Johnny Risko on the Comeback Trail – Dec. 1937

Johnny Risko has been a favorite topic on this blog. Why? Because the beloved heavyweight boxer owned a gas station and cottage in Sheffield Lake for many years, and some of his early fights took place in Lorain.

And back in December 1937, Risko was trying to make a comeback after a long career dating back to the early 1920s.

What follows are some clippings about Risko, from his fights in the fall of 1937 to his last fight in 1940, followed by a short Army career and a wartime job in Lorain.

Nov. 13, 1937

Nov. 18, 1937

Dec. 10, 1937

Dec. 18, 1937

Feb. 1, 1938

July 26, 1939

Aug. 17, 1939

Dec. 15, 1939

Jan. 30, 1940

The fight against Tony Musto would be Risko's last.

Feb. 20, 1940

Well, we now know Carling's Black Label was on tap at Johnny Risko's Sheffield Lake Bar.

Aug. 8, 1940

Aug. 13, 1942

Sept. 1, 1942

Sept. 1, 1942

March 27, 1943

March 31, 1943

June 12, 1943

Sept. 15, 1943

Dec. 16, 1943

Jan. 19, 1944

Dec. 20, 1946

Johnny Risko Passes Away – January 1953

This Sunday, October 10, 2021 is Johnny Risko Day in Sheffield Lake. A special celebration of Risko’s life will take place at the Joyce E. Hanks Community Center from 3:00 to 5:00, with a special display of memorabilia.

In honor of the event, here’s an article that appeared in the Lorain Journal on January 14, 1953 at the time of Risko’s passing. It features a nice capsule summary of his career, and sheds the light on some of his local boxing opponents as well.

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Started Pro Ring Career Here in 1924

Big Fighting Heart of John Risko Stops; Collapses in Miami

One of Lorain County’s greatest contributions to professional boxing – Johnny Risko – is dead today.

The great heart that carried Risko through 187 professional and amateur prize fights in a long ring career, which commenced at Hotel Antlers auditorium here in 1924, stopped last night.

Risko, attending a meeting at Elks lodge in Miami, Fla., collapsed in the lodge rooms. He was given oxygen enroute to a hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. Known as the “rubber man” in heavyweight ranks, Risko was born in Austria on Dec. 18, 1902.

Two Other top-ranking boxers from the Lorain area were Alvie Miller, featherweight who battled Johnny Kilbane for [sic] times, and is still active here, and Alex Hart, a native Lorainite, who worked his way up the welterweight ranks.

With a good record in 59 amateur bouts, Risko entered the professional ranks in 1924 and his initial bout was with Lorain’s Joe “Kayo” Martin, who is now a resident of Sheffield Lake Village.

Martin Broke Hand in Risko Bout

With the auditorium jammed to capacity, Risko and Martin stopped four rounds in the headline attraction, promoted by George Forester and arranged through Capt. Jack Kelly. Forester and Kelly, both prominent sportsmen and city firemen, have died in the past 15 years.

Martin suffered a fracture of the right hand in the first round, but stayed the distance with rugged Risko who belted with both hands from the opening moment of every round. The bout finished in a draw. Martin scaled 168 pounds, while Big John tipped 182, Martin, also in his first pro bout, received $35 for his four rounds of belting.

Martin, 47 years old now, is a resident of Sheffield Lake, 774 Howell Street. He is employed in the blooming mill at the Lorain works of the National Tube Company.

Relaxed at Resorts

Since retiring as a tavern operator about a year ago, Risko has been relaxing at resorts in Florida and also spending the summer months in Sheffield Lake. His two sisters and his father reside in Sheffield Lake, two miles east of Lorain. Risko owned and operated a night club in Cleveland at 25th Street and Clark Avenue for about three years.

The Risko property at Stop 84, Lake Road, in Sheffield Lake, was purchased about 25 years ago when the family moved from Lakewood. On the property, which extended well over an acre, the heavyweight boxer set up training facilities and frequently worked out there in preparation for his major bouts. His manager was Danny Dunn of Cleveland. Much of Risko’s road work was on the highways of Sheffield Lake Village.

Surviving in addition to his wife, are his father, John Sr.; two sisters, Mrs. Peter Cifranic and Mrs. Ziegmunt Forma, all of Sheffield Lake; a nephew and four nieces.

Risko and his wife had arrived only a week ago from Cleveland for a winter vacation at Miami Beach.

Ring Career Ended in 1940

The Cleveland “Rubber man” never was champion but he fought them all over the years from 1924 until Tony Musto knocked him out in three rounds at Miami Beach on Feb. 19, 1940. It was his last fight.

