# Bob Satterfield

Bob "Bombardier" Satterfield (November 9, 1923 in St. Louis, Missouri – June 1, 1977) was a heavyweight boxer who fought from 1945–1957. Satterfield, a top rated contender who never fought for the title, retired with a record of 50 wins (35 KOs), 25 losses and 4 draws. Known for his punching power, he is listed in Ring magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time at number 58. Satterfield later died from cancer at the age of 53.

## Amateur career

Satterfield was the Chicago City Golden Gloves 147-pound champion in 1941. He lost to Al Tribuani on a first round knockout in the inter-city championship between Chicago and New York boxers.

## Professional career

Satterfield, known for his punching power and aggressive style, was a fan favorite. His poor stamina and weak chin often cost him fights, however. In his bout against heavyweight contender Rex Layne on March 9, 1951, Satterfield hurt Layne, and knocked him down for an eight count in the first round. Layne slowly retook control of the fight, and ultimately knocked out Satterfield in the eighth round.
Satterfield was knocked out in 7 rounds by future middleweight champion Jake LaMotta on September 12, 1946. He was also knocked out in 2 rounds by former heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles on January 13, 1954. Satterfield did score a knockout over future heavyweight contender Cleveland Williams and also beat the dangerous giant Cuban Niño Valdés, but lost by KO to light heavyweight champion Archie Moore, and dropped 2 out of 3 to future light heavyweight champion Harold Johnson.
He retired from boxing on January 15, 1958, due to a detached retina in his left eye.

## In the media

In the 2007 motion picture Resurrecting the Champ (based on an L.A. Times Magazine article) a reporter named Erik Kernan Jr. finds a homeless man claiming to be Bob Satterfield and writes an article about him in the Denver Times Magazine. The film stars Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett and Alan Alda and was directed by Rod Lurie.

## Trivia

* Satterfield served in the United States Army from 1942–45.
* The 1997 story "Resurrecting the Champ" by J.R. Moehringer in the Los Angeles Times said that he was friends with musician Miles Davis and introduced Muhammad Ali to his first wife. This was based on an interview in the Chicago home of his son, Robert Satterfield Jr.

