"Knock 'em out!!"
Pugilist, Hilton “Fitzie” Fitzpatrick
The colorful swashbuckling two-fisted fighter, a one-man riot fought out of Los Angeles in the '40s, was a world-ranked and top contender for the Heavyweight crown held by Joe Louis. Harry Winkler of Ring Magazine tabbed Fitzie as “the greatest two-handed puncher since Jack Dempsey.”
Fitzie Fitzpatrick was acclaimed by many boxing experts as one of the most thrilling battlers of all time. The blazing West Virginian scored one of the world’s quickest knockouts in ring history on January 2, 1945, at the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium. Fitzpatrick, a knockout artist, won forty-seven bouts, with thirty-one knockouts. He was the number one light-heavyweight contender in the world in September 1945.
Fitzie attended Romney School for the Deaf, where he was a two-time All-American football player. Other honors included: Golden Glove State Champion, West Virginia Boxing Hall of Fame, Boxing Hall of Fame USA Deaf Sports Federation, and Honorary Member of Boys Town.
TOUGH TIMES NEVER LAST, TOUGH PEOPLE DO
Fitzie Fitzpatrick was world ranked for seven years by Ring Magazine. He was often compared with the fighting style of middleweight champ Mickey Walker, the attacking force of Jack Dempsey, the aggressive movement of Joe Frazer, and the knockout power of Rocky Marciano. Earning eighteen first-round knockouts, Fitzie once said, “I’ll take two punches, so I can land one hard one.”
Fitzie Fitzpatrick was the greatest puncher-boxer ever to come out of Fayette County and the State of West Virginia. Despite his size and hearing handicap, he overcame many obstacles, achieving fame for himself and honor for his state.
Fitzie gave the boxing world color and thrills, displaying ring sportsmanship as a warrior in a great American sport.
