Pete Sanstol
Encyclopedia
Pete Sanstol was a Norwegian
professional boxer
. He is a World Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee.
, Lunde municipality
, in Rogaland
county in Norway
. He moved to Stavanger
with his parents as a child. Sanstol learned to box in the club Kristiana AK. He was fourth champion in the flyweight class championship in 1923 and won gold in the bantam class championship in 1925, both times for Kristiana AK.
’s manager to train in Berlin. After Sanstol left Norway in the mid 1920s, he only occasionally returned. Winning all his bouts in Germany, Sanstol moved on to Paris, where he was compared to French boxing champion, Georges Carpentier
. Discovered in Paris by American manager Lew Burston (1896–1969), Sanstol was brought to New York where he graduated from the club preliminaries to become the most sought after bantam in the eastern United States and Canada.
By late 1930, Sanstol had moved his headquarters from the Norwegian-American community of Bay Ridge, in Brooklyn, NY, to Montreal, Quebec where he came under the management of Raoul Godbout (1894–1975). The next year he won the World Bantamweight Title, as recognized by the Montreal Athletic Commission. He twice successfully defended his title before meeting Panama Al Brown
for world supremacy in the 118-pound division. After narrowly losing that bout by a 15-round split-decision, Sanstol took a year off before resuming another campaign for the championship. He retired from boxing in late 1933, only to return again in 1935. He went back to fight in Berlin. The culmination of this chapter of his career was a title match with Sixto Escobar
, which Sanstol lost. Sanstol had one more career bout; defeating Al Brown in Oslo a month after the Escobar fight just before his retirement.
Sanstol later had a couple of charity bouts while serving in the United States Army
during World War II. He became a U.S. citizen in 1943.
Long-time Montreal Herald Sports Editor Elmer W. Ferguson (1885–1972) once described Sanstol’s evolved fighting style as follows:
/San Pedro
area of California in the early 1960s. In 1957, he completed his autobiography entitled Gjennom Ringen.
He died in 1982 in Whittier, California after a series of strokes. On June 7, 2005, Lund municipality raised a monolith in a park in Moi to his memory, listed him as Norway's most famous boxer.
Norwegians
Norwegians constitute both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegian people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in United States, Canada and Brazil.-History:Towards the end of the 3rd...
professional boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. He is a World Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee.
Background
Peder Olai Sanstøl was the youngest of five children born to Jonas Jonasen Sanstøl (1864–1942) and Elen Dortea Nilsdatter Lindland (1860–1946) in MoiMoi, Norway
Moi is the administrative centre of the Lund municipality, in Rogaland county in Norway. It has a population of about 2000. Moi lies next to Lundevatnet, one of the deepest lakes in Norway.-Industry:...
, Lunde municipality
Lund, Norway
Lund is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Moi. The parish of Lunde was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
, in Rogaland
Rogaland
is a county in Western Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%...
county in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. He moved to Stavanger
Stavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
with his parents as a child. Sanstol learned to box in the club Kristiana AK. He was fourth champion in the flyweight class championship in 1923 and won gold in the bantam class championship in 1925, both times for Kristiana AK.
Career
He embarked on a professional career in 1926. After winning his professional debut against the British boxing veteran Bert Gallard in Oslo, Sanstol was invited by Max SchmelingMax Schmeling
Maximillian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling was a German boxer who was heavyweight champion of the world between 1930 and 1932. His two fights with Joe Louis in the late 1930s transcended boxing, and became worldwide social events because of their national associations...
’s manager to train in Berlin. After Sanstol left Norway in the mid 1920s, he only occasionally returned. Winning all his bouts in Germany, Sanstol moved on to Paris, where he was compared to French boxing champion, Georges Carpentier
Georges Carpentier
Georges Carpentier was a French boxer. He fought mainly as a light heavyweight and heavyweight in a career lasting from 1908-26. Nicknamed the "Orchid Man", he stood and his fighting weight ranged from...
. Discovered in Paris by American manager Lew Burston (1896–1969), Sanstol was brought to New York where he graduated from the club preliminaries to become the most sought after bantam in the eastern United States and Canada.
