SAGILIO K.O.’S PETE NEBO
Three champions-two of them formers at the time-failed to knock him out this year, but last night Frankie Sagilio, West Side lightweight star, knocked out Pete Nebo, the Seminole Indian, in the eighth round of their scheduled ten-round encounter at Sparta Stadium, featuring the first boxing show held there in the outdoor season.
It was a smashing win for Sagilio, for Nebo, as late as a few months ago, extended Barney Ross, light-weight and welterweight champion of the world; Tony Canzoneri, ex-lightweight titlist, and Kid Chocolate, ex-featherweight leader. He fought twele rounds against Ross at Kansas City, but last night he had to yield before the heavy blasting of the strong West Side Italian.
Nebo did his usual busy scoring of punches through the early rounds, but in the seventh he was finally tagged by the West Sider for two knockdowns. The bell saved him after he had been dropped for the second time, but the eighth found him covering up thoroughly, with his two gloves close to his face and he weaving and bobbing to escape what was to come.
A sharp left, followed by a right, had dashed Pete to the floor the round before, but it seemed that he was weathering his distress in the eighth. The strong Sagilio battered him, even through his close-protecting gloves, and suddenly dropped him with a thudding, decisive right-hand wallop. Nebo was struggling to arise and beat the count, but he was unable to pull himself off the floor. Pete has had more than 200 fights, but he never had such a harsh ending as in this one.
The knockout left little doubt but that here, in Sagilio, is the toughest hitter the lightweight division has known in some time. Ross, Canzoneri and Chocolate were unable to leave Nebo down there in the resin as Sagilio did.
In the semi-windup, Lenny Cohen, North Side flyweight, floored Bobby O’Dowd to win the decision in eight heats. O’Dowd was superior to Lenny in previous battles, but he was a victim in this case of Cohen’s improved sharpshooting with his right hand.
SAGILIO PASSES TEST IN STYLE: STOPS NEBO IN 8
BY MIKE MURPHY.
A feat which no other fighter has ever accomplished against Pete Nebo, the Seminole Indian-that of knocking him out-was turned by up-and-coming Frankie (“Little Dynamite”) Sagilio, Cicero Italian, at Sparta Stadium last night.
Where such hard-walloping battlers as Canzoneri, Benny Bass, Ray Miller and others failed, little Frankie came along to hand out an unmerciful trimming before he smashed Nebo to the canvas to be counted out in the eighth round of a scheduled ten-stanza battle.
Passes “Acid Test.”
Frankie, the most promising youngster to come up in this territory in many a moon, and making his first ten-round start against so experienced a mitt tosser as Nebo, showed remarkably well in the “acid test.” Nebo is the third ranking lightweight, being topped only by Ross, Canzoneri and Frankie Klick.
Sagilio, who carries TNT in both mitts, caught Nebo with solid smacks to the whiskers throughout the entire fight and had Pete hurt in every round. He landed with lefts and rights continually throughout the fight and it really was amazing to see the Indian absorb all those terrific wallops and always come back for more. No other fighter could have stood that punishment more than a few rounds.
Nebo Is Game.
Nebo, not a hard puncher, but a boy who throws plenty of leather, gamely kept wading into Frankie to swap wallops. He managed to score with Punches thrown from all angles, but Sagilio always got the best of it by nailing him with blows smack on the jaw, some driving him up against the ropes and others making him fall into a clinch to hold on.
Pete was shaken plenty, more than once in the battle, and beginning the seventh round it could be see it was only a matter of time he would kiss the canvas. Frankie came in with a beautiful left and right to the jaw and dropped Nebo for a count of six. Pete got up, but Frankie tore back in, scoring again with a left and right and again Pete was on the floor, being saved by the bell.
ITALIAN FANS HAIL SAGILIO
Frankie Sagilio, hard-walloping West Side Lightweight, comes forward at this time as the main hope of Italian fans in Chicago to reach the gladiatorial heights of the fistic game. The sock-o-kid, who goes to the barrier tomorrow night against Joey Kaufman, New York Hebrew lightweight in the Cicero Stadium six-round headliner, succeeds Earl Mastro and Eddie Shea as the favorite performer of his nationality here.
Mastro Retired as a featherweight challenger only shortly after his terrific, but unsuccessful effort to win the world’s title from Bat Bat-talino. The veteran Shea is on his way out as a factor following his defeat by Leo Rodak Monday night. Thus Sagilio becomes the pride of a nationality that has never failed to have one or more outstanding principals in the ring.
Sagilio has what it takes to reach the top flight in a hurry and he now holds a string of four successive knockouts in addition to his unbeaten record. The fact that he is a double-barreled threat because of his hitting power in both hands adds all the more to his glamour, even at this early stage in his career. Many believe that as he becomes a more finished puncher he will skyrocket to lightweight fame and eventually bring about a West Side natural-Sagilio vs. Barney Ross.