Stephen H. "Suey" Welch (born 1898 or 1899 – January 16, 1974) was an

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...

-based manager who handled boxers from the 1920s through the 1970s. He specialized in bringing fighters from

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...

, where many of them went on to become main event fighters. Most notably, he managed Middleweight Champion

Gorilla Jones William Landon Jones (1906–1982) known as "Gorilla" Jones, was an American boxer who held the NBA Middleweight Boxing Championship of the World. Although he was nicknamed "Gorilla" for his exceptional reach, Jones is to be distinguished from th ...

. One of the last fighters he brought to Southern California in the 1970s was Gil King of Akron. He purportedly got his name of Suey, while catching rides on a Chinese laundryman's truck as a child.

Work at the Olympic Auditorium

Welch was named the matchmaker at the

Olympic Auditorium The Grand Olympic Auditorium is a former sports venue in southern Downtown Los Angeles, California. The venue was built in 1924 at 1801 South Grand Avenue, now just south of the Santa Monica Freeway. The grand opening of the Olympic Auditorium ...

on March 16, 1937, after previous matchmaker Joe Waterman was fired (Waterman's claim) or resigned (Olympic's claim) from his position. Welch made his debut on March 23, 1937 with a main event between

Baby Arizmendi Alberto "Baby" Arizmendi (March 17, 1914 – December 31, 1962) was a Mexican professional boxer and New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) featherweight world title holder in 1934. He also competed in the bantamweight and welterweight di ...

and Wally Hally. In January 1938, Welch was made the supervisor of all of Olympic manager Harry Popkin's boxing operations in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

and

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. Waterman was then reinstated as matchmaker at the Olympic, though Welch would still assist him in making matches. Welch left his position at the Olympic in April 1939, amidst allegations that Lou and Jack Daro managers of the Olympic and powerful figures in the wrestling game, were paying sportswriters and local politicians. Welch was subsequently cited for

tax evasion Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduce the tax ...

by the

State of California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in 1937 and 1938, during which time he was paid $19,000, while claiming a salary of $100 per week. The state also invested claims of fixed boxing matches, which included the Chuck Crowell and Al (Big Boy) Bray bout.

Akron Indians

For a few years, Suey played alongside his brothers Chang and Howe for the Akron Indians of the "

Ohio League The Ohio League was an informal and loose association of American football clubs active between 1902 and 1919 that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship (OIC). As the name implied, its teams were mostly based in Ohio. It is the direct pr ...

" from around 1916 until 1918. The Indians were reestablished in 1916 and temporarily called the Akron Burkhardts, after a local brewer. In 1921, Welch bought the "Akron Indians" name and fielded his own independent team. Welch, a bachelor, died January 16, 1974 in Long Beach, California after a series of heart attacks. He was later inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Stable

Other boxers in his stable included: *Andy Bundy (1934, while in Los Angeles} *K.O. Christner *Charley (Killer) Coates *Art Hafey *Hank Hankinson *

Tommy Hart Tommy Lee Hart (born November 7, 1944) is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints. He played college football Morris Brown College. Early ...

* Gus Lesnevich (1936, while boxing in Los Angeles) *Al Manfredo (1935–37) * Emilio Martinez (1936, after drawing with

John Henry Lewis John Henry Lewis (May 1, 1914 – April 18, 1974) was a hall of fame American boxer who held the World Light Heavyweight Boxing Title from 1935 to 1938. ''The Ring'' boxing magazine named Lewis the 16th greatest light heavyweight of all-time. His ...

) *Sammy O'Dell *Billy Peacock *Charley Powell

References

External links

Summitt County Hall of Fame InducteesBox Rec Boxing Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Welch, Suey 1890s births 1974 deaths Akron Indians (Ohio League) players Akron Indians coaches American boxing promoters Players of American football from Ohio Sportspeople from Akron, Ohio