Risko engaged in 59 fights as an amateur in 1922 and 1923, then turned professional. He was five feet 11 inches and weighed 188 pounds in his fighting prime.

He had 128 professional fights and met such headliners as Gene Tunney, Jack Sharkey, Max Scheming, Max Baer, Tom Heeney, Tommy Loughran, Mickey Walker and many others.

The closest he ever got to the title was in a fight with Tom Heeney in Detroit, which Heeney won. The winner got a shot at Tunney and the heavyweight championship.

The body is scheduled to arrive at 8 p.m. today at the Cleveland airport.

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The photo of Johnny Risko from the 1953 Journal article that, according to the caption, shows him “at his tavern about 18 months ago at Clark Avenue and West 35th Street in Cleveland” is very likely much older. 

A copy of it on eBay is labeled "Photo by Acme Newspictures, Inc.” and is dated 7-22-’38. A caption for the photo is supplied, which reads, “RISKO HAS A PROTEGE - MIAMI, FLA.---“HAVE A BEER ON THE HOUSE,’ SAYS JOHNNY RISKO, FORMER HEAVYWEIGHT PRIZE FIGHTER WHO IS SPENDING ALL THE TIME HE CAN AWAY FROM HIS BAR HERE, TO TRAIN A DARK HORSE BOXER, WHOSE IDENTITY HE IS NOT YET READY TO REVEAL. RISKO, WHO FOUGHT SOME 350 FIGHTS BEFORE RETIRING IN 1928 [sic], SAYS HIS PROTEGE IS 17 YEARS OLD AND WEIGHS 176 POUNDS. CREDIT LINE (ACME) 7/15/38

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Here are a few shots from the Johnny Risko Day celebration at the Joyce E. Hanks Community Center. That’s Johnny’s 1929 Auburn Model 8-120 speedster.

New Job for Johnny Risko – August 1928

When I last mentioned heavyweight boxer Johnny Risko (on this post), he was congratulating fellow fighter Tom Heeney on his victory over Gene Tunney in late July 1928.

Well, less than two weeks later, Johnny made the papers again – because he was about to start a brand new career, one of particular local interest.

So what was his new job? Read all about it in the article below, which appeared in the Lorain Times-Herald on August 7, 1928.

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JOHN RISKO APPOINTED MARSHAL OF SHEFFIELD

Mayor Decides Heavyweight Boxer Would be Good Man to Quiet ‘Drunks’ Around Summer Resort

Johnny Risko, claimant of the world’s heavyweight boxing crown recently vacated by Gene Tunney, now has another title other than that of a “pug.”

For the erstwhile Cleveland baker boy is now a marshal in his home bailiwick of Sheffield Lake, a small village on Lake Erie a couple miles east of Lorain.

That is, he was appointed marshal Monday by Mayor Fred Hosford, and his appointment is expected to be ratified by councilmen when the village solons convene Tuesday night.

Hosford pinned a big gold shield on Johnny’s coat Monday afternoon, and with no little ceremony put him through the official hand-raising, oath-taking ritual. Johnny accepted the appointment with a big smile on his face.

It seems that the summer resort which is located near Johnny’s home on the east Lake-rd is the "hanging-out” place for a gang of “drunks” as the mayor termed them, and he expects the appointment of Risko as marshal of the village to scare them out.

The Risko name continues to live on in Sheffield Lake,
at the location of Johnny Risko’s home

Lorain Fight Party – July 26, 1928

Ticket stub from the fight
currently on eBay

It was back on July 26, 1928 that heavyweight champion Gene Tunney defeated New Zealander Tom Heeney at Yankee Stadium. The fight ended with a technical knockout when it was stopped by the referee in the eleventh round.

Although the fight did not draw as many fans as expected, it was a big hit in Lorain. 

As the article above from the July 27, 1928 Lorain Times-Herald notes, “more than 1,000 wildly excited fans milling around in Fifth-st with ears strained to catch every word broadcast of the thrilling encounter for the world’s heavyweight championship.”

“Shortly after seven o’clock the crowd began to gather.

“They were entertained with popular music furnished by the Wickens Furniture company until the preliminaries were started. 

“Shortly before the main bout started, police were forced to stop traffic between Broadway and Reid-av in Fifth-st when the huge crowd completely blocked the street.”

The photo accompanying the Times article features heavyweight boxer Johnny Risko of Sheffield Lake congratulating Tunney. The caption notes, “It’s a pretty good bet and the smile on Johnny’s face indicates it too – that the Risk will get a crack at the title ere long.”

But Johnny would not get another crack at Tunney, who announced his retirement five days after defeating Heeney. (Click here to read a great account of the bout written by author Paul Beston.)

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Click here to read my past posts on Johnny Risko.

