Sammy Mandell

Sammy Mandell (a.k.a. Samuel Mandella; February 5, 1904 – November 7, 1967) was a World lightweight boxing champion from 1926-1930. Born in Rockford, Illinois, and named Salvatore Mandala, he was known as the "Rockford Sheik" due to his Rudolph Valentino like good looks and as the "Rockford Flash" due to his fast hands and foot speed. His father was an Albanian and his mother Italian. Statistical boxing website BoxRec ranks Mandell as the 13th greatest lightweight boxer to have ever lived.[2] He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1998.[1]

Sammy Mandell
Statistics
Real nameSalvatore Mandala
Nickname(s)Rockford Sheik
Rockford Flash
Weight(s)Lightweight
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Reach67 in (170 cm)
Nationality American
BornSalvatore Mandala
February 5, 1904
Rockford, Illinois, United States or Piana del Greci, Sicily
DiedNovember 7, 1967(1967-11-07) (aged 63)
Oak Park, Illinois, United States
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights120
Wins88
Wins by KO32
Losses22
Draws10
No contests5[1]

Amateur career
Mandell (left) during his bout with Rocky Kansas

Mandell developed his fighting skills at the Camp Grant barracks in Rockford, Illinois. He was too young and underweight to join the army, weighing 105 lbs. Despite this, his persistence in hanging around the wrestling and boxing training areas saw him gain permission to join in with the military personnel. The camp boxing instructor at the time was Fred Dyer, "The Singing Boxer," who recalled in a 1926 interview how Mandell beat every soldier in the bantamweight class and was able to best men 10 lbs heavier than him. Dyer also stated that he advised Mandell to turn professional.[3]

Pro career

On July 17, 1925, future champion Mandell fought Solly Seeman in East Chicago, Indiana. Seeman knocked down Mandell in the first round, and in the opinion of many ringside had the edge throughout the bout.[4][5]

Trained by the legendary Jack Blackburn, Mandell was an outstanding, clever fighter who carried a solid punch, fast hands and superb defensive skills. He won the championship when he outpointed Rocky Kansas on July 3, 1926. He successfully defended his crown against four contenders, including against hall of famers and future champions Tony Canzoneri and Jimmy McLarnin.[6][7] In a startling upset, Mandell lost the crown when he was KOed by Al Singer in the first round.

Notable bouts
Result Opponent Type Rd., Time Date Location Notes[8]
Loss Kid Kaplan PTS 10 1931-08-24 Hurley Stadium, East Hartford, Connecticut
Loss Steve Halaiko PTS 8 1930-12-01 Convention Hall, Rochester, New York
Loss Al Singer KO 1 (15), 1:46 1930-07-17 Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York Lost World Lightweight Title.
Loss Jimmy McLarnin UD 10 1930-03-01 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Loss Jimmy McLarnin SD 10 1929-11-04 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Win Tony Canzoneri SD 10 1929-08-02 Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois Retained World Lightweight Title.
Win Jimmy McLarnin UD 15 1928-05-21 Polo Grounds, New York, New York Retained World Lightweight Title.
Win Jackie Fields UD 10 1928-02-23 Chicago Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois
Win Billy Petrolle NWS 10 1928-01-13 Minneapolis Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota Newspaper Decision
Loss Jackie Fields NWS 12 1927-04-04 Wrigley Field, Los Angeles, California Newspaper Decision
Win Rocky Kansas PTS 10 1926-07-03 Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois Won World Lightweight Title.
Win Solly Seeman ND 10 1925-07-17 Open Air Arena, East Chicago, Indiana Newspaper Decision
Win Sid Terris PTS 12 1925-02-06 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win Johnny Dundee NWS 10 1924-06-09 Open-Air Arena, East Chicago, Indiana Newspaper Decision
Win Jack Bernstein NWS 12 1924-05-16 Louisville, Kentucky Newspaper Decision
Draw Jack Bernstein PTS 15 1924-01-11 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Draw Sid Terris PTS 10 1923-12-17 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Draw Memphis Pal Moore NWS 8 1922-07-04 Russwood Park, Memphis, Tennessee Newspaper Decision
Win Memphis Pal Moore NWS 10 1921-08-26 Sager's Arena, Aurora, Illinois Newspaper Decision

See also

Notes
  1. "Sammy Mandell Bio". International Boxing Hall of Fame. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  2. "All-Time Lightweight Rankings". BoxRec. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  3. "Mandell Got Bunch of Bananas for One Bout". The Border Cities Star. 8 June 1927. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  4. Blady, Ken, The Jewish Boxers' Hall of Fame, (1988), Shapolsky Publishers, Inc, New York, Pgs. 149-52
  5. "Solly Seeman". BoxRec. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  6. "Professional boxing record: Sammy Mandel". Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  7. "Sammy Mandell, p. 198" (pdf). The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall Of Fame Official Record Book. International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  8. Sammy Mandell's Professional Boxing Record. BoxRec.com. Retrieved on 2014-05-18.
Achievements
Preceded by
Rocky Kansas		 World Lightweight Champion
July 3, 1926 – July 17, 1930		 Succeeded by
Al Singer
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