12 rounds |
March 22, 1923 |
Jimmy Goines |
Johnstown, PA |
Newspapers
said a "slashing draw" after 6 rounds - Career Record says
Yutzy. |
April 17, 1923 |
Bernie Conway of Johnstown, PA |
Vigilant
Hall, Johnstown, PA |
Conway in 10 rounds --
Pittsburgh Daily Post: "Yutzy was on the defense continually and had little chance to show his wares." |
May 29,
1923 |
Johnny
King |
Craft's
Five Acres, Uniontown, PA |
King in
10 rounds |
June 7,
1923 |
Bernie
Conway - rematch |
Johnstown,
PA |
Conway
in 10 rounds |
July 10, 1923 |
Johnny Crouse of Philadelphia |
Johnstown, PA |
Crouse in 8 rounds |
Dec. 3.
1923 |
Albert
"Bobby" Green |
Maryland
Theater, Cumberland, MD |
Yutzy
in 5 rounds |
Dec. 14,
1923 |
Albert
"Bobby" Green - rematch |
State
Armory, Cumberland, MD |
Yutzy
by TKO in 7th round |
|
|
|
|
1924 |
Opponent |
Location |
Winner/Comments |
Jan. 1, 1924* |
Mike Urick of the Pittsburgh Lyceum |
Indiana,
PA. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "Yutzy has been going like a house afire lately, winning his
last four bouts by knockouts. Urick met Yutzy about a year ago and earned a draw by a whirlwind finish." |
|
Jan. 14, 1924* |
Tommy Murphy of Huntington,
WV |
Maryland Theater, Cumberland,
MD |
Yutzy
by knockout in the 2nd round. |
Jan. 17, 1924 |
Dude Murphy of Toronto, OH |
Majestic Club,
a.k.a. Palisades Rink, McKeesport, PA |
Murphy
by decision. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "Both men apparently entered the ring with only one object in mind, a knockout. Wild swinging was the feature with a lot of chasing around thrown in. Yutzy landed the most punches and appeared to win with ease
but the judges disagreed. Referee Al Foss decided in favor of
Yutzy." |
Feb. 19,
1924 |
Bert
(or "Birch") Schneider - Canadian welterweight champion |
Youngstown,
OH |
Yutzy
in 8 rounds |
March
26, 1924 |
Red
Malley |
Maryland
Theatre, Cumberland, MD |
Yutzy
in 6 rounds |
March
31, 1924 |
Jimmy
Muche |
Rayen-Wood
Auditorium, Youngstown, OH |
Yutzy
in 10 rounds |
April
15, 1924 |
Johnny
King |
Rayen-Wood
Auditorium, Youngstown, OH |
King in
10 rounds |
April 19
or 20, 1924 |
Xenophon
Kakouros, a.k.a. "Young Xeny," the "Fighting Dentist" of the University of Pittsburgh |
State Armory of Indiana, PA
-- or possibly Maryland Theater in Cumberland, MD |
Xeny in
12 rounds. |
April 15, 1924 |
Johnny King of Fayette City, PA |
Rayen-Wood
Auditorium, Youngstown, OH |
King in 10
rounds |
April 29, 1924 |
Young Xeny of Pittsburgh |
Maryland Theater in Cumberland, MD |
Xeny in 12 rounds.
Pittsburgh Daily Post: "The Greek played all around the miner boy, outboxing him and
landing the cleaner blows. He hit Yutsy [sic] practically every time he came in and beat him to the punch. Yutzy never got a chance to set himself." |
May 28,
1924 |
K.O.
