*Tom Packs wanted to match Joe Stecher with Stanislaus Zbyszko with the winner facing
Ed “Strangler” Lewis.  He said “If Lewis refuses to meet the winner of this match, we will
never again let him work for us in St. Louis and will do everything in ourpower to have him
barred all over the United States.  We are sure, however, that Lewis will agree to meet
the winner.” The East St. Louis Daily Journal stated that “Lewis won the [world
heavyweight] title from Stetcher (sic) in Chicago several years ago, then lost to Zbyszko
and on March 2, 1922, Lewis regained the title from Zbyszko at Wichita.”

St. Louis, Missouri:  Friday, January 18, 1924
(Polish-American Hall) … Joe Parelli b. Joe Turner (2/3) … George Tragos b. Frank
Nelson (2-0) … Harry “Speedy” Schaeffer b. Sox Hose (Hose was unable to continue) …
(promoter:  Harry B. Arnold) … (referee:  George Baptiste)
Notes:  Arnold was from Salt Lake City.  Schaefer was a “local middleweight wrestler” and
“now athletic instructor at the Western Military Academy.” Martin was from Chicago.  
Trago was “formerly instructor at the University of Missouri.” Nelson was from
Philadelphia.  Parelli was called the “Italian middleweight champion.” The facility was at
1940 Cass Avenue.  Hose was from Alton, Illinois.

*Training for his match with Joe Stecher on January 22, 1924, Stanislaus Zbyszko worked
out in Chicago with John Freberg, Carl Schultz, Paul Martinson, and Tony Hatches.

St. Louis, Missouri:  Tuesday, January 22, 1924
(The Coliseum) … Joe Stecher b. Stanislaus Zbyszko (2/3) (Zbyszko won the first fall in
22:55, Stecher won the second in 13:40 and third in 35:15) (Zbyszko was accompanied
by Jack Herman) … Renato Gardini b. Jim Londos (41:05) … Jim Logas b. Harry
“Speedy” Schaeffer (20:45) … (promoter:  Tom Packs) … (referees:  George Baptiste,
John C. Meyers) … (10,000 fans)
Notes:  It was said that Zbyszko’s age was “somewhere from 48 to 54 years.” He was
managed by Jack Herman.  The East St. Louis Daily Journal stated that “Stecher came
into possession of the world’s heavyweight title when Frank Gotch retired.  He held it until
thrown by Earl Caddock in 1917, but when the latter was gassed in the war, Stecher
again won the title in a titular match in 1919.  Lewis took over the crown jewels in 1920 in
a hectic match at Chicago in which Stecher has his shoulder injured when tossed out of
the ring.  Zbyszko won from Lewis, but lost to the latter on March 3, 1922 at Wichita.”
Herman told the newspaper that “Zbyszko has lost to only two men – Frank Gotch and Ed
Lewis – in his entire career.  He has engaged in a total of 1,612 matches in fourteen
years in the United States, not counting his matches in other countries.  Zbyszko won
from Steher both times they wrestled and both were in 1921.” Stecher had “done most of
his preparatory work at home in Dodge, Neb., last Friday nigth really climaxing his
training with a 90-minute draw match with “Toots” Mondt.  Stecher is 29 years old and
has already held the heavyweight championship twice.” Zbyszko was 5’9”, weighed 232
pounds and had a 55 inch chest.

*Jack Herman was presented with a certified check for $10,000 by the chairman of the
Missouri State Boxing Commission, Harry Uhlemeyer.

St. Louis, Missouri:  Tuesday, February 5, 1924
(The Coliseum) … World Heavyweight Champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis b. Renato Gardini
(2-0) (Lewis won the first fall in 1:14:43 and second in 16-minutes) … Josef Gurkeweicz
b. William “Bill” Beth (45:20) … Johnny Kilonis b. Tom Canaan (17:10) … (promoter:  
Tom Packs) … (referee:  Herman Heitzenroeder) … (4,000 fans) (snow storm)
Note:  Canaan was from Butte, Montana.

