Puncher’s from the Past: Stan Harrington

STAN HARRINGTON

Born: 10 December 1933 Palama, Honolulu, Hawaii

Died: 19 January 1997 Florida, USA aged 63

Record: 85 fights, 64 wins (26 by KO/TKO), 18 losses (4 by KO/TKO), 3 draws

Division: Welterweight/Super Welterweight

First Pro Fight: 17 November 1953.

Last Pro Fight: 26 January 1967.

Major Contests

Beat: L C Morgan (twice), Rocky Kalingo (three times), Chico Vejar, Joe Miceli, Tony Dupas, Alvaro Gutierrez, Charley Tombstone Smith, Paddy DeMarco**, Charley Scott(twice), Manuel Gonzalez*, Rip Randall, Isaac Logart, Denny Moyer**, Eddie Pace, Gaspar Ortega (twice), Tony Montano, Billy Collins, Carl Penalosa, Hurricane Kid (twice), Sugar Ray Robinson** (twice), Gabe Terronez, Ferd Hernandez, Rubin Carter, Ernie Burford, Jimmy Lester,

Lost to: Joe Miceli, Charley Tombstone Smith, Virgil Akins**, Gaspar Ortega (twice), Rudell Stitch, Yama Bahama, Eddie Pace, Denny Moyer**, Curtis Cokes**, Tony Montano, Emile Griffith**, Hurricane Kid, Art Hernandez, Don Fullmer, Ki Soo Kim**,

Drew with: Jose Stable*, Andy Heilman,

** Former/Future World title holder

*  Challenger for a version of a world title

Stan Harrington’s Story

Harrington had a mixed background being of Irish, English and Hawaiian heritage. He was orphaned when both of his parents died when he was just eight years old. After success at High School it looked as though he might aim to be a star player at American football but instead he chose boxing a decision that proved important for boxing in Hawaii. He reportedly had close to 100 amateur fights before turning pro in November 1953. He was already fighting over ten rounds by July 54 and won his first 19 fights before suffering consecutive losses against Joe Miceli and Dave Johnson in 1956. Promoter “Sad” Sam Ichinose was Mr Boxing in Hawaii keeping the sport alive and Harrington quickly became his biggest asset. Harrington packed the fans in at the Honolulu Civic Auditorium, Honolulu Stadium and Honolulu International Centre Arena as Ichinose imported just about every fighter in the Ring Magazine welterweight and middleweight/super welterweight ratings. Harrington lost a few fights but reversed some of those losses. His first fight outside of Hawaii came in his fortieth contest in January 1960 when he lost  a close decision to Gaspar Ortega in Madison Square Garden. He returned to the Civic Auditorium but suffered two more losses in 1960 to Rudell Stitch and Yama Bahama. He bounced back with six wins but then lost inside the distance to Eddie Pace and Ortega. Harrington was down but not out. When the WBC introduced their super welterweight title Ichinose promoted a show in Honolulu on February 1963 featuring both the WBA and the inaugural WBC belts. It had taken 53 fights against a whole host of contenders for Harrington to land a title shot but he came up short losing a unanimous decision against Denny Moyer. Harrington continued to fight anyone Ichinose brought to Hawaii. He suffered losses against Curtis Cokes and Emile Griffith but beat the now former champion Denny Moyer and gained revenge against Ortega. Harrington battled on. There were reverses against Art Hernandez and Don Fullmer and wins against Ortega, Gabe Terronez, Ferd Hernandez, Rubin Carter and Jimmy Lester plus two points victories over a very aged Sugar Ray Robinson and draws with Jose Stable and Andy Heilman. Fight No 84 saw Harrington land a second shot at the WBA and WBC super welterweight belts this time against Ki Soo Kim in Seoul on 17 December 1966. Six months earlier Kim had won the two belts with a unanimous decision over Nino Benvenuti snapping Benvenuti’s 65-bout unbeaten streak. Kim was just too good for Harrington and won a comfortable unanimous decision. Harrington had passed his thirty-third birthday just one week before the Kim fight and he was back in the ring just six weeks later knocking out Fumio Kaizu in Tokyo. That was his last fight. He had helped Ichinose keep boxing alive in Hawaii. His trainer/father figure Ted Kawamura said that Stan had fought every contender, every rated guy in his time and the late Bobby Lee, a former WBA President, added that Harrington was one of the saviours of boxing in Hawaii. Harrington eventually relocated to San Francisco and then Florid and died there from cancer in 1997 at the age of 63. He was inducted into the Hawaii Sports Hallof Fame in 2000.