Charley Zivic (January 31, 1925 – November 27, 1984) was a

Lebanese American Lebanese Americans ( ar, أمريكيون لبنانيون) are Americans of Lebanese descent. This includes both those who are native to the United States of America, as well as immigrants from Lebanon. Lebanese Americans comprise 0.79% of the ...

professional

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

from 1944 through 1951, with 42 wins, 13 losses, and 4 draws. Notably, he fought through his entire career with a metal plate in his right arm – limiting his range of motion to 5 to 7 inches – an injury he sustained when, as a ten-year-old boy, he dove off a two-story shanty roof in his Lower Hill District neighborhood - and a dead or dying right kidney.

Career

In April 1950, at

Duquesne Gardens The Duquesne Gardens (officially Duquesne Garden until 1940 and The Gardens afterward) was the main sports arena located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during the first half of the 20th century. Built in 1890, the building originally served as a tr ...

in Pittsburgh, Zivic was ahead in a fight with

Laurent Dauthuille Laurent Dauthuille (20 February 1924 – 10 July 1971) was a French boxer. Arriving in Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Q ...

, in the elimination bout for a title shot with Jake LaMotta. After getting knocked down in the ninth round, Zivic was on his feet taking the mandatory standing eight count, when Dauthuille moved out of his neutral corner and pounced on him for the kill at 1:15. Zivic went into the ring four more times after this loss, winning two and losing two, his last loss to Gene Hairston. He'd signed to meet Bobby Dykes and was back in training at the Pittsburgh Lyceum, when he complained of an unusual weariness. He was taken to the nearby Mercy Hospital where X-rays revealed that he had a dead right kidney that dated back to 1944, the same year that he began his boxing career. Doctors explained it as not a boxing injury at all, but an old football injury from his years as a semi-professional running back.

Ownership and Name Change

For the first part of Zivic career he was owned and managed by fellow Pittsburgher and ex-Welterweight Champion of the World,

Fritzie Zivic Fritzie Zivic (May 8, 1913 – May 16, 1984), born as Ferdinand Henry John Zivcich ( hr, Živčić), was an American boxer who held the world welterweight championship from October 4, 1940, until July 29, 1941. His managers included Luke Carney, ...

, who was not only still active in the ring himself, but also owned a growing stable of other professional prizefighters. When Fritzie lacked the adequate time to devote to Zivic's career, he sold his contract to Billy Sarkis and Hymie Schwartz, also of Pittsburgh.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zivic, Charley 1925 births 1984 deaths Middleweight boxers Welterweight boxers Boxers from Pennsylvania Boxers from Pittsburgh American people of Lebanese descent American male boxers Burials at Calvary Catholic Cemetery (Pittsburgh) Sportspeople of Lebanese descent