St. Louis, Missouri:  Thursday, February 14, 1924
(Odeon Theater) ... World Lightweight Champion Jack Fisher b. John Hodnick (2-0) ...
Fred Bigler and Abe Caplan drew (60:00) ... Joe Sanderson b. Frank Nelson ... John
Colas b. Bill Schober (15:00) ... (promoter:  Tommy Sullivan) ... (referees:  George
Baptiste, Gus Eisel)
Notes:  Hodnick was from Virginia, Minnesota, Bigler from Salina, Kansas, and Schober
from Clear Lake, Iowa.  Sanderson and Colas were from St. Louis.  Nelson was from New
Orleans.  Hodnick was a late substitute for Matty Matsuda.  Hodnick was a claimant of the
Northwest welterweight championship.

St. Louis, Missouri:  Tuesday, February 19, 1924
(The Coliseum) … Jim Londos b. Renato Gardini (2/3) (Londos won the first fall in 1:08:
15, Gardini won the second in 19:35, Londos won the third in 11:40 with a jiu-jitsu arm
lock) … Wladek Zbyszko b. Serge Zajanoff (10:20) … Taro Mayaki b. Fred Bigler (8:50)
… Billy Schober and George Tragos drew (30:00) … (promoter:  Tom Packs) …
(referees:  Lew Baptiste, John C. Meyers, Joe Sanderson)

Jefferson Barracks, Missouri:  Wednesday, February 27, 1924
(Gymnasium) ... Cubb Hamilton vs. Kid Howard ... three other wrestling matches and
three boxing bouts
Notes:  Howard was the A.E.F. welterweight wrestling champion and his match against
Hamilton was for the Jefferson Barracks welterweight title.  This was a combination
wrestling-boxing show.

*In late February 1924, it was announced that George Baptiste and Tony Pathano were
planning to stage a wrestling show at the Ainad Temple within the next week featuring Ed
"Strangler" Lewis and Wladek Zbyszko.  The Temple reportedly sat 5,000 fans.

*The Sunday, March 2, 1924 edition of the East St. Louis Daily Journal reported that Ed
Lewis was going to defend his title against Jim Londos at the Coliseum on March 12.  
Within a couple days came the proposal that Joe Stecher could beat both Londos and
Renato Gardini on the same night.  This caused Packs to sign that match instead,
cancelling the Londos-Lewis affair.

St. Louis, Missouri:  Friday, March 7, 1924
(Odeon Theater) ... World Lightweight Champion Jack Fisher b. Bobby Roscoe (Roscoe
suffered an injured back after 52:15 of the first fall and was unable to continue) ... Joe
Sanderson and Harry "Speedy" Schaefer drew (30:00) ... Billy Schober b. Jack McNabb
(25:00) ... Johnny Hodnick and Doc Milliken drew (20:00) ... (promoter:  Tommy Sullivan)
... (referee:  Gus Eisel) ... (small crowd)
Notes:  Fisher was from Columbia, Missouri, Hodnick from Decatur, and Doc Milliken was
from St. Louis, a wrestler at 145 pounds.  Roscoe was a wrestling coach at the University
of Kansas at Lawrence, Kansas.  McNabb was from Kokomo, Indiana.

*On Saturday, March 8, 1924, Jim Londos trained at the National A.A. in St. Louis with
Frank Nelson, Billy Schober, and George Tragos, preparing for his handicap match with
Renato Gardini against Joe Stecher.

*On Sunday, March 9, 1924, Joe Stecher trained with Anton Stecher and George
Tragos.  Jim Londos worked out with Frank Nelson, Bill Schober and Speedy Schaefer.

*On Sunday night, March 9, 1924, Tom Packs met with Anton Stecher at the Hotel
Maryland in St. Louis to discuss the upcoming match.

St. Louis, Missouri:  Wednesday, March 12, 1924
(The Coliseum) … Jim Londos and Renato Gardini b. Joe Stecher in a special handicap
match (2-hours) (Londos was the first to wrestle Stecher, and held the latter through 2-
hours) (Gardini watched the match from the first row) (Stecher had his choice whether to
wrestle Londos or Gardini first, and he picked Londos) (Stecher was accompanied by
Anton Stecher) … Dick Daviscourt b. Josef Gurkeweicz (24:25) … George Tragos b.
Harry “Speedy” Schaefer (19:40) … (promoter:  Tom Packs) … (referee:  John C.
Meyers) … (announcer:  Kenney) … (8,000 fans)
Notes:  60 per cent of the gate was going toward the main event.  There was also a side
bet of $2,000, and held by Harry Uhlemeyer, chairman of the West Side Boxing
Commission.