Johnny Risko and Joe Friday

I’m a big, big fan of Jack Webb, well-known as the creator of Dragnet and for his portrayal of no-nonsense Sergeant Joe Friday on radio, TV and even in a theatrical movie. I have the whole 1960s TV revival of Dragnet on DVD.

However, you might not know that Webb also produced, directed and starred in several movies in which he played other characters. I happened to pop one of them – Pete Kelly’s Blues – in my DVD player this past Saturday night.

Pete Kelly’s Blues (1955) is about a bandleader and cornet player (played by Webb) in Kansas City during the 1920s. He gets mixed up with a party girl (Janet Leigh) who loves him, and a gangster (Edmond O’Brien) named Fran McCarg. The movie also features Martin Milner (later of Adam-12) in a small role as the band’s hot-headed drummer.

Not surprisingly, it’s hard to watch Webb as the stiff, straight-laced band leader who is good with a gun without thinking of Joe Friday. Time magazine thought so too. In its review, it said the movie might as well have been called Young Cop With a Horn (in a reference to a similar 1950 movie called Young Man With a Horn.)

By now, you’re probably wondering. “But Dan, what the heck does this have to do with Sheffield Lake's Johnny Risko?”

Well, early in the movie, the gangster character McCarg stops in at the nightclub at which Pete Kelly and his band are performing. McCarg summons the bandleader into the nightclub’s office to tell him he’s taking over management of the band, as well as a cut of their earnings.

When Kelly enters the room, McCarg is studying a photo on the wall with his back to the movie audience. While looking at the photo, he murmurs, “Quite a fighter, Johnny Risko.”

Webb replies, “He’ll do.”

When McCarg turns around, you can see the photo of Johnny Risko just over his left shoulder.

Anyway, it’s a nice tribute to Johnny Risko, who had only passed away in 1953, and a reminder of his success as a heavyweight boxer in a career that spanned 1924 - 1940.

Johnny Risko Part 2

Unlike the older editions, the Lorain City Directories of the late 1930s included Sheffield Lake, so it’s easy to locate Johnny Risko and his family in the listings.

The books reveal that John N. and Anna Risko’s restaurant was right where it is today – at 4219 Lake Road.

Apparently the property also included a gas station. A tragic accident occurred there in early October 1936. As reported in the Lorain Journal on October 5, 1936, an automobile crashed into a broken down freight truck at Stop 84, E. Lake Road. A Lorain grocer, A. W. Thomas and his wife Mae died when their car hit the rear end of the truck, which was parked partially off the road “at the Johnny Risko filling station.” The truck “was partially obscured from westbound traffic by a slight rise in the road grade."

A house built in 2000 sits at 4233 Lake Road today
(Photo courtesy of Lorain County Auditor website)

The listings in an early 1940s Lorain City Directory includes Risko entries at 4219 Lake Road (the restaurant) and also at 4233 Lake Road.

Also included in the listings are Mary Risko, who operated a beauty shop at 4233 Lake Road, and Paul Risko, who was serving in World War II.

(Paul Risko was killed in Northern France on July 29, 1944, and was believed to be the first casualty from the 86th and 6th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron during the war. He was honored in a ceremony in Lorain in July 2014, which you can read about here.)

Here are the Risko listings from the 1942 Lorain City Directory (below).

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Johnny Risko passed away on January 13, 1953. He collapsed while attending a meeting at the Elks lodge in Miami, Florida where he had just arrived for a winter break.

Here is Johnny Risko's obituary as it appeared in the January 14, 1953 edition of the London, Connecticut Day. It provides a nice capsule summary of his impressive career.

And here (below) is his obituary as it appeared in the Chicago Tribune on January 14, 1953.

When Johnny Risko’s wife passed away in 1956, a controversy resulted over some diamond rings. The whole story ended up on the front page of the Lorain Journal on August 23, 1957. Here is the text of the article (below).

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"Up To Court," Says Johnny Risko's Dad
Estate Problem Is Created By Two Rings Worth $2,000

Johnny Risko, Sr., 78 of 4233 E. Lake Rd., Sheffield Lake, shows no concern over whether he would inherit half of the $2,000 value set on two diamond rings which had belonged to the wife of his son, Johnny (Rubber Man) Risko, famed heavyweight boxer.

Briefs were to be filed today by attorneys in Cuyahoga County probate court to determine if Johnny Risko presented his wife, Mildred, with diamond-encrusted engagement and wedding rings while both were alive, or if Mrs. Risko bought them herself.

George A. Cain of Lakewood, attorney for Mrs. Risko's estate, said the rings are in question because "no one knows who bought the rings or where they came from."

