We should remember also Fritzie Zivic (originally Zivchich, 1913-1984), known as The Croat Comet, famous welterweight boxer in the USA, who had 230 professional matches. In 1940 he won the title of the champion of the world having defeated “unbeatable” Henry Armstrong. Their rematch held in Madison Square Garden in 1941, where Fritzie managed to defend his title, was visited by 23,190 people (and 5,000 fans were reportedly denied access). This remains all-time highest Garden record for attendance. In 1993 entered the “International Boxing Hall of Fame”. For additional information see the Vladimir Novak web page.

Fritzie Zivic, New World Welterweight Champion, The Ring, January 1941,
source Vladimir Novak In 1941 Nikola Tesla, distinugished Croatian-American inventor, invited Fritzie Zivic to the lunch in New York,
as well as his brothers, after one of his successful defences of the title of the welter-weight world champion.
Source newsinteractive.post-gazette.com, from the photo archives of the Pittsuburgh Post-Gazette.
From left to right: Joe Zivic, Fritzie Zivic, Nikola Tesla, Jack Zivic, Pete Zivic i Eddie Zivic.
Their father, Josip Živčić, was born in Bosiljevo in Croatia.

The Croat Comet Fritzie Zivic (originally Živčić) and Nikola Tesla
Fritzie Zivic was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993.

Nikola Tesla (2nd from the left) with three of the Zivic brothers: Eddie, Pete and Fritzi (on the right). Source.

Several books were written about his life (below is the front page of one of them, Timpav: CHAMP – Fritzie Zivcic – The life and time of the Croat Comet. His four brothers were all boxers, and two of them, Pete and Jack Zivic, represented the USA at the 1920 Olympic Games at Antwerpen, Belgium. Jack won the Gold medal for the USA in featherweight category.

Fritzie Zivich, the Croat Comet, with his family in 1946.

Mate Parlov, Olympic boxing champion in Munich in 1972

A light heavy-weight boxer Mate Parlov (1948-2008) was was Olympic champion in Munich, Germany, in 1972, inaugural World champion in 1974 in Havana, Cuba, twice European champion (1971 and 1973). In 1974 he started his professional boxing career. and professional semi heavy-weight professional European champion in 1976, and professional World champion (WBC) in 1978. In his amateur career he had 310 matches with 13 defeats, while in 29 professional matches he had only 3 defeats.

Ivo Prebeg, a professional heavy-weight boxer, was the European champion in 1969. Marijan Benes was a professional European boxing champion in 1979 (welter-weight category).

Another well known name is George Chuvalo (Jure Cuvalo), Canadian Croat, heavy-weight champion of Canada for more than two decades (from 1958 to 1979), for as many as seventeen years among the Top Ten professional boxers in the world, and never knockouted. He had matches among others with Floyd Patterson, Mohammad Ali (twice, both times for the title of the world champion), Joe Frazier, and George Foreman. His professional record is impressive: 79 wins (70 by knockouts), 15 loses, and 2 draws.

Except being a world class boxer, Chuvalo is known in Canada and in the USA as Anti-Drug Crusader. This engagement came as a result of a personal tragedy: he lost his two sons due to drug overdose, the third one committed suicide, and his wife committed suicide after that. Having remarried, he now tours Canada and the USA, accompanied with his remaining son Steven, giving lectures for pupils, students and parents, and trying to warn people about the danger of drugs. He visited more than 300 schools, appeared in numerous movies, tv shows, and is recipient of “Order of Canada” from Canadian government for his hard work and dedication to Canada’s youth. Please, do not miss to visit

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George Chuvalo’s

FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS

www.fightagainstdrugs.ca

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The above exceptionally humanist and deeply moving web site obtained the Golden Web Award for 2001 by the International Association of Web Masters & Designers. In 2009 George Chuvalo visited the town of Ljubuski in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where his parents Stipe and Kate were born, and delivered an antidrug lecture for youngsters.

Zeljko Mavrovic won the title of European heavy-weight boxing champion in 1995. The European karate champion in absolute category in 1995 was Enver Idrizi (of Albanian nationality), also ex-champion of the world (1994). A world-wide reputation in thai boxing had Branko Cikatic from Split, winner of many international tournaments, including the grand 1994 K-1 Tokyo tournament. Also very successful in martial arts is Stefan Leko.

Filip Hrgovic became super heavyweight boxing champion of Europe in 2015. He was the Junior boxing  heavyweight champion of the world in 2010.

Several outstanding results in karate had Junior Lefevre, a Belgian born Flemish, who fought under the Croatian flag. He won three european gold medals and one world’s gold (world champion in München, Germany in 2000, in the category to 70 kg).

Great successes in martial arts has Mirko Filipovic, known as Mirko Cro Cop: K-1 Grand Prix ’99 Finalist, I.K.B.F World Heavyweight Full Contact Champion, K-1 WORLD GP 2000 in Fukuoka Second Champion, winner of the 2006 PRIDE competition in Tokyo.

In 2003 Stipe Drvis (Drews) won the title of European semi-weight boxing champion. In 2007 he became the light heavyweight WBA champion of the world.

Stipe Miocic became the UFC World Heavyweight Champion in 2016.

In wrestling there is the widespread term of

cravate, cravat, kravat, kravata

for headlock move (in French, English, Italian, Turkish, Croatian, Polish, and other languages). This term, used also for necktie, has been derived from the Croatian name.

Filip Grgic won gold medal at the 2007 Bejing WTF World Taekwondo Championships in male bantamweight (under 62 kg) category, China. Photo from www.wtf.org.

Martina Zubcic (feather category, under 57 kg, on the left) and Sandra Saric (under 67 kg) won bronze medals in taekwondo at the 2008 Bejing Olympic Games.

Brigita Matić won gold medal at the European Championship in Judo in 2012.

Stevan Horvat was distinguished Croatian wrestler, twice the world champion in the category up to 55 kg: in 1963 in Helsingborg, Sweden, and in 1966 in Toledo, USA. Subsequently he was instructor and coach of national wrestling teams of Japan, USA, Guatemala, Honduras, Slavador and the Netherlands. More information can be seen in the Leksikon podunavskih Hrvata – Bunjevaca i Šokaca, part 9 (H), pp. 62 and 63. In 2012 a bust was unveiled in his honour at the University of Novi Sad. The meaning of his second name, Horvat, is just – Croat.

Edward “Moose” Cholak became a wrestling star at Chicago Vocational High School and went on starring for 40 years as he took part in 8,000 matches, in 1963 becoming world champion.