*Ed “Strangler” Lewis trained with longtime friend Billy Schober and Eddie “Bill” Muldoon
at the National Athletic Club in preparation for his bout with Jim Londos.

St. Louis, Missouri:  Tuesday, April 1, 1924
(The Coliseum) … World Heavyweight Champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis b. Jim Londos
(2/3) (Lewis won the first fall in 1-hour, 2-minutes, Londos won the second in 22:35,
Lewis won the third in 21:25) (Lewis won the third fall after kicking Londos in the face)
(Londos shook Lewis’s hand after the match) (Londos weighed 192 to Lewis’s 220)
(Londos reportedly had suffered a blood tumor the size of a walnut, at the base of the
brain, below his left ear) (Some thought Avey should have disqualified Lewis in the third
fall, while Lewis and Sandow claimed it was an accident) (Lewis was accompanied by his
manager Billy Sandow and new wife, Miss Bessie McNeill Friedrich) … Renato Gardini
and Joe “Toots” Mondt drew (60:00) (Mondt was a late replacement for Dick Daviscourt)
… Hans Steinke b. Luis Rolazom (18:10) … (promoter:  Tom Packs) … (referees:  Sam
E. Avey, John C. Meyers) … (physician:  Dr. Walker) … (thousands of fans in attendance)

St. Louis, Missouri:  Wednesday, May 7, 1924
(Battery A Open Air Arena) … Marin Plestina b. Mike Howard (2-0) (Plestina won the first
fall in 57:25, Plestina won the second in 6:18 by submission with a toehold) (Plestina was
accompanied by his manager Joe Marsh) … Hans Steinke b. Bill Sampson (2-0) (Steinke
won the first fall in 32:28 and second in 13:14) … Gus Pappas and Billy Schober drew
(30:00) … (promoter:  Gus Tiefenthaler) (initial show) … (referee:  George Baptiste) …
(1,200 fans) (cold weather)
Note:  Plestina challenged Ed “Strangler” Lewis.

St. Louis, Missouri:  Tuesday, May 27, 1924
(The Coliseum) … Joe Stecher b. Renato Gardini (2/3) (Stecher won the first fall in 59:
43, Gardini won the second in 28:20, Stecher won the third in 9:27) … Jim Londos and
Wladek Zbyszko drew (60:00) … Harry “Speedy” Schaeffer b. Young Gotch (22:35) …
(promoter:  Tom Packs) … (referees:  John C. Meyers, Joe Sanderson) … (4,000 fans)
… (gate:  $9,333.65)

*Tom Packs planned to go to Kansas City to negotiate with Billy Sandow regarding a
match between Ed “Strangler” Lewis and Jim Londos for an outdoor arena in St. Louis
during the month of June.  Packs was successful in scheduling the bout for June 12 at
the old Federal League park in St. Louis.  Lewis would be guaranteed $12,000 and 30
percent of the gate.

St. Louis, Missouri:  Wednesday, June 11, 1924
(Sportsman’s Park) … Wladek Zbyszko b. Joe Komarankas (2-0) … Nick Lutze b. Ted
Paulson (2-0) … Billy Schober b. Frank Hodnick (2-0) … (promoter:  Gus Tiefenthaler)

St. Louis, Missouri:  Thursday, June 12, 1924
(St. Louis University Stadium) … World Heavyweight Champion Ed “Strangler” Lewis b.
Jim Londos (2/3) (Londos won the first fall in 24:57, Lewis took the second in 40:37 and
the third in 10:24) … Renato Gardini b. Frank Euska (15:57) … Joe Sanderson b. Jimmy
“Young” Demetral (16:55) … Leo Crystal and Cary Meyers drew (10:00) (10 year old
wrestlers in an exhibition) … (promoter:  Tom Packs) … (referee:  Charles Levine, John
C. Meyers) … (gate:  $14,410)

*For a future show, Tom Packs offered Marin Plestina a bout with Renato Gardini, and if
he won he’d be given a main event bout.  Reportedly, Plestina refused.

*Jim Londos was booked by Tom Packs to wrestle Joe Stecher on July 9, 1924, but
instead cancelled.  Packs had obtained an injunction to prevent Londos’s private
wrestling match with Plestina during the final week of June.  Londos wanted to wrestle
Plestina more than Stecher.

