Pete Rademacher

Thomas Peter ( " Pete " ) Rademacher ( born August 20, 1928 in Grandview ( Washington)) is a former American heavyweight boxer.

Amateur

He had a record of 72 wins and 7 losses. Rademacher 1953 U.S. Amateur champion. In 1956, he took for the USA at the Olympic Games in Melbourne and won in the heavyweight class the gold medal. He won it in the final against the Russians Lev Dmitrievich Mukhin by a first-round KO.

Professional

After the Olympic victory, he provoked the reigning heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson publicity by claiming that he could be a world champion in his first pro fight. Patterson gave him the chance and Rademacher, becoming the first and only professional boxer, who was allowed to fight in his debut fight for the world title.

In the title fight on August 22, 1957, he hit Patterson in the second round, even to the ground, but ultimately lost in the sixth round by KO.

He boxed a total of only five years, and had mainly due to his poor chin difficult position. DC in the second fight he was knocked out Zora Folley of which he had ruled clearly an amateur. Later he went against, among others ex- light heavyweight Archie Moore, Doug Jones and the Englishman Brian London KO, only against Karl Mildenberger he lost on points.

The only known heavyweights, he could defeat, was George Chuvalo. In 1962, he finally ended after a points victory against former middleweight world champion Carl Olsen his career.

He later became a successful manager of a swimming pool company.