## Professional boxing record

| 79 fights | 50 wins | 25 losses |
| By knockout | 35 | 13 |
| By decision | 15 | 12 |
| Draws | 4 | 4 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Age | Location |
| 79 | Win | 50–25–4 | Howard King | SD | 10 | Nov 21, 1957 | 34 years, 12 days | Auditorium, Oakland, California, U.S. |
| 78 | Win | 49–25–4 | Garvin Sawyer | SD | 10 | Oct 21, 1957 | 33 years, 346 days | Enright Theatre, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| 77 | Loss | 48–25–4 | Bert Whitehurst | UD | 10 | Oct 1, 1957 | 33 years, 326 days | Sports Arena, Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| 76 | Loss | 48–24–4 | Julio Mederos | PTS | 10 | Jun 3, 1957 | 33 years, 206 days | Last Frontier Sportsdrome, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| 75 | Win | 48–23–4 | Frankie Daniels | MD | 10 | May 16, 1957 | 33 years, 188 days | Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| 74 | Win | 47–23–4 | Ben Wise | KO | 1 (10) | Apr 15, 1957 | 33 years, 157 days | Auditorium, Oakland, California, U.S. |
| 73 | Loss | 46–23–4 | Harold Johnson | UD | 10 | Mar 12, 1957 | 33 years, 123 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| 72 | Win | 46–22–4 | Julio Mederos | UD | 10 | Feb 4, 1957 | 33 years, 87 days | Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| 71 | Win | 45–22–4 | Dale Hall | KO | 5 (10) | Jan 8, 1957 | 33 years, 60 days | Auditorium, Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| 70 | Win | 44–22–4 | Warnell Lester | KO | 10 (10) | Nov 27, 1956 | 33 years, 18 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| 69 | Win | 43–22–4 | Claude Chapman | KO | 7 (10) | Nov 12, 1956 | 33 years, 3 days | Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| 68 | Loss | 42–22–4 | Harold Carter | TKO | 5 (10) | Aug 1, 1956 | 32 years, 266 days | War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, New York, U.S. |
| 67 | Win | 42–21–4 | Johnny Summerlin | UD | 10 | Jun 20, 1956 | 32 years, 224 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 66 | Win | 41–21–4 | Jim Persey | UD | 10 | Apr 10, 1956 | 32 years, 153 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| 65 | Loss | 40–21–4 | Harold Carter | UD | 10 | Mar 20, 1956 | 32 years, 132 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| 64 | Draw | 40–20–4 | Harold Carter | PTS | 10 | Feb 28, 1956 | 32 years, 111 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| 63 | Loss | 40–20–3 | John Holman | TKO | 8 (10) | Jan 11, 1956 | 32 years, 63 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 62 | Win | 40–19–3 | Paul Andrews | KO | 9 (10) | Dec 6, 1955 | 32 years, 27 days | Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| 61 | Win | 39–19–3 | Niño Valdés | UD | 10 | Aug 17, 1955 | 31 years, 281 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 60 | Draw | 38–19–3 | Joe Rowan | PTS | 10 | Jul 19, 1955 | 31 years, 252 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| 59 | Loss | 38–19–2 | Archie McBride | SD | 10 | May 11, 1955 | 31 years, 183 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 58 | Loss | 38–18–2 | Joe Lindsay | UD | 10 | Apr 19, 1955 | 31 years, 161 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| 57 | Win | 38–17–2 | Marty Marshall | SD | 10 | Mar 22, 1955 | 31 years, 133 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| 56 | Loss | 37–17–2 | Marty Marshall | KO | 2 (10) | Nov 30, 1954 | 31 years, 21 days | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 55 | Win | 37–16–2 | John Holman | KO | 1 (10) | Nov 10, 1954 | 31 years, 1 day | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 54 | Win | 36–16–2 | Frankie Daniels | TKO | 7 (10) | Aug 30, 1954 | 30 years, 294 days | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 53 | Win | 35–16–2 | John Holman | KO | 10 (10) | Jul 20, 1954 | 30 years, 253 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| 52 | Win | 34–16–2 | Cleveland Williams | KO | 3 (10) | Jun 22, 1954 | 30 years, 225 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| 51 | Loss | 33–16–2 | Charley Williams | SD | 10 | Jun 1, 1954 | 30 years, 204 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| 50 | Win | 33–15–2 | Julio Mederos | KO | 2 (10) | May 11, 1954 | 30 years, 183 days | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| 49 | Loss | 32–15–2 | Ezzard Charles | KO | 2 (10) | Jan 13, 1954 | 30 years, 65 days | Rainbo Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 48 | Win | 32–14–2 | Ray Augustus | KO | 8 (8) | Dec 15, 1953 | 30 years, 36 days | Rainbo Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 47 | Win | 31–14–2 | Bob Baker | KO | 1 (10) | Jul 1, 1953 | 29 years, 234 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 46 | Win | 30–14–2 | Gene Brown | KO | 2 (10) | Jun 3, 1953 | 29 years, 206 days | Arena, Saint Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| 45 | Win | 29–14–2 | Murray Burnett | KO | 3 (6) | May 15, 1953 | 29 years, 187 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 44 | Loss | 28–14–2 | Harold Johnson | KO | 2 (10) | Oct 6, 1952 | 28 years, 332 days | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| 43 | Win | 28–13–2 | Harold Johnson | SD | 10 | Aug 6, 1952 | 28 years, 271 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 42 | Loss | 27–13–2 | Clarence Henry | TKO | 1 (10) | Jan 30, 1952 | 28 years, 82 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 41 | Loss | 27–12–2 | Wes Bascom | MD | 10 | Nov 15, 1951 | 28 