This record was initially based on three Norwegian newspaper clippings from late 1935 that were pasted by Pete in his scrapbooks, as well as from our own research. The Norwegian articles were part of the pre-fight publicity leading up to Pete's final professional appearance in the ring, as well as retrospectives after he had retired. Pete made hand-written notes on one article to translate the Norwegian. He indicates wins, losses and draws. One odd thing is that it starts with his 1927 American fights only. And the one glaring mistake in this particular article is that both Pete and the paper indicate he lost to Pete DeGrasse in 1933, when in fact Pete won the decision.

Pete wrote that he had about 200 fights in North America alone. He likely meant his total amateur and professional bouts.

Since the time we created our original version of Pete's fight record in late 1998, we have received valuable assistance from boxing historians Tracy Callis of the International Boxing Research Organization, Lou Filippo of the World Boxing Hall of Fame, and just recently, Mr. Luckett Davis.

On February 23 1999, Mr. Matt Tegen e-mailed us with the results Mr. Callis' research. He consulted the 1929-1933 editions of Everlast Boxing Record, the 1941 The Ring Record Book, and the 1934 edition of the Post Boxing Record Book -- all of which were not at the site owner's disposal. He provided the dates and locations of most of Pete's fights from 1928 through early 1931, and some others. We had known of the year, opponent, number of rounds each fight lasted, and the outcome of virtually all these fights, but not the precise dates or locations.

In early May 1999, Mr. Filippo graciously provided us with much data; saying that their source indicates Pete's record is 104 total fights, with 90 wins (26 by KO), six losses on points, and eight draws. Mr. Filippo, a former prizefighter himself, is also a respected boxing referee. He often can be seen on American television refereeing or judging Los Angeles-area bouts, and has refereed a number of world title fights. (Do you recall Mr. Filippo as the ring announcer and/or referee in every "Rocky" movie?) He seemed to make it a personal goal, as we did, to get Pete onto the ballot last year and this year for induction into the World Boxing Hall of Fame. As you know by now, Pete was inducted October 21, 2000, in Los Angeles.

He said their source for Pete's record is Fight Fax, which apparently is the authority many fighters, promoters, managers and historians rely on for official boxing statistics. But Fight Fax has some incorrect information. For example, it states Pete's birthdate is February 2, 1905, which is wrong; and that his second fight with Al Brown occurred in 1934, which is also incorrect. They also list the majority of his fights as occurring a day later than we do; and we are quite certain of most of our dates.

Just recently, on November 25, we received a nice letter from Mr. Luckett Davis. (At this time, we do not know his credentials, but he seems to know what he's talking about.) He concurred that the Fight Fax version is inaccurate. He said he performed a search of Box-Sport, a German boxing newspaper that has been published since 1920. He also did some independent newspaper research, and consulted the 1979 edition of Pugilato. Mr. Davis has provided us with improved spelling of some opponents' names, alternate dates of some contests, and other items - which we will designate below with this white color.

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In the 1958 Norwegian Vi Menn magazine autobiographical articles that he wrote, Pete stated his record is 106 fights: losing six, with 92 wins (23 by knock-out, 69 on points), and eight draws. This may well turn out to be the definitive answer. But we wonder if he had included his 9-plus early European fights. Because, as we have learned, Pete felt his career didn't really begin until he came to America to face the best and the most brutal boxers the world had to offer.
 
 

