Richie Lemos

Lemos was born in Los Angeles, near First and Main by the historic Olvera Street, on February 7, 1920. His parents were from Mexico, his mother Michaela from Guadalajara, Jalisco and his father Feliciano from Michoacán. Their struggling family would eventually have nine more children after his birth.[3][4]

Though American-born, his ring nicknames included "Plaza Mexican" and "Mexican Tiger."

At only eighteen, on July 15, 1938, Lemos defeated prolific Philippine boxer Pablo Dano, holder of the 1935 California World Bantamweight Title, in a ten round points decision, though he was knocked to the mat twice. The bout took place at Gilmore Stadium in Lemos's hometown of Los Angeles.[2] Five days after the bout, Lemos's manager announced Richie had injured his hand in the bout and would stay away from the ring for five weeks, though the time away stretched to three months.[5]

Lemos's father died three months later in November 1938, making Richie the sole supporter of his mother and nine young sisters and brothers.[6]

With a wife of his own, and a struggling family of siblings to support, Lemos fought often. His better paydays at the peak of his career averaged only $3500 dollars, about $42,000 in today's dollars, and a modest sum for a world champion boxer today.[4]

On April 6, 1939 Lemos lost to Lou Salica, future holder of both the NYSAC and NBA World Bantamweight Titles, at Legion Stadium in Hollywood in a ten round points decision.[2]

Lemos came from behind to defeat Eddie Marcus in a searing ten rounder on July 18, 1939 at Olympic Stadium in Los Angeles. The two young boxers exchanged blows furiously in the last three rounds, with Marcus dropping to his knees briefly in the ninth, perhaps from shear exhaustion. Fatigued by the tenth, Lemos summoned a last bit of energy to win by a shade in the final round, though he had been previously knocked to the mat on two earlier occasions.[7]

On July 1, 1941, in his first attempt, Lemos took the NBA world featherweight title before a near capacity crowd of 9,500 from Petey Scalzo in a fifth round knockout of a 12 round bout at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.[2] Scalzo claimed that he had been somewhat weak during practice the weeks before, having trouble making weight. Scalzo was briefly down in the first for a no count from a left by Lemos, who appeared to take the first two rounds.

The third and fourth rounds appeared to belong to Scalzo, however, who landed effective uppercuts and crossing rights against Lemos, who rarely countered. In the fifth round, Lemos changed to his natural right hand forward with left foot back or southpaw stance, and in an instant landed a vicious left to the head of Scalzo that changed the course of the bout. Lemos then chased Scalzo to a corner, delivering more punishment. When Scalzo tried to retreat, Lemos tagged him with another scorching left that put his crumpled opponent on the mat for a nine count. According to one source, Lemos had used a feint with his right to throw Scalzo off balance prior to delivering his scorching left.[10] As Scalzo gamely rose and made a futile attempt to resume the fight for the last time, Lemos dropped him for an eight count. Scalzo struggled to rise without success, and the referee called the bout.[11]

On August 26, 1941 Lemos defeated Joey Archibald, former NBA world featherweight champion in a ten round points decision at Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles in a lopsided battle where Lemos had Archibald's style completely deciphered by the fourth round. Archibald landed few telling blows, and mostly backpedaled throughout the bout. The referee gave Lemos ten rounds, though the Los Angeles Times gave him six, as they claimed Archibald led in the first three by a shade. In the first four rounds, Archibald staged a duck and weave defense that prevented Lemos from boring in. Lemos, though winning the bout took home only $1,163, a relatively paltry sum today for a world champion in a winning bout, even in 1941 dollars.[12][13]

Four months after the Scalzo win, Lemos's wife Julia gave birth to their first daughter, Ann Marie on November 11, 1941.[4]

On November 18, 1941 Lemos lost the NBA world featherweight title by a ten round unanimous decision to Jackie Wilson at Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. In an exciting bout, the L.A. Times, gave Wilson nine of the twelve rounds before a full house of 9000 fans. In the sixth, Lemos brought only a temporary halt to Wilson's dominance with a well placed body attack. There were no knockdowns in the bout, with Wilson playing a solid defense, though Lemos staged a rousing but belated comeback in the tenth using solid rights that rocked his opponent on his heels. The fight was Lemos's first and only defense of the featherweight title. Wilson vowed to win the rematch to take place in thirty days.[1][14][15]

After his last fight, a ten round win over Tyree White on August 27, 1943, Lemos felt an intense pain in his eye, later diagnosed as a detached retina. On the day of his eye surgery to correct the problem, his second daughter, Dorothy was born to his wife Julia. After his wife gave birth to his last daughter, Joanne, Lemos tried to enlist in the Army but was barred due poor vision, a result of his eye surgery. He worked as a truck driver, and a butcher, before becoming a custodian at an elementary school in later life. After his wife Julia died in 1995, he lived with his second daughter Dorothy and her husband.[4]

In 1989 Lemos was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.[1] He died at 84 on October 18, 2004, in Covina, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, after a long illness. He was survived by three daughters, fifteen grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, and one great great grandchild.[25]

• List of Mexican boxing world champions
• List of featherweight boxing champions

• Boxing record for Richie Lemos from BoxRec