PA,GE ELEVEN RALD OF SHENANDOAH-ASHLAND.,-MAHANOY CITY-SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20,1975 OOlb1J1rackuill£ malts '(@) 1975 tGorraine ~tantnn Michael Kushwara of 425 South Middle street was born at Morea, on Marcli 15, 1902. He attended the Mahanoy TownshipSchoolsand worked at the Morea Colliery for a short time before working as a Reading Coal and Iron Company Policeman. He was employed by this firm until his retirement in September 1970. Mike met his wife, the former Helen Snitzer, at a dance at Lakewood Ballroom in 1930 and was married June 1, 1932. The marriage license in the newspapers read: "Iron Mike Kushwara, of Frackville, ~:'.' one of the most prominent prize '.' fighters in the ring in Schuylkill County, '.' is again scheduled as a headliner, this .' 0:.' time he will enter the ring of ::'. matrimony with Dan Cupid the third .' man in'the ring, and the second person .:.' in the match, Miss Helen Snitzer, also :"'.. of Frackville. The match was tied up .: late Tuesday afternoon when the · principals took out a license to wed at · the office of Register Jenkins. Mike's · many friends wish him success in his '. :: venture into the matrimonial fields." :: Mike was an excellent dancer and :.'. they attended many dances at the .' "Lake.': Mrs. Kushwara didn't share .' her husband's enthusiasm for the ring - ~ and had only attended one of the bouts. She turned around to greet a friend sitting behind her and as she did her husband kayoed his contender and she missed the whole fight! Mike was an excellent bass soloist Iron Mike Kushwara, left, squares offagalnstopponent Pete Suskey with forn:ier and sang with the Byzantine Choir of world heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey (center) as referee at the Kingston Schuylkill County and the choir of St. Armory on Feb. 3, 1931.Mike lost by TKO when his shoulder clicked out and Michael's Church, Frackville. He Manager AI Janettllumped into the ring to call it off. Note Dempsey's autograph started as an amateur boxer in 1928 and ::: at right bottom. '.' trained at Harry Richardson's Pool Room which was located on the second ~~~ floor of Roy Richardson's Barber Shop '.' on South Lehigh avenue. This building had been dubbed the "Killer" added the Mike Makes It UnanimoU8-; Before home a bone-crushing right hand punch :.:.':.: was later demolished and the Penn- scalp of Matt Rice, former Gilberton fight time, AISwilpwas the only man in to the jaw that brought the entire house :-~,',I sylvania National Bank and Trust I football star and now of the New York the world who believed he could whip to its feet. Lavin, completely out and ,',I.... ,',' Company' is located on this site. A Giants, to his string of trophies which Mike Kushwara. Mike therefore made dead to the world never stirred a .:.:t',' regular ring with ropes and canvas was heretofore has been hung with four it unanimous that no one in the world muscle as he headed toward the can- " :.:.,',t located here for the boxers of town to round knockouts. It took him eight believes AIcan whiphim by finishing AI vas, and the big crowd that had been f',' fell . work out and spar. Amateur boxers rounds to dispose ofRice who he floored in two rounds. Ambling Albert was warned by AI Janetti to look 'for :::: were not paid at this time but prizes four times in two minutes for the count, flattened in the approved Kushwara fireworks let out a roar as the referee ,','.... ':.: were awarded to the winner. A license but he did it in impressive fashion and manner, a right to the chin, and reached ten in his count with Lavin still I.:. had to be obtained from the Penn- established himself as a real mauler '• everybody rose and cheered. They dead to the world. ,',I:.: .''.. sylvania BoxingCommission in Wilkes- when he finally finished the Gilberton cheered Mike's comeback they cheered It was a complete and satisfying ::::. Barre when they turned professional all arC/undathlete. Mike's kayo and they cheered Swilp debut for Kushwara in W'l1kes-Barre, ~':: :.: and then they were given a share of the fightin -who made it a fight by sticking to his and the official timer let it be known .:. wi l..gs Kushwara took up g as a <f1m" until he was sent sprawling by the red thir li~ '.' .., , . means of expression. He is a physical D-- that the knockout occur. ty ~ ' '.' When Mike fought in the th d Kushwara dynamite. seconds after the bell opened the fl""t. ~" '.' ha d t eultudst of e extreme type an '6" g; '.'' th .'