Leo Rodak

Leo Rodak (June 5, 1913 – April 13, 1991) was an American featherweight boxer from Chicago. He took the Maryland version of the World Featherweight Title from Jackie Wilson on June 17, 1938, in a fifteen-round unanimous decision at Carlin Park in Baltimore, Maryland.

He was declared the National Boxing Association (NBA) World Featherweight Champion when he defeated Leone Efrati at Chicago's Coliseum in a ten-round unanimous decision, on December 29, 1938, though some sources omit him as the NBA champion, as he held the title only four months.

Early life and amateur career Rodak was born on June 5, 1913, in South Chicago to an athletic Ukrainian family. His brother Mike was a bicycling champion. Remaining in South Chicago through his youth, at 17 he joined Chicago's Catholic Youth Organization (CYO), where he received boxing training. One source attributed Rightmire's loss to his lack of a knockout punch. Rodak would later lose to Rightmire on March 16, 1939, in St. Louis, in a ten-round points decision.

On October 15, 1934, he defeated former world featherweight champion Tommy Paul in a non-title ten round points decision at White City Arena in Chicago. Scoring on the close bout was near even going into the ninth round, when Rodak briefly sent Paul into the ropes, but he did not fully achieve his winning points margin in the tenth, when he put Paul down for a two count. The win was his twentieth in a row.

Loss to Tony Canzoneri, January, 1935

Most impressively, Rodak was undefeated in his first 22 fights.

On February 7, 1936, Rodak fought Bushy Graham to a draw in Madison Square Garden. Graham used smart foot work, lightning fast ducking, and superb slipping and counter-punching. The veteran Graham leaned forward coaxing Rodak to throw punches, and then repeatedly drew back and dodged them. Showing his command, he stung Rodak's face with jabs and overhand swings. In the seventh, Rodak was dropped by a blow from Graham who had remained illusive despite Rodak's attacks. Despite a three-year layoff and his advanced age of 32, Graham gave an excellent display of talent to the younger Golden Glove winner. Though the final ruling was a draw, Graham demonstrated he still had championship form.

Taking the Maryland version of World Featherweight Title, June 1938 Rodak fought Jackie Wilson four times. The first three fights were ruled a draw by the referee. The fourth fight, in Baltimore, Maryland, was for the Maryland version of the World Featherweight Title. Rodak won in a fifteen-round unanimous decision at Carlin Park on June 17, 1938, before a small crowd of 3,000. Each fighter split the first eight rounds on points, while the crowd and celebrity referee Jack Dempsey impatiently urged a faster pace. Rodak opened up in the remaining seven rounds, until Wilson became noticeably groggy in the final three. The crowd cheered for Rodak in the last half of the bout, disapproving of the ducking of Wilson. In the fifteenth and final round, the contestants butted heads, leaving a cut on the top of Rodak's head. The title had been vacated by Henry Armstrong after he failed to defend his title within the established six-month period.

Rodak fought Louisville boxer Sammy Angott, 1940-44 NBA lightweight champion, three times in a row in 1938. Both boxers fought in the Featherweight range. Angott won the first fight, at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field, in a ten-round split decision on July 25, 1938. Though Rodak was floored during Angott's comeback in the ninth round, he hung on, having taken all the earlier rounds through the eighth. Only one judge scored for Angott, causing the split decision. The second fight he lost by a first-round technical knockout in Millvale, Pennsylvania. Rodak was down for a count of nine, and then floored three more times before the fight was called after 2:39 in the first round by the referee. The third fight was lost by ten-round decision at Motor Square Garden in Pittsburgh on September 27, 1938. Angott started slowly but found more telling blows in the final round.

Declared NBA World Featherweight Champion after beating Leone Efrati, December, 1938 In a vastly important, but lesser known victory on December 29, 1938, Rodak was declared NBA world featherweight champion when he defeated Italian national Leone Efrati before a crowd of 5000 at Chicago's Coliseum in a considerably close, but unanimous ten round points decision, disputed by Efrati's handlers and many of the spectators present who booed the final ruling. Rodak rallied after a slow start and increased his points margin swiftly in the final three rounds. Efrati won the second and third rounds, and looked to take the fourth when Rodak briefly floored him with a solid punch. Efrati scored enough points to take the lead in the fifth, sixth, and seventh, before Rodak overtook the point's count in the last three rounds.

Losing the NBA, NYSAC, World Featherweight Title against Joey Archibald, April, 1939 Rodak lost his shot at the sustained and universal recognition offered by the NBA world featherweight championship when he lost to Joey Archibald before a crowd of 5,500 on April 18, 1939, in a fifteen-round points decision at Rhode Island Auditorium in Providence.

Fighting at the bottom of the lightweight range, Rodak won a close eight round points decision before a crowd of 4,500 on December 3, 1940, against Maxie Shapiro at Broadway Arena in Brooklyn. He lost a rematch with Shapiro on August 14, 1941, at Ebbets Field in a ten-round decision, where he was down in the final moments of the ninth for a count of nine.

On October 14, 1941, Rodak lost to skilled black boxer Chalky Wright, reigning NYSAC, and Maryland World Featherweight title holder, in a non-title "listless ten round points decision at Uline, Arena in Washington.

Service in the Marines and losses to Tippy Larkin, Willie Joyce, and Henry Armstrong, 1942 Rodak went on to fight Tippy Larkin, losing by a decision at Meadowbrook Bowl in Newark, New Jersey, on June 3, 1942. Rodak did well through the first five rounds, but faded in the sixth and seventh when he received a flurry of lefts and right to the head, though he subsequently covered well and came through the next three rounds. The referee gave six rounds to Larkin, with three to Rodak, and one even.

During WWII, Rodak joined the Marines, and continued to fight professionally. He lost to Henry Armstrong on September 14, 1942, at the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco in an eighth-round TKO. Rodak was floored in both the second and third rounds for counts of nine by rights from Armstrong. Armstrong won six of the eight rounds, and the TKO when the fight was stopped in the eighth due to a deep cut over the left eye of Rodak. Rodak had a slight margin in the first and fourth.

Life after boxing Rodak retired in November, 1946, after losing to John Thomas in a fifth-round knockout in Los Angeles. He went to work for the Cook County Forestry Department and sidelined as a boxing trainer. He died at 77 on April 13, 1991.

Primary boxing achievements