Frankie Genaro

Frankie Genaro (left) was born in New York on August 16, 1901. As a youth, his ambition was to be a jockey. At 5' 2 � " and 112 lbs, he got a job as a stable boy, but decided he was more suited to the ring. His amateur career began in 1917. In 1920, he won the gold medal in boxing at the Antwerp Olympics.

He then turned pro, piling up an impressive string of victories. On August 22, 1922, he beat Pancho Villa (real name Francisco Guilledo, and perhaps the best known Flyweight champion other than Jimmy Wilde) in 10 rounds. The next time he fought Villa it was for the American flyweight title. He beat Villa to take the crown, which he went on to lose to Fidel La Barba two years later.

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