By late 1930, Sanstol had moved his headquarters from the Norwegian-American community of Bay Ridge, in Brooklyn, NY, to Montreal, Quebec where he came under the management of Raoul Godbout (1894–1975). The next year he won the World Bantamweight Title, as recognized by the Montreal Athletic Commission. He twice successfully defended his title before meeting Panama Al Brown
Panama Al Brown
Alfonso Teofilo Brown , better known as Panama Al Brown, was a bantamweight boxer from Panama who made history by becoming boxing's first Hispanic world champion. Brown was a native of the city of Colón....
for world supremacy in the 118-pound division. After narrowly losing that bout by a 15-round split-decision, Sanstol took a year off before resuming another campaign for the championship. He retired from boxing in late 1933, only to return again in 1935. He went back to fight in Berlin. The culmination of this chapter of his career was a title match with Sixto Escobar
Sixto Escobar
Sixto Escobar was a Puerto Rican professional boxer. Competing in the bantamweight division, he became Puerto Rico's first world champion....
, which Sanstol lost. Sanstol had one more career bout; defeating Al Brown in Oslo a month after the Escobar fight just before his retirement.
Sanstol later had a couple of charity bouts while serving in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II. He became a U.S. citizen in 1943.
Fighting style
Sanstol was known for his aggression, energy, speed, amazing stamina and uncanny defense. He was also known for his ability to give the crowd a thrilling show. About the only attribute he lacked was the so-called "power punch", although a quarter of his 98 victories were by way of knockout. Throughout his early career, Sanstol used these skills to build an impressive record. In time, his fighting style gradually evolved from that of a careless youth, to that of a wizened veteran. After his bout with Panama Al Brown, Sanstol learned to pace himself better and to use every punch sparingly, not wasting a single drop of energy. Part of this evolution may have resulted from a chronically bad foot or ankle he first sustained during one of these title bouts; it would haunt and hobble him for the remainder of his professional career.Long-time Montreal Herald Sports Editor Elmer W. Ferguson (1885–1972) once described Sanstol’s evolved fighting style as follows:
Career highlights
- Flyweight class championship in 1923
- gold in the Bantam class championship in 1925
- World Bantamweight Champion (1931)
- Ranked by long-time Madison Square GardenMadison Square GardenMadison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
Matchmaker Tom McArdle with legendary bantams Terry McGovernTerry McGovern (boxer)Terrible Terry McGovern , born John Terrence McGovern in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States, was a boxer who held the world bantamweight and featherweight titles.-Professional career:...
, Kid WilliamsKid WilliamsJohn Gutenko who boxed under the name Kidd Williams, was a boxer from Denmark.-Biography:Williams was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He traveled with his parents to the United States in 1904 where they ended up in Baltimore, Maryland...
, and Pete HermanPete HermanPete Herman was one of the all time great bantamweight world champions. An Italian-American, Herman was born Peter Gulotta in New Orleans, Louisiana, and fought from 1912 until 1922...
(1931 Everlast Boxing Record) - Featured solo on the cover of the August 1931 The Ring magazine and in its accompanying article
- Described in the article entitled "The Golden Bantams" (The Ring, December 1953 issue, page 13) as "one of the hottest local favorites the big town New York ever had. Pete, flashy, colorful and capable fought in the Ridgewood Grove Sporting Club in the Queens section of New York no less than 26 times in one year, packing the place every time."
- Proclaimed the Ridgewood Grove’s “Greatest Ring Attraction" by The Ring magazine’s Ted Carroll
- Ranked with Leo (Kid) Roy as Montreal's favorite boxer of the late 1920s/early 1930s
- Inducted into the World Boxing Hall of FameWorld Boxing Hall of FameThe World Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Riverside, California, United States, in Southern California. The WBHF is one of two recognized international boxing halls of fame with the other being the International Boxing Hall of Fame , with the IBHOF being the more widely recognized...
(2000)
Later years
After his boxing career ended, Sanstol worked various jobs in Norway, New York City, Chicago, Seattle, and Alaska, including restaurant owner, newspaper writer, recreation center director, hotel clerk, and translator, before settling down for good in the Long BeachLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
/San Pedro
San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...
area of California in the early 1960s. In 1957, he completed his autobiography entitled Gjennom Ringen.
He died in 1982 in Whittier, California after a series of strokes. On June 7, 2005, Lund municipality raised a monolith in a park in Moi to his memory, listed him as Norway's most famous boxer.