Fidel LA BARBA

United States of America
United States of America
BoxingBoxing
Olympic Medals
1G
Games Participations1
First Olympic GamesParis 1924
Year of Birth1905

Biography

Outstanding as an amateur, Fidel LaBarba went on to even greater success as a professional. After winning the 1924 Olympic flyweight championship, LaBarba won the world professional championship from another Olympian, Frankie Genaro, in 1925. La Barba never defended his title and retired only a few months later to enter Stanford University and major in journalism. He stated that he had already made over $400,000 in the ring, but the stock market crash and depression depleted most of that. He returned to the ring in 1929, first as a bantamweight and eventually moving up to the featherweight class. Although he eventually had some title fights in the heavier classes, he was never the fighter he was as a flyweight. Nat Fleischer, well-known boxing expert, rated La Barba the fourth best flyweight of all-time, behind Genaro, Jimmy Wilde and Pancho Villa. After retiring as a fighter in 1933, La Barba became a journalist, writing for boxing newspapers and magazines. He also served as a boxing advisor in Hollywood.

Olympic Results

Athlete Olympic Results Content

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