years, 6 days | Arena, Saint Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| 40 | Loss | 27–11–2 | Rex Layne | TKO | 8 (10) | Mar 9, 1951 | 27 years, 120 days | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 39 | Win | 27–10–2 | Elkins Brothers | TKO | 2 (10) | Jan 19, 1951 | 27 years, 71 days | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 38 | Win | 26–10–2 | Vern Mitchell | UD | 10 | Dec 13, 1950 | 27 years, 34 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 37 | Loss | 25–10–2 | Lee Oma | UD | 10 | Sep 25, 1950 | 26 years, 320 days | Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| 36 | Win | 25–9–2 | Lee Oma | KO | 6 (10) | May 17, 1950 | 26 years, 189 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 35 | Win | 24–9–2 | Tommy Gómez | UD | 10 | Mar 22, 1950 | 26 years, 133 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 34 | Win | 23–9–2 | Nick Barone | UD | 10 | Feb 22, 1950 | 26 years, 105 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 33 | Win | 22–9–2 | Sylvester Perkins | TKO | 2 (10) | Nov 18, 1949 | 25 years, 282 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 32 | Loss | 21–9–2 | Henry Hall | KO | 4 (10) | Apr 25, 1949 | 25 years, 167 days | Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| 31 | Loss | 21–8–2 | Archie Moore | KO | 3 (10) | Jan 31, 1949 | 25 years, 83 days | Sports Arena, Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| 30 | Win | 21–7–2 | Bob Amos | PTS | 10 | Dec 10, 1948 | 25 years, 31 days | International Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 29 | Loss | 20–7–2 | Joey Maxim | UD | 10 | Nov 12, 1948 | 25 years, 3 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 28 | Draw | 20–6–2 | Bob Amos | PTS | 10 | Sep 15, 1948 | 24 years, 311 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 27 | Win | 20–6–1 | Richard Hagan | TKO | 9 (10) | Sep 7, 1948 | 24 years, 303 days | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 26 | Win | 19–6–1 | Oakland Billy Smith | KO | 1 (10) | Jun 29, 1948 | 24 years, 233 days | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 25 | Win | 18–6–1 | Art Swiden | KO | 1 (10) | May 7, 1948 | 24 years, 180 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 24 | Loss | 17–6–1 | Sam Baroudi | TKO | 2 (10) | Jan 23, 1948 | 24 years, 75 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 23 | Win | 17–5–1 | Al Johnson | PTS | 10 | Nov 12, 1947 | 24 years, 3 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 22 | Win | 16–5–1 | Chuck Hunter | KO | 10 (10) | Oct 6, 1947 | 23 years, 331 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 21 | Loss | 15–5–1 | Al Johnson | UD | 8 | Aug 18, 1947 | 23 years, 282 days | Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 20 | Win | 15–4–1 | Willie Moore | KO | 2 (8) | Jun 30, 1947 | 23 years, 233 days | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 19 | Loss | 14–4–1 | Bob Foxworth | KO | 1 (10) | Mar 14, 1947 | 23 years, 125 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 18 | Win | 14–3–1 | Willie Moore | UD | 8 | Feb 10, 1947 | 23 years, 93 days | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 17 | Loss | 13–3–1 | Jake LaMotta | KO | 7 (10) | Sep 12, 1946 | 22 years, 276 days | Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 16 | Win | 13–2–1 | Vince Pimpinella | KO | 2 (10) | Aug 14, 1946 | 22 years, 278 days | Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 15 | Loss | 12–2–1 | Holman Williams | SD | 10 | Apr 25, 1946 | 22 years, 167 days | Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 14 | Win | 12–1–1 | Johnny Clark | TKO | 5 (10) | Mar 28, 1946 | 22 years, 139 days | Coliseum North Hall, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 13 | Win | 11–1–1 | Benny McCombs | KO | 2 (8) | Dec 26, 1945 | 22 years, 47 days | Ashland Blvd. Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 12 | Win | 10–1–1 | Collins Brown | KO | 1 (10) | Dec 7, 1945 | 22 years, 28 days | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 11 | Win | 9–1–1 | Bob Garner | KO | 2 (8) | Nov 14, 1945 | 22 years, 5 days | Ashland Blvd. Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 10 | Win | 8–1–1 | Charley Polk | KO | 2 (8) | Oct 24, 1945 | 21 years, 349 days | Ashland Blvd. Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 9 | Win | 7–1–1 | Oscar Boyd | KO | 4 (6) | Sep 27, 1945 | 21 years, 322 days | Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| 8 | Win | 6–1–1 | Curley Denton | KO | 1 (6) | Sep 6, 1945 | 21 years, 301 days | Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| 7 | Win | 5–1–1 | Vecie Van | KO | 1 (6) | Aug 10, 1945 | 21 years, 274 days | Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| 6 | Win | 4–1–1 | Herman Hayes | KO | 1 (6) | Jul 23, 1945 | 21 years, 256 days | Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 5 | Draw | 3–1–1 | Johnny Vorce | PTS | 8 | May 28, 1945 | 21 years, 200 days | Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 4 | Win | 3–1 | Charley Roth | KO | 1 (4) | May 7, 1945 | 21 years, 179 days | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 3 | Loss | 2–1 | Mack Parshay | KO | 1 (4) | May 2, 1945 | 21 years, 174 days | Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Arthur McWhorter | KO | 1 (4) | Apr 23, 1945 | 21 years, 165 days | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Tom Mitchell | KO | 1 (4) | Mar 19, 1945 | 21 years, 130 days | Marigold Gardens, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |