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{{Infobox boxer|name=Pete Herman
|image=Pete.Herman.jpeg
|nickname=Kid Herman
|realname=Peter Gulotta
|weight=[[Bantamweight]]
|height      = {{convert|5|ft|2|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
|nationality={{Flagicon|USA}} American
|birth_date={{birth date|1896|02|12|mf=y}}
|death_date={{death date and age|1973|04|13|1896|02|12|mf=y}}
|birth_place=Convent, LA
|death_place=[[New Orleans, LA]]
|style=[[Orthodox (boxing)|Orthodox]]
|total=142
|wins=100
|KO=21
|losses=29
|draws=13
|no contests=0
|}}

'''Pete Herman''' (February 12, 1896 – April 13, 1973) was one of the all-time great [[bantamweight]] world champions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/bantam.htm|title=The Lineal Bantamweight Champions|publisher=Cyber Boxing Zone}}</ref> An Italian-American, Herman was born Peter Gulotta in [[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]], and fought from 1912 until 1922. He retired with a record of 69 wins (19 by KO), 11 losses, 8 draws and 61 no-decisions in 149 bouts. His managers were Jerome Gargano, Doc Cutch, Sammy Goldman and Red Walsh.<ref name=BR>{{cite web|title=Pete Herman|url=http://boxrec.com/boxer/13825|publisher=BoxRec|accessdate=8 October 2016}}</ref> Nat Fleisher, ''Ring Magazine'' editor and founder, impressively rated Herman as the #2 best all time bantamweight.<ref name=CBZ>{{cite web|title=Pete Herman|url=http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/herman-p.htm|publisher=Cyber Boxing Zone|accessdate=8 October 2016}}</ref>

==Early life and career==
Herman was a smooth boxer and great body puncher. He was particularly skilled at inside fighting.<ref name=CBZ/> He was born on February 12, 1896 in New Orleans, Louisiana to an Italian family. Making an early start, he fought his first pro fight around 1912 at the age of only 16. According to boxing lore, Herman earned some of his living as a "bootblack" or shoe shine before making it as a boxer.<ref>"Bootblacks are Boxing Champions", ''Detroit Free Press'', Detroit, Michigan, pg. 18, 28 March 1943</ref> Two years after his first bout, he held his own during a 10-round, no-decision bout against [[List of lineal boxing world champions#Bantamweight|World bantamweight champion]] [[Kid Williams]] on June 20, 1914 at the Pelican Stadium in New Orleans, though losing the bout in the opinion of the local ''Times-Picayune''.<ref name=BR/>

Herman defeated San Franciscan Eddie Campi on September 13, 1914 in a twenty-round points decision in New Orleans.<ref name=BR/>

In his first eighteen bouts, between September 1912, and July 1913, his only losses were to a single boxer, Johnny Fisse on points on five separate occasions. He would draw with Fisse on September 29, 1913 in Memphis, Tennessee, making Fisse his most frequent career opponent.<ref name=BR/>

===Bouts with Eddie Coulon===
On December 13, 1915, Herman defeated fellow New Orleans boxer Eddie Coulon in a fourth-round knockout in New Orleans. Both boxers weighed 116, but Coulon had a 3 1/2 reach advantage. Herman had faced Coulon twice in his early career on September 30, and October 21, 1912 in two six-round draws in New Orleans. He would defeat to Coulon on September 1, 1913, in Memphis, Tennessee, in an eight-round points decision.<ref name=BR/>

Herman lost to the great New York Jewish boxer [[Lew Tendler]] on February 28, 1916 at the Olympia Club in Philadelphia in a six-round newspaper decision. Tendler would later meet the greatest boxers of his era including the lightweight champion Benny Leonard in several bouts.<ref name=BR/>

On June 12, 1916, he defeated Frankie Brown, New York bantamweight, in New Orleans in a fifteen-round points decision.<ref name=BR/> He had drawn with Brown three months earlier in Baltimore in another fifteen round bout.<ref name=BR/>

==Taking the World Bantamweight Championship for the first time, January 1917==
[[File:Kid Williams LOC.jpg|230px|left|thumb|Kid Williams, World Bantamweight Champion Contender]]
In their fourth meeting, Herman finally won the title from Kid Williams on January 9, 1917 in a twenty-round points decision in New Orleans, even though Williams was allowed to pick his own referee for the match, Bill Rocap. Herman scored knockdowns in the fifth and twelfth. Though Williams was the aggressor throughout the fight, Herman had little trouble dodging the former champion's blows. Due to Williams' aggressive style of boxing in the bout, many ringside believed he had won more of the rounds than Herman.<ref>"Pete Herman Awarded the Decision over Kid Williams", ''The Times'', Shreveport, Louisiana, pg. 5, 10 January 1917</ref><ref>"The Closing Chapter", ''The Pittsburgh Daily Post'' Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pg. 8, 11 January 1917</ref>

==Knocking out former Bantamweight Champion Johnny Coulon, May 1917==
On May 14, 1917 Herman defeated [[Johnny Coulon]] in a third-round technical knockout at Lakeside Auditorium in Racine, Wisconsin. Halfway through the third, Coulon was down for a count of nine from a right swing to the jaw by Herman, not long after coming out of a clinch. After Coulon rose, the referee stopped the fight, as Coulon still seemed woozy. Herman had a nine-pound weight advantage, and a two-inch reach advantage. Coulon was seven years older at twenty-eight, which may have made a difference in the fight. Coulon had formerly held and lost the World Bantamweight Title.<ref>"Too Old", ''The Fort Wayne News'', Fort Wayne, Indiana, pg. 13, 15 May 1917</ref>

==Important bouts fought while holding the World Bantamweight Championship==

===Marriage to Anna LeBlanc and win over Frankie Burns, November 1917===
On the evening of November 4, 1917, Herman was married to Anna LeBlanc, whom he had known since he was a child in New Orleans. The following day Herman defeated Frankie Burns in a twenty-round points decision at Louisiana Auditorium in New Orleans in what a few sources considered a title bout.<ref>"Pete Herman Wins from Frankie Burns", ''San Francisco Chronicle'', San Francisco, California, pg. 7, 6 November 1917</ref> Herman was scheduled to have reported for service in the US Army after the bout.<ref>"Bantam Champion Will Defend his Title Tonight", ''The Courier-Journal'', Louisville, Kentucky, pg. 7, 5 November 1917</ref> Herman did not have great difficulty amassing enough points to win the bout.<ref>"Pete Herman Holds Frankie Burns Safe", ''New Castle Herald'', New Castle, Pennsylvania, pg. 10, 6 November 1917</ref> Burns had a difficult time in the first three rounds and was staggered by Herman in the second. Burns may have evened the fighting in the seventeenth round.<ref>"Pete Herman is Awarded Decision", ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pg. 10, 6 November 1917</ref> Herman had previously suffered a thirteenth-round technical knockout from burns in November 1914 in the same city.<ref name=BR/><ref>Herman knew his wife since childhood in "Fear of a Black Eye on His Wedding Day", ''The Winnipeg Tribune'', Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, pg. 115, 28 November 1917</ref> Herman did not box from late December until May 1918, and may have been in military training. In March 1918, the US Navy refused Herman furloughs to box until he had achieved three months of active duty.<ref>"Pete Herman Can't Get Furlough for Battles in the Ring", ''Wilkes-Barre Evening News'', Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania, pg. 17, 25 March 1918</ref>

On December 14, 1917, Herman won with a third-round technical knockout against Frankie Mason, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In the second round, Mason was knocked to the canvas for the first time in his career.<ref name=BR/>

On May 23, 1919, he defeated Johnny "Kewpie" Ertle in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in a fifth-round technical knockout. The deciding blow was a strong left to the jaw.<ref>"Pete Herman Knocks Out Johnny Ertle Contender", ''The Washington Times'', Washington, D.C., pg. 15, 24 May 1919</ref> Ertle had previously been down for a count of eight in the fourth, but was saved by the bell.<ref>"Johnny Ertle is Given a Knockout", ''Logansport Pharos-Tribune'', Longansport, Indiana, pg. 14, 24 May 1919</ref>

He defeated Chicago bantamweight Johnny Ritchie on January 7, 1920 in an eighth-round technical knockout at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. After a knockdown in the eighth, Ritchie arose still staggering, and the fight was stopped by the referee. Herman had won the bout with ease.<ref name=BR/>