("Bernasconi was the hardest puncher I ever fought. There was dynamite in both of his fists!" P. Sanstol -- August 7, 1935.) (Bernasconi would fight Al Brown for the world title March 18, 1933.) August 6 vs. Joey Scalfaro @ Montreal: W-10 ("I like to fight fellows like Scalfaro. He is always tearing in with his dangerous wallop and one must fight fast and furious unless he wants to be knocked out." P. Sanstol.) September 13 vs. Carl Cavelli @ Brooklyn: TKO-5 (Fight Fax lists the opponent as Carl Covelli and occurring on September 6.) October 3 vs. Joey Scalfaro @ New York: L-10 (Loss No. 2) (Oops! Pete gets walloped by Scalfaro. But he didn't get knocked out.) October 11 vs. Davey Adelman @ Brooklyn: W-10 (Mr. Davis reports that it was a W-6.) October 22 vs. Joey Scalfaro @ New York: D-10 (All three Scalfaro fights are listed by Fight Fax. Mr. Callis could find only two. Mr. Davis found three. The 1931 Everlast Boxing Record shows all three as stated here. at p. 296. Pete claimed he had a win, loss and draw with Scalfaro who, Pete also said, gave him one of the three most challenging and punishing fights of his career. One of these last two Scalfaro fights occurred in Madison Square Garden, where it was quite the hit with the fans.) November 15 vs. Willie Gannon @ New York: W-10 (Fight Fax lists this fight as occurring November 8; so does Mr. Davis.) November 17 vs. Benny Tell @ New York: TKO-7 (Fight Fax lists the outcome as W-6. Messrs. Callis & Davis reported a TKO-7. Pete claimed a TKO-7. The 1931 Everlast Boxing Record confirms a KO-7.) November 21 vs. Johnny Sili @ Detroit, Michigan: W-10 (Mr. Davis says this is Giovanni Sili, who was known as "Johnny" in the US only.) December 22 vs. Johnny Erickson @ Brooklyn: W-10   1931 February 23 vs. Harry Hill @ St. Denis Theatre, Montreal: KO-5 (Fight Fax does not mention this fight. Mr. Callis has documented it. Pete claimed a KO-5 against Hill. March 3 vs. Phil Tobias @ Brooklyn: TKO-6 March 9 vs. Frankie Anselm @ Brooklyn: W-10 March 23 vs. Bobby Leitham @ St. Denis Theatre, Montreal: W-10 (An infamous and bitter rivalry is created here.) (Fight Fax lists this bout as occurring in New York.) April 27 vs. Frisco Grande @ Brooklyn: KO-6 (Fight Fax lists the outcome as W-10. Mr. Callis documented a KO-6 from his research. Pete claimed a KO-6.) May 20 vs. Archie Bell @ Montreal Forum: W-10 (Wins World Bantamweight Championship -- Montreal Athletic Commission) (Fight Fax and the January 1959 issue of The Ring magazine incorrectly describe this fight as being for the Canadian Bantamweight Title. Pete wasn't Canadian!) May 27 vs. Benny Brostoff @ Quebec City, Que.: W-10 (Fight Fax lists this fight as occurring in Montreal. Fight Fax also lists the outcome as D-10. Mr. Callis documented a W-10 from his research, as did the site owner. See the August 1931 issue of The Ring, at p. 48, for confirmation, as well as the May 28 edition of the Montreal Daily Herald. Pete claimed a W-10.) June 17 vs. Arthur Giroux @ Montreal Forum: W-15 (Retains World Bantamweight Title -- Montreal Athletic Commission & CCCCanadian Boxing Federation) (Art Giroux is the Bantamweight Champion of Canada at this time.) July 29 vs. Eugene Huat @ Montreal Forum: W-10 (Retains World Bantamweight Title -- Montreal Athletic Commission & CCCCanadian Boxing Federation) (Huat is the Bantamweight Champion of France at this time.) (Huat had fought Al Brown for the world title October 4, 1930; and would fight Brown again for the bantam title October 27 of this year.) August 25 vs. Panama Al Brown @ Montreal Forum: L-15 (Split-decision = Loss #3) (Al Brown is the other Bantamweight Champion of the World at this time. It was described by most as a draw. The January 1959 The Ring called it a "microscopic" loss.) (The winner of this fight is officially recognized as the undisputed World Bantamweight Champion by the Montreal Athletic Commission, the Canadian Boxing Federation, the National Boxing Association, and perhaps the New York State Athletic Commission and some other sanctioning boxing authorities in the world, we think.The 1934 Everlast Boxing Record says the title was disputed until June 1932.) ("Not once did Brown get himself in a hole. And not once did he waste a blow or the least little drop of energy. I've been practicing. And when I fight him again I'll be the same way. Things may happen." P. Sanstol -- January 10, 1933.)   1932 (Comeback No. 2) June 13 vs. Jimmy Thomas @ Toronto: W-10 (Fight Fax lists this fight as occurring in Montreal.) July 20 vs. Emile "Spider" Pladner @ Montreal Forum: D-10 (Pladner is the Bantamweight Champion of Europe at this time.) (Pladner would fight Al Brown for the bantam title September 19 of this year.) September 17 vs. Petey Hayes @ Brooklyn: W-6 September 22 vs. Eddie Bowling @ Fort Hamilton, New York: D-10 October 25 vs. Eugene Huat @ Montreal Forum: W-10 November 15 vs. Sergio Radam @ New York: TKO-4 December 20 vs. Benny Schwartz @ Portner's Arena, Alexandria, VA: W-8 (Boxing was illegal in Washington, D.C., at this time, so most local fights were held in nearby Virginia.)   