Jitney of Beaver Falls, PA |
Lyric
Theatre, Frostburg, MD |
Yutzy
in 12 rounds |
June 2,
1924 |
Jimmy
Muche - rematch |
Knights
of Columbus Hall, Steubenville, OH |
Yutzy
in 10 rounds. Cumberland News: "...it was the kind of fight
that saw both men disregard almost every rule in the book to engage in a
Pier 7 brawl. On several occasions the referee threatened to leave the
ring because he not only feared the boxers would maim each other but he
was trying to protect his own life. Muche's followers threatened to
'get' Yutzy after the fight so Ricker and his breadwinner returned to
their hotel via the back alleys and got out of town on the first
train." |
Sept. 5, 1924 |
Fay Keiser |
Mid-City
Stadium, Cumberland, MD |
Keiser in 12 rounds |
Dec. 1, 1924 |
Young
"Kid" Xeny - 2nd rematch |
Rayen-Wood
Auditorium, Youngstown, OH. Promoted by Al Zill. |
Xeny in
10 rounds |
April 17, 1925 |
Jack Druner
(or "Durner") of Allentown, PA |
Maryland
Theatre, Cumberland, MD |
Yutzy
by TKO in 7th round |
May 29, 1925 |
Johnny Donnelly of Cumberland, MD |
Mid-City
Stadium, Cumberland, MD - 1st open air show of the Mid-City Athletic Association.
Connellsville Daily Courier: Yutzy "is in training at the Athletic Club rooms" at Vanderbilt, PA |
Draw in
12 rounds |
Sept. 1, 1925 |
Jimmy Finley of Louisville, IN |
Fort
Benjamin Harrison Arena, Lawrence, IN |
Finley
by TKO in 5 rounds. Indianapolis Star: "In the second Yutzy was down for nine. In the fifth, after being floored, he climbed through the ropes." |
Oct. 20, 1925 |
Tony Ross
or Mickey Flynn |
Maryland Theater, Cumberland, MD - the first of a series of indoor shows promoted by Vic Ricker and Tommy
Maus |
Draw in
8 rounds |
Nov. 16, 1925* |
Billy Carter of
Connellsville, PA |
Perryopolis, PA |
Scheduled
for 4 rounds |
Nov. 30, 1925* |
Joe Mullen |
Dickerson Run (PA) YMCA |
|
|
|
|
|
1926 |
Opponent |
Location |
Winner/Comments |
March 16, 1926 |
"Irish"
Johnny Burke of Cleveland |
Rayen-Wood
Auditorium, Youngstown, OH |
Yutzy
by TKO by in 5 rounds, "the bout being stopped to save Burke from needless punishment,"
said the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Said promoter Ricker in the Cumberland
News: "He hit Burke so hard in the 5th that Johnny bounced out
of the ring like a rubber ball and was counted out." |
March 29, 1926 |
Mickey
Fedor of Donora, PA |
Rayen-Wood
Auditorium, Youngstown, OH |
Yutzy in "six slashing rounds,"
said the Pittsburgh Daily Post. |
April 29, 1926* |
Billy Carter of Connellsville, PA |
Slavish Hall, West Side, Connellsville |
Scheduled
for 4 rounds |
May 18, 1926 |
Johnny Carey
- had won 12 straight previous bouts |
State Armory,
South Centre Street, Cumberland, MD |
Yutzy
by knockout, 1st round - considered by Ricker as Yutzy's most
sensational performance |
May 28,
1926 |
Johnny
Carey - rematch |
Erie,
PA |
Carey
in 10 rounds |
Sept. 1, 1926 |
Pal Kansas |
Hakoah Club,
Youngstown, OH |
|
Dec. 16, 1926 |
Rudy Cedar of Tarentum, PA |
Palisades
Rink, McKeesport, PA - Connellsville Daily Courier: "It will be Yutzy's first appearance within a squared circle after a layoff of three months.... He is at his best when he tips the scales at 142 pounds." |
Cedar
by TKO in 10th round |
|
|
|
|
1927 |
Opponent |
Location |
Winner/Comments |
Feb. 14, 1927 |
Rudy Cedar
- rematch |
Maryland
Theatre, Cumberland, MD |
Yutzy
in 10 rounds - Pittsburgh Daily Post: "He hammered his way to a popular verdict over the blood-bespattered but fighting Rudy Cedar of Pittsburgh here tonight before a capacity house at the Maryland Theater. Cedar never was in real danger, as even when seemingly very battered, he obliged with timely bursts from a wicked right which never failed to shake the
local lad." A 1951 Cumberland news article said he "almost tore off Rudy's ear with a terrific hook." |
March 28, 1927 |
Bobby Richardson |
Maryland
Theatre, Cumberland, MD |
Richardson in 10 rounds |
May 20,
1927 |
Sylvan
Bass |
State
Armory, Hagerstown, MD |
Bass in
10 rounds |
May 27,
1927 |
Walter
Dickerson of McKeesport, PA |
Maryland
Theatre, Cumberland, MD |
Draw in
6 rounds |
June 13,
1927 |
Sylvan
Bass - rematch |
Carlin's
Park, Baltimiore, MD |
Bass in
6 rounds |
Aug. 16, 1927 |
Jack Lumber of Youngstown, OH |
Evans
Opera House, Lonaconing, MD |
Yutzy
in 2 rounds |
Sept.