. preliminaries he was one of e res_ although he w'orksin the mines he takes Though it migh't have seemed longer, ~. .' hitters of his time and knOcked every - Sir Michael Kushwara, Knight of the ~."~. .'." contender out in the first ,round. He a routine amount of exercise each day Devastating Punch- Sir Michael due to the fast action, Kushwara's clean' :;:: .' iII.addition and is Il strict vegetarian. cut verdict came in less than a minute. I earned the name "Iron Mike" because .• f all th Kushwara, Knight of the Devastating Janetti leaped m'to the rm'g in nothing , 0 :~• of his powerfw..1 punch and he had a He is an ardent exponent e Punch and rankin g popper 0 f Ch'lOS as 1_ _8 ti ~ ~.Ii" ' • t f 11 . f f that t to all McFadden theories and lives a routine far as our fistic talent is concerned, hit flat and dispuayed more lWec on or g; :~ grea 0 owmg 0 ans wen and caref,.1 l'le WI·thno m'd"I"ence m' his battler after that collision of glove ~.~ :.'; bouts featuring him. His appearance as w U '"& Wally Sears, the Minersville boy, all of :;:; .: an amateur were so sensational with a any stimulation of any kind. For that two punch(!S last night. The first and chin than a 1,lewlywedhUSband}Mikfor ~ :: string of knockout victories, that in reason he is above fighting par at all staggered Sears and'the second a slick his wife. He bugged the home y e, §: times as was shown last night. th he kissed him and did a dance that was .. :; short order he stepped into the money little left to the chin ended e bout just half black bottom and half shimmy i :: class. Always a willing mixer, and the \ Matt Rice officially is recognized as two minutes and thirty seconds after from sheer joy, but the reason for all his § , :: possessor of a deadly right, which the St. Louis Robin of the anthracite the opening bell had sent them on their happiness was better understood when ::: ' ,~ earned him the nome de plume thof prize ring for Matt set a new endurance way. the inside story ofwhat happened in the ~: ::: "Killer" Kushwara, he always gave e recor'd for the boys fighting Mike Kush- That left hand, travelling not more dressing rooms was made known. ~: :::: fans a run for their money, and plenty wara to aim at in the future. Matt than four inches, dumped Wally on his ~~ :~: of action cowd be anticipated with him stayed until the 8th with Mike in their tail right in the center of the ring and The inside story was: Kushwara was I :::: on the bill. Ulron Mike" had over forty rJ.gbt under the direction of Frank Joe Perry's entry, jarred from the top ~~ supposecfto fight Eddie Lee, a young ~. :::: fights, and not one of his engagements Hollister, waged down at Charlton Hall, hairs of his head down to the soles of his sparring partner from Wilkes·Barre ~: ~~1; had he felt the sting of a knockout. His Pottsville, thus breaking the four- feet, cowdn't get up. Completely out but on the night of the fight WillieLavin i :::: record read: 39knockouts in '41 bouts! round-before-stopped record that and not hearing the count or the roar of was brought in and "Janetti yelped like f.' ::~ His best fighting weight was 162 Ibs. heretofore had been in the possession of the crowd, Wally just sat there with,a a wounded hound when he learned that ~ :::: Let's go back approximately forty- Georgie Keysock, of Frackville. The dazed expression on his face and even Lavin had been substituted for Lee. He , :~ :::: four years and review some of these hat must be doffed and waved, tilted in after he was taken to his cl?mer, it took threatened to pull out Mike and as late :::: ~:: fights. an eloquent bow to Mister Rice, as more than five minutes work to bring as eight o'clock had not yet agreed to go ~ ;::: Kushwara Kayoes Wolfe- Iron Mike game and courageous a boy as this him around. It was, to all int;ents and through with the match. But the :~. :::: Kushwara, kingpin of the regional region ever produced barring abo purposes, a one-punch victory' for pleadings of the Armory A.C. officials :~ ~:~ middleweights, proved to the large solutely no one. The gay and dashing Kush~a and it came after Sears had melted Janetti's stony heart and he ~: .:. gathering that he still is the boss of the Matt, the galloping buckeroo was a given him an artistic triInming up to , acquiesced. The reswt is history." '.'::: ::: 160 pounders by corking Jack Wolfeof gallant battler and,a valiant foe-every the knockout point. ~ ::: Oneida with a right to the chin and minute of his fight with the punching Iron Mike Kushwara Stops Delp ih Morea Mauler Adds to String One ~ _::: sending him to the land of pleasant Kushwara.