1933 January 10 vs. Jimmy Mack @ Portner's Arena, Virginia: W-8 March 17 vs. Georgie Hansford @ Hollywood Legion Stadium, Los Angeles: W-10 April 11 vs. Young Tommy @ Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles: L-10 (Loss #4) (Until recently Tommy had been the Bantamweight Champion of the Phillipines.) June 9 vs. Speedy Dado @ Dreamland Auditorium, San Francisco: D-10 June 23 vs. Clever Sison @ The Auditorium, Stockton, CA: W-10 July 27 vs. Augie Ruggiere @ New York: KO-6 (This fight is listed by Fight Fax and Mr. Davis, but not by Pete. There are no newspaper clippings in Pete's scrapbooks regarding this fight during the Summer of 1933, while there are clippings regarding all his other fights of 1933. Further, Pete made no mention of Ruggieri when he compiled his record in 1935. But then he also reported that he lost to Pete DeGrasse, which was incorrect. We have a 1933 newspaper article published right before the Wolgast fight; it mentions in passing that Pete defeated Ruggiere in 1927! It seems more likely that this one occurred, if at all, in July 1929, as it would fit in Pete's schedule nicely during that summer. Maybe it did occur in 1927. Mr. Davis reports, however, that this fight occurred July 20, 1933, in Brooklyn. But we have not counted it in Pete's total until we can get at least one more verification.) July 20 vs. Augie Ruggierre @ Brooklyn, NY: TKO-6 Source: International Boxing research Organization Journal #78, p. 64. July 26 vs. Pete DeGrasse @ Montreal Forum: W-10 August 15 vs. Midget Wolgast @ Coney Island, Brooklyn: L-10 (Loss #5) September 13 vs. Bobby Leitham @ Montreal Forum: W-12 October 18 vs. Bobby Leitham @ Montreal Forum: W-12 (Bobby Leitham is the Bantamweight Champion of Canada at this time.) (The Sanstol-Leitham rivalry remains one of the bitterest in Canadian Fistory.) (Fight Fax lists this bout occurring October 12 and a W-10. Pete claimed both were 12 rounders.) (Guess what? Pete is forced to abandon the ring yet again due to injuries.)   1934 September 1 vs. Victor "Young" Perez @ Bislet, Norway: W-10 (Perez was formerly the Flyweight Champion of the World.) (Perez had fought Al Brown for the world title on February 19 of this year.)   1935 (Comeback No. 3) March 1 vs. Joey Carr @ Goteborg, Sweden: KO-1 April 26 vs. Werner Reithdorf @ Goteborg, Sweden: TKO-8 (Reithdorf is the Bantamweight Champion of Germany at this time.) May 10 vs. Hans Schiller @ Berlin, Germany: W-10 (Schiller is the Flyweight [Featherweight?] Champion of Germany.) (Fight Fax lists these two fights as occurring in Goteburg, Norway) (Based on these fights and his earlier ones in 1926, the Berlin press declare Pete Sanstol a "genius in the ring." "This is how world-class boxers look," they say. They state they have never seen a fighter who can compare with him, including Max Schmeling!) August 7 vs. Sixto Escobar @ Montreal Forum: L-12 (Loss #6=Final Loss) (Escobar retains World Bantamweight Title -- Montreal Athletic Commission, National Boxing Association, and New York State Athletic Commission ratings. One source, however, states that the NYSAC considered this a semi-final elimination bout.) ("He can hit alright, but he can't punch the way Bernasconi did." P. Sanstol -- August 7, 1935.) September 13 vs. Panama Al Brown @ Bislet, Oslo, Norway: W-10 (Pete Sanstol's Last Professional Contest; he ends his career where he started it.) (Fight Fax lists this fight as occurring in 1934. Huh?) (Both Brown and Sanstol retire, but Brown returns to the ring two years later.) 1942 May ? [date uncertain] vs. Jose Ferrer(?) @ Miami Beach (Flamingo Paul's Bandshell?), Florida: W-6 July 16 vs. Chico Ferrera @ Miami, Florida: W-10 (See the August 1942 issue of The Ring magazine.) (Although the last names appear similar, the reported number of rounds for each fight was different.) ______________ Special thanks to Mr. Tracy Callis. We also appreciate the kind assistance and enthusiasm of Mr. Matt Tegen. Our gratitude also goes to Mr. Lou Filippo for the information about the 1926-early 1927 fights. Finally, another big "Thank You" to Mr. Luckett Davis for all his help. _______________________ _________________ For an exceptional Boxing Record database that, among other records and things, correlates Pete's record against each and every one of his opponents' records, click here.   Next Page (for those reading the biography) Copyright 1999-2003 Box of Daylight Productions All Rights Reserved Updated July 5, 2003, 2002