===Losing the World Bantamweight Championship, December 1920===
In the late evening of December 22, 1920, Herman lost his bantamweight title in [[Madison Square Garden]] to [[Joe Lynch (boxer)|Joe Lynch]] in a fifteen-round unanimous decision.<ref name=BR/> In a decisive bout, the ''El Paso Herald'' gave Lynch ten rounds with four for Herman. Lynch used to advantage his superior height and a four-inch advantage in reach. Only a day after the bout, Herman sailed for London to face Jimmy Wilde.<ref>"Lynch Wins Bantam Title", ''El Paso Herald'', El Paso, Texas, pg. 10, 23 December 1920</ref>

==Legendary bout with Jimmy Wilde, January 1921==
Herman's most memorable match was fought against [[Jimmy Wilde]], the legendary Welsh [[Flyweight]] World Champion.

The Wilde-Herman fight was staged on January 13, 1921 at Royal Albert Hall in [[London]], and resulted in a seventeenth-round technical knockout for Herman. The former bantamweight champion used his weight advantage and body punching to wear down Wilde, the still reigning Flyweight champ. Herman hurt Wilde in the 15th when the fighting was fierce against the ropes, and knocked him through the ropes three times in the 17th round to end the fight. The classy Wilde made no excuses. He stated after the fight "I can sincerely say that Herman beat me because he was the better boxer." Many gave Wilde the first five rounds, but Herman came back particularly strong in the fifteenth, until he ended the bout in the seventeenth.<ref>"Pete Herman Defeats Wilde in Battle of Bantamweights", ''The Atlanta Constitution'', Atlanta, Georgia, pg. 6, 14 January 1921</ref>  The exciting match brought an impressive crowd of around 10,000, including the Prince of Wales.<ref>"Wilde is Beaten But Claims Title", ''The Morning News'', Wilmington, Delaware, pg. 7, 14 January 1921</ref>

On July 11, 1921, Herman defeated British Bantamweight Champion Jim Higgins in an eleventh-round knockout at the Highland Park Ring in London. Herman won every round but the eighth, when Higgins delivered a blow to the chin of Herman. Herman took the match with a right hook to the jaw of Higgins, after which, according to one source, Higgins was down for a full five minutes. Most of the bout was described as in-fighting.<ref>"Pete Herman Knocks Out Him Higgins", ''Reading Times'', Reading, Pennsylvania, pg. 8, 12 July 1921</ref><ref>Higgins was British bantamweight champion in "Pete Herman Kayoes English Champion", ''The Scranton Republican'', Scranton, Pennsylvania, pg. 14, 12 July 1921</ref>

==Regaining the World Bantamweight Title, July 1921==
<!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:Joe Lynch portrait.jpg|220 px|right|thumb|Joe Lynch]] -->
On July 25, 1921, Herman fought Joe Lynch in a rematch for the World bantamweight title in New York's storied [[Ebbets Field]]. Both boxers weighed in at 116 3/4 pounds. The ''Scranton Republican'' and other sources gave Herman 13 of the 15 rounds, with only the eleventh to Lynch and the second even.<ref>"Herman Defeats Lynch Regaining Bantam Title", ''The Scranton Republican'', Scranton, Pennsylvania, pg. 14, 26 July 1921</ref> Herman's decisive win on points fueled speculation that he had thrown the first fight.  Herman forced the fighting, taking the lead from the opening bell using both left and right effectively. At the time, Herman was one of the few fighters ever to regain a lost title.<ref>"Pete Herman is Champion Again", ''Battle Creek Moon-Journal'', Battle Creek, Michigan, pg. 6, 26 July 1921</ref>

On September 5, 1921, Herman defeated French boxer Charles LeDoux at Louisiana Stadium in New Orleans in a tenth-round newspaper decision. According to more than one source, Herman had a shade better of the no-decision bout, particularly among the local sportswriters.<ref>"Pete Herman Shades Ledoux", ''The Kansas City Kansan'', Kansas City, Kansas, pg. 8, 6 September 1921</ref>

