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Dejohn, who went on to fight Jake LaMotta. Sala was knocked down five times, but in the 6th round, he was able to turn it around and knock DeJohn out, breaking Dejohn's jaw in the process. Sala remained a top-10 middleweight contender for the majority of his career, and finally retired after a few setbacks to big-name fighters such as
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for the title. LaMotta received offers from Sala's manager Bunny Buntag upwards of $ 50,000. Sala was next in line for a title shot against
Robinson after LaMotta's loss to "Sugar" Ray in 1951, however Robinson signed to fight Holly Mims One of Sala's most memorable bouts was against Syracuses' Joey
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After being honorably discharged from the Navy in 1946, Lee turned professional. Winning his first bout against Sonny Hope by knockout in round 4. Lee then went on a 47-fight winning streak, finally losing a decision to Tony DeMicco. He avenged his loss two weeks later Lee fought many top contenders
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of his time, and newspaper articles reveal that he was in line for a title shot on several occasions. Some say that Lee "hit to hard" and that is why those matches never came to fruition. A
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by trade, worked very hard to put food on the table, even when there were no jobs available. Lee accredits his desire to box to his cousins Bruno and Libro Sala, who were both professional
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After Lee retired from boxing, he and his wife had two children. He started working in the whiskey distribution business, and later became a deputy sheriff for the
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for two years, and saw action in the South
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crown in the 1940s and 50s. His professional career spanned from 1946 until 1953, with a record of 76 wins, 7 losses, 0 draws, and 48
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in the 1920s and 1930s, both of whom were top contenders. The Salas were a very athletic family. Lee's older brother Tony was an
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382:$ 25,000 for a non-title shot against Sala; the offer was declined. At one point Sala had outstanding offers to fight both
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489:"Obituary: Lee Sala, Donora native who gained fame in boxing ring – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette"
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article from June 19, 1948 reveals that promoter Jack McGinley offered
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546:Sportspeople from Washington County, Pennsylvania
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474:Robinson, Mims Meet Tonight in Non-title Bout
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566:United States Navy personnel of World War II
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109:Learn how and when to remove this message
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464:Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Jun 19, 1948
450:Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Feb 22, 1949
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47:adding citations to reliable sources
551:American people of Italian descent
506:Montalvo, Eddy (January 4, 2013).
487:Montalvo, Eddy (January 4, 2013).
477:Chicago Daily Tribune, Apr 5, 1951
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541:People from Donora, Pennsylvania
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438:De Micco Outpoints Lee Sala
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512:Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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340:prospect in his youth.
344:U.S. military service
556:American male boxers
348:Lee enlisted in the
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149:Donora, Pennsylvania
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561:Middleweight boxers
402:Hillsborough County
367:Professional career
356:. He served on the
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350:United States Navy
292:Lee was born to a
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165:(2012-12-03)
145:May 26, 1926
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41:Please help
36:verification
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536:2012 deaths
531:1926 births
300:descent in
172:Nationality
525:Categories
412:References
322:bricklayer
296:family of
288:Early life
241:Wins by KO
188:Statistics
141:1926-05-26
69:newspapers
58:"Lee Sala"
358:USS
282:knockouts
195:Weight(s)
440:NY Times
338:baseball
314:siblings
271:Lee Sala
209:Orthodox
182:American
135:Lee Sala
125:Lee Sala
318:cousins
298:Italian
83:scholar
326:boxers
302:Donora
278:boxing
249:Losses
206:Stance
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90:JSTOR
76:books
386:and
360:Iowa
233:Wins
160:Died
153:U.S.
131:Born
62:news
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