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Pete Cerkan, (1907-1975) was billed as “The Powerful Pole” by
his manager and promoter, Jimmy Moloney in 1927 when Pete began his
professional career. He was a light heavyweight and fought bouts along the Pacific Coast
from Vancouver.
BC to San Jose, CA, during his four year career. His record
was Won 48 (KO 30), Lost 11 (KO 4), and Draw 10, total 69 bouts. This included
two bouts with the Pacific Coast
title holder, Young Firpo. The first
bout with Firpo was lost on points
and the second on a TKO.
Jimmy Moloney, was not only a boxing promoter, but was
elected to four two-year terms as mayor of Pe Ell, between 1932 and 1940. He is
reported to have said about Pete, ‘He was smart enough, and a good fighter, but
the reason he wasn’t a real good
boxer is that he was Polish and too kind-hearted. The Poles just don’t have that killer
instinct.’
Pete was a logger by trade. He was the son of Polish
immigrants, Bolleck Cerkan and Francis Kotowski; his mother died when he was
only two. He married May Oma Weiss and was a father and grandfather. He died at
69 and is buried in Fern
Hill Cemetery..
Donald Workman recalls “When I was in the sixth grade we
lived in a house owned by Yeomans Lumber Company on Kelso Street. We kept several boarders with us in that house. One of them was Pete Cerkan;
it was exciting for my brother Bud and me having a professional boxer living with us. He
got us our only dog, a black and white female that we named Gertrude. She was
badly hurt by a big bulldog one day and received a broken hip; she always ran
on three legs after that. When Pete was training, he would allow us to go with him early in the morning when he would run
several miles. He would always keep us in his sight.”
Grace (Donahue) Miller writes, “Pete Cerkan had quite a
reputation as a boxer up and down the west coast. I saw him box a couple of
times. A ring would be set up in the big room above the Gould Theater, or in
the old cannery building on the corner of Central Avenue.”
Jim Moloney’s son, Dr. Gene Moloney, said he was quite young
at the time, but can remember traveling with
his father to San Francisco
for these boxing bouts.