22, 1927 |
Rudy
Cedar - rematch |
Palisades
Rink, McKeesport, PA |
Cedar
in 10 rounds |
Oct. 10,
1927 |
Joey
LaGrey |
Johnstown,
PA |
LaGrey
in 8 rounds. Promoter Ricker thought it was Yutzy's best fight. |
Oct. 12
or 13, 1927 |
Ralph Hood of Charlotte, NC |
Fair Grounds
Arena, Hagerstown, MD |
Yutzy
in 7 rounds |
Nov. 11, 1927 |
Walter Dickerson
- rematch |
State Armory,
Hagerstown, MD, staged by the Hagerstown Base Ball Club |
Yutzy in 10 rounds |
Dec. 20, 1927 |
Walter Dickerson
- rematch |
State Armory,
Hagerstown, MD |
Draw
after 6 rounds |
|
|
|
|
1928 |
Opponent |
Location |
Winner/Comments |
Jan. 12,
1928 |
Lester
"Buster" Reed of Mt. Savage, MD |
State
Armory, Cumberland, MD |
Reed in
10 rounds |
March 1,
1928 |
Lester
"Buster" Reed of Mt. Savage, MD |
State
Armory, Cumberland, MD |
Yutzy
in 10 rounds |
April 13, 1928 |
Fay Keiser |
State
Armory, Cumberland, MD |
Yutzy
in 10 rounds. Gate receipts announced at $2,775. |
May 14,
1928 |
Christopher
"Cuddy" DeMarco - the "Sheik of Charleroi" |
State
Armory, Cumberland, MD -- DeMarco known as a "pocket edition" of famed Pittsburgh boxer Harry
Greb |
DeMarco
in 10 rounds |
July 4,
1928 |
George
Peck |
Bedford,
PA - open air ring |
Draw
after 5 rounds - during an electrical story, lightning struck, just as
Yutzy punched Peck, and the power went off. Yutzy is rumored to have
gone to the corner and said to his manager, "Gosh, Vic, I must have
really hit him hard to put all those lights out." |
Oct. 15, 1928 |
Albert "Bobby" Green
- rematch |
State Armory,
Cumberland, MD |
Green
in 10 rounds |
|
|
|
|
1929 |
Opponent |
Location |
Winner/Comments |
March
19, 1929 |
Al
Fields |
State
Armory, Cumberland, MD |
Yutzy
by TKO in 3rd round |
May 2,
1929 |
Teddy
Welsh |
State
Armory, Cumberland, MD |
Yutzy
in 8 rounds |
|
|
|
|
1930 |
Opponent |
Location |
Winner/Comments |
June 19,
1930 |
Joe
Colombo (or "Palumbo") of Clarksburg, WV |
State
Armory, Cumberland, MD - Cumberland Evening Times: "Yutzy,
veteran welterweight, returns to the ring after almost a year's
absence..." |
Colombo
in 6 rounds. Yutzy is not known to have fought again. |
Copyright
© 2016, 2022 Mark A. Miner
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