Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, January 9, 1945
(Columbia Gym) … Dave Levin b. Frankie Bockwinkel (2/3) … Wladislaw (Wladles) Talun
b. Jack Hader (2/3) (Hader was unable to continue for the third fall when he suffered a
broken rib) … Tommy O’Brien and Tuffy Truesdale drew … (promoter:  Heywood Allen)
Note:  First show of the year.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, January 16, 1945
(Columbia Gym) … K.O. Koverly b. Ray Eckert (2/3) … Ralph Garibaldi b. Cherry Vallina
(2-0) (second fall by DQ) … George O’Brien b. Young Garibaldi … (promoter:  Heywood
Allen)
Notes:  Dave Levin was originally scheduled to wrestle the “popular St. Louis performer”
Ralph Garibaldi, but had to board a plane for California “in response to a 1-A
reclassification by his draft board.” He was replaced by Cherry Vallina.  Young Garibaldi
was the “cousin” of Ralph.  O’Brien was from Boston.  Koverly was a “boxer-wrestler” from
St. Louis.

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, January 23, 1945
(Columbia Gym) … World Heavyweight Champion Bill Longson b. K.O. Koverly (2-0) (first
fall by DQ) … Wladislaw Talun b. Babe Zaharias (2-0) … Cecil “Blacksmith” Pedigo b.
Milo Ochie (flying tackle) (Ochie was a substitute for Young Demetral) … (promoter:  
Heywood Allen)

Louisville, Kentucky:  Tuesday, January 30, 1945
(Columbia Gym) … Wladislaw Talun failed to throw both Cowboy Luttrall and Chief
Sonoko within 60-minutes (Talun pinned Luttrall in 20:47, but failed to pin Sonoko) …
Tuffy Truesdale b. Blacksmith Pedigo (1-0) … Eddie Campbell b. Teddy Bodak (14:20)
… (promoter:  Heywood Allen) … (benefit for the Infantile Paralysis Fund, ninth annual
event)
Notes:  Other than “nominal fees” to the grapplers, the entire proceeds of the show went
to the charity.  Truesdale won the Mexican Light Heavyewight Title from Raul Lopez in
Mexico City and had a “flair for showmanship.” Pedigo was “recognized for years as junior
middleweight champion.” This show added $1,163.21 to Kentucky’s Sports-for-Polio Fund.


Research by Tim Hornbaker
October 15, 2010
Louisville Wrestling Results - 1945