St. Louis, Missouri:  Wednesday, July 23, 1924
(Battery A Open Air Arena) … Marin Plestina b. William Demetral (2-0) (Plestina won in
40:58) (Demetal was unable to continue) (Plestina weighed between 230 and 250
pounds to Demetral’s 195) (Plestina had reportedly not lost a fall in 7-years) (Plestina
was accompanied by his manager J.C. Marsh) (-Demetral suffered a broken rib in the
match) … Lloyd Carter b. Jack McCarthy (2-0) … Harry “Speedy” Schaeffer b. Joe
Thomas (10:35) … Al Wasem b. Dr. L.A. Milliken (18:50) … (promoter:  Gus Tiefenthaler)
… (referee:  George Baptiste)

St. Louis, Missouri:  Wednesday, July 30, 1924
(St. Louis University Stadium) … Jim Londos b. Marin Plestina in a handicap match
(Plestina had to beat Londos twice in 90-minutes) (Plestina failed to score even one fall)
(Plestina weighed 230 to Londos’s 192) … Renato Gardini b. Jack Robertson (15:20) …
John Evko b. Jatrinda Gobar (23:10) … (referee:  Charles Lavine, Harry “Speedy”
Schaeffer) … (sponsored by:  National Athletic Association (initial show))
Note:  George Bothner was originally slated to referee the main event.

St. Louis, Missouri:  Wednesday, August 27, 1924
(Battery A Arena) … Edward Diederich vs. Jack Meyers (heavyweights) … Joe Dixon vs.
Al Richter (heavyweights) … Al King vs. Christ Smyrniotis (heavyweights) … John
Pulumbo vs. Charles Richmond (welterweights) … Vincent Pazzola vs. Joe Wasserman
(middleweights) … Remo Luchini vs. “Silent” Rattan (junior lightweights)
Note:  Amateur wrestling show staged by the Business Men’s A.A. and the National A.A.

St. Louis, Missouri:  Thursday, August 28, 1924
(St. Louis University Stadium) … Wladek Zbyszko b. Renato Gardini (2/3) (Gardini won
the first fall in 24 seconds, Zbyszko won the second in 44:35 and the third by forfeit)
(Gardini suffered from acute cardiac dilitation of the heart and injuries to his ribs and
neck during the second fall.  Doctors refused to allow him to go on) … John Evko and Jim
Londos drew (60:00) (Evko dominated the match, including rough house tactics) … Jack
Ross b. Bill Martin (19:06) … (promoter:  Tom Packs) … (referees:  John C. Meyers,
Harry “Speedy” Schaeffer) … (2,500 fans)




*On Sunday, November 30, 1924, Oreste Vadalfi trained at the National Gymnasium in
St. Louis with several training partners for his match with Taro Mayake.  In the days
before the bout, Mayake also trained at the same gym.

St. Louis, Missouri:  Thursday, December 4, 1924
(The Coliseum) … Oreste Vadalfi b. Taro Mayake (2-0) (42:41, 18:33) … John Evko b.
Bill Beth (17:09) (Beth was a late substitute for the injured George Hill) … Dr. Carl
Furness and George Tragos wrestled to a no contest (Furness fell from the ring during
the match and landed on his head, with Tragos falling on top of him) (referee Sanderson
attempted to give Tragos a “technical” decision, but the latter refused) (1:01:35) …
(promoter:  Tom Packs) … (referees:  John C. Meyers, Joe Sanderson)

*On Saturday, December 13, 1924, George Kotsonaros trained at the National
Gymnasium before an estimated 200 people.  His trained contined at the local gym and
drew well as he prepared for a match with Renato Gardini.  On Wednesday, December
17, Gardini trained at the gym before 400 fans.

St. Louis, Missouri:  Thursday, December 18, 1924
(The Coliseum) … George Kotsonaros b. Renato Gardini (2/3) (Gardini won the first fall
in 32:19, Kotsonaros won the second in 24:10 and the third in 5:37) … Dick Daviscourt
and Jim Londos drew (60:00) (according to the Daily Journal of East St. Louis, Daviscourt
would have been given the decision if one had been given) … Hans Steinke b. Ivano
Briloff (14:15) … (promoter:  Tom Packs) … (referees:  John C. Meyers, Oreste Vadalfi)
… (several thousand fans in attendance)


Research by Tim Hornbaker
October 2, 2010
St. Louis Wrestling Results - 1924