Lou Filippo

By Rick Farris

I had the pleasure of meeting Lou Filippo in 2006, when I joined the Board of Directors of the World Boxing Hall of Fame. I didn't have time to get to know Lou Filippo very well, but I was well aware of his career in the ring, both as a rough lightweight fighting out of the Jackie McCoy stable in the 50's, and also as a referee/ringside official. My boxing partner Dan Hanley and I had the opportunity to interview Lou in 2007. It would be the Hall of Famer's last interview, and it was a good one.

Shortly after we interviewed Lou, I learned that around the time I was born, Frank Baltazar worked at a car wash where Lou would take his car every week. It was a flashy blue Pontiac and Frank told of how Lou would keep his gym bag on the back seat of the car. I believe the car was was on Whittier Blvd. From that, I spoke with Lou at a WBHOF meeting one day and mentioned "that flashy blue Pontiac" he used to have. Filippo would look at me suprised, and then I would say, "you remember the one you used to take to the so& so car wash. I used to work there and recall seeing your equipment in the back seat." This would have taken place around the time I was born, so Lou is now really confused . . . "How could you, uh?
Yeah, I remember that Pontiac, but, uh . . . How old are you?"

Well that little incident was the start of a respectful relationship between Lou Filippo and myself. I appreciate Frank's sharing that little piece of knowledge, because it led to a positive moment between myself and an L.A. boxing legend.


Below is Lou Filippo's Boxrec bio:

Attended John C. Fremont High School in south Los Angeles, and began boxing at the 97th Street Arena to become one of California's top amateur boxers of the 1940s. He joined the U.S. Navy during World War II, became a Pharmacist Mate, 2nd Class (medic), serving aboard the USS South Dakota. He won the South Pacific All-Services 125-pound title in 1944 at Guadacanal, South Pacific; as well as the 1945 Naval Base 125-pound Championship. After his discharge from the Navy, Filippo won the US Diamond Belt (in the lightweight division). He had more than 250 amateur bouts before embarking on a professional career.

Filippo fought professionally from 1947-1957, compiling a record of 28-9-3 (8), and was named Action Fighter of the Year in Los Angeles (1957). During his career he fought former lightweight champions Carlos Ortiz and Lauro Salas. Filippo was known to cut easily, and once quipped that he would start bleeding while the referee was still giving opening instructions.

He later became a boxing manager and trainer (he trained World Champion Don Jordan for a couple of fights). Filippo went into refereeing and judging in the early 1970s at the suggestion of Olympic Auditorium promoter Aileen Eaton, and eventually officiated over 85 championship bouts. He was the judge who favored Hagler 115-113 in the controversial Marvin Hagler vs. Sugar Ray Leonard middleweight championship fight in Las Vegas. Filippo also handled the first Shane Mosley-Oscar De La Hoya welterweight championship fight in 2000 in Los Angeles.

Filippo appeared as either a referee or announcer in five of the six "Rocky" boxing movies. (He was not in the sixth installment, "Rocky Balboa.") Filippo's reputation as a "loyal, straight-up guy" helped him win Sylvester Stallone's attention. (In "Rocky II" Filippo tells Stallone's bloodied character Rocky Balboa before the epic 15th round: "Hey, Rock, you get in trouble one more time...," to which Balboa answers: "Don't stop nothing!" When both fighters fall to the canvas on a Balboa punch and opponent Apollo Creed slumps in a corner, Filippo tells Rocky: "You're out!")

He also spent 43 years working for Thermo-Electron, Cal Duran Division. And, from 1983 to about 2005, Filippo served as an executive with the World Boxing Hall of Fame--serving two terms as its President from 1993.

He was the husband of Pat (who died in 2007), and father of Debbye and Patti.
Lou Filippo passed away Nov. 2, 2009, in Los Angeles, of a stroke--having judged his final bout only two weeks earlier.


Photo-Dawn Paradis