===Losing his second World Bantamweight Title, September 1921===
He lost the World Bantamweight Championship for the second time on September 23, 1921 when he was outpointed by [[Johnny Buff]] in a fifteen-round title match at Madison Square Garden.<ref name=BR/> Buff took ten rounds employing lightning speed, with only four rounds for his opponent. Herman put Buff on the canvas only once very briefly in the fourth round with a right to the jaw. For most of the bout, Herman had trouble using his often powerful right effectively. By the fifteenth round Buff was able to freely reign most of his blows on Herman. Having a very slight advantage in reach, and a four-pound weight disadvantage, Buff won on points by a sizable margin. Buff was fighting at nearly thirty while Herman was only 25. Buff had taken the American Flyweight Championship previously.<ref>"Indians Lose Scalp, Buff Takes Bantam Title", ''The Times'', Shreveport, Louisiana, pg. 8, 24 September 1921</ref>

==Knocking out contender Packy O'Gatty, December 1921, and losing his vision==
Herman had begun losing sight in one eye, and he claimed to have been nearly blind in that eye by April 1921, well before he fought Buff.<ref>"Insider Says", ''Iowa City Press Citizen'', Iowa City, Iowa, pg. 8, 14 April 1921</ref> He fought five more times, knocking out number one contender Packy O'Gatty in one round at the Rink Sporting Club in Brooklyn, on December 9, 1921.  O'Gatty went down two minutes and fourteen seconds into the first round from an overhand right to the jaw.<ref>"Pete Herman Knocks Out O'Gatty in First Round", ''New York Tribune'', New York, New York, pg. 13, 10 December 1921</ref> Herman had previously landed a strong right uppercut to the jaw of O'Gatty that had rattled him earlier in the round. The crowd at the Rink Club in Brooklyn was not large, filling only about half the seats.  Herman claimed after the bout he hoped to get a title match again with Johnny Buff, but that Buff would not consent to meet him. Considering Herman's impending loss of vision, his retirement was probably a wise choice.<ref>"Pete Herman Shows His True Fighting Form", ''The Brooklyn Daily Eagle'', Brooklyn, New York, pg. 14, 10 December 1921</ref>

Herman retired in 1922 after winning a ten-round bout on points with Roy Moore in Boston on April 24.<ref name=BR/><ref>{{cite web|title=Pete Herman Bio|url=http://boxrec.com/media/index.php?title=Human:13825|publisher=BoxRec|accessdate=8 October 2016}}</ref>

==Life after boxing==
According to one source, Herman's investments were made wisely on the advice of a friend, B. S. D'Antoni, though Herman retired before the great depression. His earnings in 1921 were estimated at $200,000.<ref>Cluke, Colonel, "Pete Herman Will Retire", ''The Atlanta Constitution'', Atlanta, Georgia, pg. 12, 28 December 1921</ref>

He eventually became completely blind. After his retirement from the ring, he owned and operated a club in the [[New Orleans]] [[French Quarter]]. Pete Herman's was a popular New Orleans landmark. He was appointed to an honorary position with the New Orleans Boxing Commission after his retirement from boxing.

On April 13, 1973, Herman died in a New Orleans hospital after failing health and a fall that broke his hip the previous month. Funeral services were held on April 16.<ref>"Ex-Bantam Champion Dead at 77", ''The Times'', Shreveport, Louisiana, pg. 51, 15 April 1973</ref>

Herman was elected into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1959. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997. He was also a member of the Louisiana and New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame.<ref name=CBZ/>

==See also==
*[[List of lineal boxing world champions]]
*[[List of bantamweight boxing champions]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{boxrec|id=13825}}
* [http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/herman-p.htm Pete Herman - Cyber Boxing Zone]

{{S-start}}
{{s-ach|ach}}
{{s-bef| before=[[Kid Williams]]}}
{{s-ttl|title= [[List of lineal boxing world champions#Bantamweight|World Bantamweight Boxing Champion]]|
  years= January 9, 1917 – December 26, 1920}}
{{s-aft|after= [[Joe Lynch (boxer)|Joe Lynch]]}}
{{s-bef| before=[[Joe Lynch (boxer)|Joe Lynch]]}}
{{s-ttl|title= [[List of lineal boxing world champions#Bantamweight|World Bantamweight Boxing Champion]]|
  years= July 25, 1921 – September 23, 1921}}
{{s-aft|after= [[Johnny Buff]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herman, Pete}}
[[Category:1896 births]]
[[Category:1973 deaths]]
[[Category:American boxers of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Bantamweight boxers]]
[[Category:World bantamweight boxing champions]]
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Boxers from Louisiana]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from New Orleans]]
[[Category:American male boxers]]
[[Category:Italian male boxers]]