Bob Satterfield
Encyclopedia
Bob "Bombardier" Satterfield (November 9, 1923 in St. Louis, MO – June 1, 1977), was a heavyweight
boxer who fought from 1945-1957. Satterfield, who never fought for the title, retired with a record of 50 wins (35 KOs), 25 losses and 4 draws. He is in Ring magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time at number 58. Satterfield later died from cancer at the age of 53.
on March 9, 1951, Satterfield hurt Layne, and knocked him down for an eight count in the first round. Layne slowly retook control of the fight, and ultimately knocked out Satterfield in the eighth round.
Satterfield was knocked out in 7 rounds by future middleweight
champion Jake LaMotta
on September 12, 1946. He was also knocked out in 2 rounds by former heavyweight
champion Ezzard Charles
on January 13, 1954. Satterfield did score a knockout over heavyweight contender Cleveland Williams
and also beat the dangerous giant Cuban Nino Valdes, but lost by KO to light heavyweight
champion Archie Moore
, and dropped 2 out of 3 to future light heavyweight champion Harold Johnson
.
Resurrecting the Champ
is based on an L.A. Times Magazine
article about a reporter named Erik Kernan Jr. who finds a homeless man claiming to be Bob Satterfield and writes an article about him in the Denver Times Magazine. The film stars Samuel L. Jackson
, Josh Hartnett
and Alan Alda
and was directed by Rod Lurie
.
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
boxer who fought from 1945-1957. Satterfield, who never fought for the title, retired with a record of 50 wins (35 KOs), 25 losses and 4 draws. He is in Ring magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time at number 58. Satterfield later died from cancer at the age of 53.
Professional career
Satterfield, known for his punching power and aggressive style, was a fan favorite. His poor stamina and weak chin often cost him fights, however. In his bout against heavyweight contender Rex LayneRex Layne
Rex Layne was born in Lewiston, Utah on June 7, 1928. He died on June 7, 2000-Background:According to the Oct. 29, 1949 Tacoma News Tribune, Layne was a Mormon who was a staff sergeant with an airborne division in World War II for 19 months, serving some time in Japan. He did not start boxing...
on March 9, 1951, Satterfield hurt Layne, and knocked him down for an eight count in the first round. Layne slowly retook control of the fight, and ultimately knocked out Satterfield in the eighth round.
Satterfield was knocked out in 7 rounds by future middleweight
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
champion Jake LaMotta
Jake LaMotta
Giacobbe LaMotta , better known as Jake LaMotta, nicknamed "The Bronx Bull" and "The Raging Bull", is a former American world middleweight champion boxer...
on September 12, 1946. He was also knocked out in 2 rounds by former heavyweight
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
champion Ezzard Charles
Ezzard Charles
Ezzard Mack Charles was an African-American professional boxer and former world heavyweight champion. He holds wins over numerous Hall of Fame fighters in three different weight classes. Charles retired with a record of 93 wins, 25 losses and 1 draw.-Career:He was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia,...
on January 13, 1954. Satterfield did score a knockout over heavyweight contender Cleveland Williams
Cleveland Williams
Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams was an American heavyweight boxer who fought in the 1950s through the 1970s. A Ring Magazine poll once rated him as one of the finest boxers who never won a title...
and also beat the dangerous giant Cuban Nino Valdes, but lost by KO to light heavyweight
Light heavyweight
In boxing, the light heavyweight is a weight division above 168 pounds [12 Stone or 76.204 kilograms] and up to 175 pounds [12.5 stone or 79.38 kilograms]), falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight...
champion Archie Moore
Archie Moore
Archie Moore, born Archibald Lee Wright , was light heavyweight world boxing champion who had one of the longest professional careers in the history of that sport....
, and dropped 2 out of 3 to future light heavyweight champion Harold Johnson
Harold Johnson (boxer)
Harold Johnson , is a former professional boxer.Johnson was born in Roxborough, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He won his first twenty-four fights before losing a ten round decision to Archie Moore, who would be Johnson's biggest career rival...
.
In the media
The 2007 motion pictureFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Resurrecting the Champ
Resurrecting the Champ
Resurrecting the Champ is a 2007 American drama film directed by Rod Lurie and written by Michael Bortman and Allison Burnett, based on the L.A. Times Magazine article by J.R. Moehringer. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett and Alan Alda, among others. It was filmed in Calgary, Alberta,...
is based on an L.A. Times Magazine
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
article about a reporter named Erik Kernan Jr. who finds a homeless man claiming to be Bob Satterfield and writes an article about him in the Denver Times Magazine. The film stars Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
, Josh Hartnett
Josh Hartnett
Joshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
and Alan Alda
Alan Alda
Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...
and was directed by Rod Lurie
Rod Lurie
Rod Lurie is an Israeli-American director, screenwriter and former film critic.-Early life and career:The son of internationally syndicated cartoonist Ranan Lurie, he was born in Israel but moved to the United States at a young age, growing up in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Honolulu,...
.
Trivia
- Satterfield served in the United States Army from 1942-45.
- It has been reported that he was friends with musician Miles DavisMiles DavisMiles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
and introduced Muhammad AliMuhammad AliMuhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
to his first wife.