[Rocco Del Sesto]

I'd actually started to look for some info on Callahan the referee when I'd seen his name mentioned in some fights I was looking at for I think it was Tommy UK Martin so I took a little look at his fight career. His fighter rating is from the TBCB3 group so I did not do any updating of that. I just updated his bio info adding some additional information you might find interesting. Posting some photos I found of him as a fighter. You'll see the photo files have the newspaper edition where I found them.
Rocco

Mushy Callahan - JWW USA
Career Record: W48(KO 22) / L15(KO 3) / D3

TITLES:

National Boxing Association World Light Welterweight Title

Unknown information has been left blank.

Found short piece in the 02/06/32 Daily News, LA, CA that mentions Mushy Callahan's birth date, 11/3/1905 - Rocco

Previously in the bio:


Manager: Eddie Sears

Hall of Fame: WBHF(1989)

Had a tough defense against Fred "Dummy" Mahan in 1929. Callahan was down in the first, but managed to survive. Callahan decked Mahan in the second, but Mahan rose and floored Mushy later in the round. Callahan responded by knocking down Mahan for a second time in the round. Mushy ended the fight with a KO in the third. Jack 'Kid' Berg defeated Callahan for the title in 1930(TKO10). Callahan was a referee in California after his retirement. He also made a name for himself in Hollywood as a technical director, a stunt man, and a bit part actor(he played a referee several times). The most notable films he was a part of were, From Here to Eternity, Rebel Without a Cause and The War of the Worlds. Callahan was a Jewish boxer.

Added (Rocco):

01/11/28 - The News, Paterson NJ - Published the annual fighter rankings for 1927 by Tex Rickard as they are contained in the Ring.The publication by The News notes that Mushy Callahan is the No 2 rated Junior Welterweight and that he had been supplanted for the No 1 ranking from 1926 by Ruby Goldstein.

01/04/32 - The Los Angeles Times, CA - Ran an account on Mushy Callahan to fight in a 10 round bout against Chinese welterweight Ralph Chong. It will mark Callahan's comeback bid after being inactive in the ring since his 10th round TKO loss to Jack "Kid" Berg for the NBA World Super Lightweight title on Feb 18, 1930.

02/01/32 - Daily News, LA and The Pasadena Post, CA ran short posts about Callahan starting to train to make a comeback. Mentions he will be managed by "Gig" Rooney.

02/08/32 - The San Francisco Examiner, CA - An article more about "Gig" Rooney who has taken Mushy Callahan under his management for Callahan's comeback. Article mentions his management of Jackie Fields to the welterweight championship and then Fields decided he didn't want/need Rooney's advise anymore and left him.

03/22/32 - The Akron Beacon Journal, OH and The Bakersfield Californian, - A short notes about Callahan's comeback mentions that "until recently, was in teh haberdashery business in Los Angleses. He suffered businedss reverses and decided to resume boxing as a welter, having added a few pounds.

03/22/32 - Los Angeles Times, CA - Article mentions Callahan's comeback saying he is now a welterweight having added a few pounds.

04/01/32 - Los Angeles Times, CA(04/02) - His two year absence in the ring showed itself as Mushy Callahan showed lack of timing and co-ordination, but he still managed a 10 round decision over Ralph Chong. Chong was considered a four round fighter and apparently showed his lack of endurance after the fifth round. After that, Callahan scored heavily with lefts to the mid-section. The fifth round was Chong's best round aa he rocked Callahan with a right to the mouth that left Mushy bleeding from his lips the remainder of the fight. Callahan won seven rounds, Chong two, with one even.Referee was Larry McGrath. Main difficulty Callahan seemed to exhibit was an inability to make his mind up when to launch an attack, until about the last two rounds.

05/06/32 - Los Angeles Times, CA(05/07) - Mushy Callahan won a 10 round decision over Tod Morgan with Callahan winning 5 rounds, Morgan 4 and one even. Morgan had a flurry in the final round that had the crowd excited and caused them to boo Referee Freddie Gilmore's verdict. Morgan used left hands to Callahan's heart and rights to the chin to start out well. Callahan got going in the sixth with lefts to the stomach and rights to the chin to win the sixth through ninth rounds.

06/10/32 - The Sacramento Bee, News-Pilot, San Pedro, Los Angeles Times (06/10) - Callahan lasted buy six rounds against Baby Sal Sorio of the scheduled 10. Callahan was so tired and his left eye was completely closed and lips bleeding, his seconds threw in the towel between the sixth and seventh rounds giving Sorio the TKO win.Mushy fought hard, actually flooring Sal for an eight count in the second round. The count was halted by the bell. Sal came back strong after that and punished Callahan with hard rights and lefts to the head leaving Mushy's left eye closed at the end of the sixth. Callahan was quoted after the fight, "I'm all done, forever. When I can't beat the Sorios it's time to quit". Referee was Larry McGrath.

06/24/86 - Los Angeles Times, CA - Announced Callahan had died after a long illness the previous week. Placed his age at 81. Mentions he was born Vincent Morris Scheer in New York, but his family brought him out to Los Angeles as a youngster. He began boxing when he was 14 and chose his alias to keep his family from learning about his boxing. Callahan worked for Warner Bros. Studio as a trainer, teacher and adviser on boxing movies, occasionally playing bit parts.

10/11/80 - Petaluma Argus-Courier, CA - Article run in this paper actually had to do about the actor Steve McQueen who had died recently.The writer of the article happens to mention in it he had an old friend, Mushy Callahan, who knew a lot about a number of movie actors including McQueen. Mushy had trained actors for a variety of parts, including such stars as Clark Gable, Jimmy Cagney, Paul Newman, Errol Flynn and Steve McQueen. Mushy trained McQueen for his movie "The Sand Pebbles".