The estates of Johnny Risko and his wife are under the scrutiny of Cuyahoga County Probate Judge Walter T. Kinder of Cleveland.

If Johnny Risko, who died on Jan. 13, 1953, made a gift of the rings to his late wife, when they were married in 1945, then half of the $2,000 value set on the jewelry passes to the elder Risko, according to Judge Kinder.

Asked what he thought about the case involving the rings, Risko puffed a big cigar, blew a cloud of smoke and said, "It is up to the court to figure out the ring business."

The mustached Risko contended, in effect, that the ownership of the rings didn't worry him at all.

Judge Kinder maintains that an Ohio law, known as the half-and-half statute, declares that when a wife follows her husband in death and she leaves no will, then half of all property which came to her from him "by deed of gift" passes by inheritance to next-of-kin.

Cain said that half of the value of the rings should not go to the elder Risko because "engagement and wedding rings, it seems to me, are not the ordinary kind of property that passes from a husband to a wife."

"They bind the marriage," Cain added.

Cain declared that he will attempt to show that Johnny Risko was in no position, financially, to purchase the rings when the couple was married and that Mrs. Risko was. Mrs. Risko was part-owner of a tavern in Lakewood prior to her marriage to the fighter.

The former boxer left his spacious lakefront home worth more than $30,000 to his wife. But half of it will go to the older Risko, who has lifetime occupancy of the home, under the requirements of the half-and-half statute.

Should Judge Kinder find that Johnny Risko did not buy the rings, or that Mildred Risko, who died on October 28, 1956, purchased them for herself, then the rings will go to her next-of-kin only.

Mrs. Risko's survivors include two brothers and three nieces and nephews.

Johnny Risko began a sensational professional boxing career in 1925, becoming a contender for the world's heavyweight crown the following year and emerged as one of the Cleveland area's boxing "greats."

From 1925 to 1934, Risko fought top fistic stars, including Max Baer, Gene Tunney, Max Schmeling, Mickey Walker and Jack Sharkey.

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For more information about Johnny Risko, here is the link to his page on the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame website.

Johnny Risko Part 1

Courtesy www.boxing.com

Many people undoubtedly pass Risko's on Lake Road in Sheffield Lake without realizing that the business has been there for decades, and has its roots in a restaurant and gas station there owned by Heavyweight Boxer Johnny Risko.

An interview with Jim Mahony conducted by librarian Sheila Ives in December 1987 that is available on the Lorain Public Library website includes a few reminices of Johnny Risko.

Mahony was discussing professional fights that were held at the Hotel Antlers in the mid-1920s, and recalled, "They featured Johnny Risko, heavyweight from Cleveland who lived in Sheffield Lake. In fact, two of his sisters, two of Johnny Risko’s sisters, still live in Sheffield Lake. They have many scrapbooks of Johnny and his achievements in the boxing ring.

Courtesy boxrec.com

"One of Johnny’s main bouts was when he fought his first professional bout. Johnny Risko had 52 amateur bouts and, as I recall, his record was something like 52 wins and 2 losses. So at that time he was encouraged to step into the professional ring and get a little money, ­so he did. ­ He stepped into the professional ring. He fought his first professional fight at the Antler’s Hotel. He fought a man from Columbus, Ohio. It was unusual for an amateur boxer in his first tryout as a pro to go ten rounds. The normal procedure is that you warm-up in the pro-ranks. You go four rounds, six rounds… but Johnny said, "No, I’m going to go classy. I’m going to go ten rounds." And he went ten rounds. And he won the decision. He whipped the man from Columbus, Ohio six rounds to four. So, the final judging on the bout was Johnny Risko six rounds, and the Columbus man four.”

A sports column (at left) written by Ernie Braden that appeared in the Chronicle-Telegram on October 20, 1934 was very complimentary regarding the professional ethics of Johnny Risko and Danny Dunn, his manager.

Braden wrote, “When it comes to down-right honesty in the prize-fight game, one has to take his fedora off to Johnny Risko, Cleveland heavyweight, and his able little manager, Danny Dunn... Not once in his many years in the game has the Cleveland “Baker Boy’s” name been linked with any dealings not strictly on the up-and-up... The same goes for Mr. Dunn, who incidentally is the only manager Johnny has ever had, Danny picking up “Jawn” when the latter was a raw rookie and building him into a leading heavyweight contender...

"Unlike the average “pug,” Risko will not be broke when he decides to hang up the mitts – Daniel Dunn saw to that when he first took the “Big Fella” under his wing... He took out a trust fund for the “Risk,” so Johnny is set financially for the rest of his life... What the fisticuff sport needs is more Riskos and more Dunns...”

When Johnny Risko did “hang up his mitts,” Sheffield Lake ended up being his home.