Stephen Michael "Steve" Halaiko (December 27, 1908, in
Auburn, New York
Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States. Located at the north end of Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in Central New York, the city had a population of 26,866 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city of Cayuga County, th ...
– February 6, 2001) was an American
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
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who competed in the
1928 Summer Olympics.
Amateur career
Because of his baseball skill, Halaiko won a scholarship to Cook Academy at Montour Falls, the oldest prep school in New York State. He organized
Cook's first boxing team, serving as coach and captain. Steve made rapid strides with his fists. He won the 1928 national amateur lightweight title, which qualified him for the Olympic Games in Amsterdam that same year. Halaiko won 115 of 116 amateur fights and was the U.S. AAU Champion at 135 lbs in 1928 and 1929.
At the Amsterdam Olympics in 1928, Halaiko won the silver medal in the lightweight class after losing the final against
Carlo Orlandi.
1928 Olympic results
Below are the results of Stephen Halaiko, an American lightweight boxer who competed in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics:
* Round of 32: Defeated Tomas Poetsch (Czechoslovakia) on points
* Round of 16: Defeated
Witold Majchrzycki (Poland) on points
* Quarterfinal: Defeated
Pascual Bonfiglio (Argentina) on points
* Semifinal: Defeated
Gunnar Berggren
Gunnar Alf Erik Berggren (26 January 1908 – 2 September 1983) was a Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken p ...
(Sweden) on points
* Final: Lost to
Carlo Orlandi (Italy) on points
Professional career
Steve turned pro soon after the Olympics and quickly moved up the ladder with a string of victories. In 1930 he won his first important fight by winning an 8-round decision over former lightweight champion Sammy Mandell. 1933 would be one of his best years in the professional ring. He defeated
Cocoa Kid twice, he beat and had a draw with
Wesley Ramey and scored a decision over Paris Apice. In 1934 Steve defeated
Lou Ambers
Luigi Giuseppe d'Ambrosio (November 8, 1913 – April 25, 1995), a.k.a. Lou Ambers, was an American World Lightweight boxing champion who fought from 1932 to 1941. Ambers fought many other boxing greats, such as Henry Armstrong and Tony Canzoneri ...
over 6 rounds in Syracuse and less than 3 weeks later they would battle to a 10-round draw in Providence. During Halaiko’s 13-year career he would break the top 10 rankings many times and fight the greats of his era. Among those greats were, Izzy Janazzo,
Pedro Montanez,
Tippy Larkin and
Tony Canzoneri
Tony Canzoneri (November 6, 1908 – December 9, 1959) was an American professional boxer. A three-division world champion, he held a total of five world titles. Canzoneri is a member of the exclusive group of boxing world champions who have won ...
. His final record was 74-35-11 with 22 KO’s which spanned from 1929 to 1942.
Halaiko died on February 6, 2001, at the age of 92.
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Halaiko, Stephen
1908 births
2001 deaths
Boxers from New York (state)
Lightweight boxers
Olympic boxers for the United States
Boxers at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Olympic silver medalists for the United States in boxing
Sportspeople from Auburn, New York
American male boxers
Medalists at the 1928 Summer Olympics