Ferdinand Henry John Zivicich, aka Fritzie Zivic, passed away on May 16, 1984. Zivic was a legendary boxer, known for his rough-and-tumble, no-holds-barred attitude towards the sport.
Despite having 65 losses, he had an incredible list of 157 wins and 87 knockouts, including some of boxing’s greatest fighters. Born in Pittsburgh in 1913 to Croatian and Slovenian parents, Zivic made his debut in 1931 and soon developed a reputation as a dirty fighter.
However, he himself claimed to have never lost a fight on a foul in his life, insisting that he was simply a rough fighter who used every part of his body to clinch victory. In 1940, Zivic won the welterweight championship against Henry Armstrong, in what many consider to be his finest performance ever.
After losing his belt to Freddie Cochrane in 1941, he continued to elbow and headbutt his way through the welter and middleweight ranks until his retirement in 1949. Zivic was later inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993.
After his boxing career ended, he took on a variety of jobs, including boxing manager, steel mill worker, bartender, and salesman. He passed away without ever learning to play the piano, but his legacy in the world of boxing lives on.