Al Citrino
“BIG AL” NOT A GUY TO MESS WITH
San Francisco, CA– Growing up in Herman-Newman’s Gym in the Tenderloin section of this City by The Bay, I ran met some individuals with unique and unequaled personalities. Today, we look back at at the career of Amadeo “Al” Citrino. Born here of Italian decent, Al was a “positive” fixture of San Francisco boxing from his professional debut in 1930 until he passed away in 1993.
BEAT ONE WORLD CHAMP, LOST TO ANOTHER
Not the tallest featherweight (126 lbs) by any means, Al stood about 5’6 and like a man he would later fight, the greater than great Henry Armstrong, lost his first professional fight which took place on May 7, 1930 at National Hall here. He would go unbeaten in 16 fights, that included two draws before losing again in 1931 at another San Francisco fight venue in Dreamland.
BOXING HAD “HOME COOKING” EVEN IN THE 1930’S
Al would engage in 15 more fights, again with a couple of draws before he lost two successive six round decisions to unheralded Pastor Galope and Joe Calder, both in the state of Washington, the only place Al fought in 13 years outside of California. Both fighters were from Washington, which made the wins losses via the result of “home cooking.” Al and Calder fought again here in 1935 and Al stopped him in two.
CLASH WITH HENRY ARMSTRONG SHOWED AL’S GRIT
Although Al beat a number of good fighters, including George Ladka, the fight that stands out on this brave man’s resume was a 1938 fight with Henry Armstrong, the only man to win and hold three world titles at once, the featherweight, lightweight (135) and welterweight (147) titles. The fight took place at the San Francisco Civic Auditorium.
NON-TITLE FIGHT WITH FEATHERWEIGHT KING
At the time, Armstrong, who would finish his career in 1945 with a record of 149-21-10, with 101 KOs, was the World featherweight champion. Al weighed 131, Armstrong, 133, in what was a scheduled ten rounder. Decked five times in round one, Al was horizontal when the bell ending the round rang. Down three more times in the second, twice in the third, and thrice in round four before the fight was called. Al told me that enduring 13 knockdowns, Armstrong “was the toughest SOB I ever fought.”
AL EVEN FOUGHT AFTER A FIGHT!
In 1939, Al engaged Al Price twice, losing the first one, before winning the rematch because Price was getting beat and resorted to fouling. After the fight ended, Al stormed across the ring and starting walloping Price, this resulted in a riot that according to the San Francisco Examiner newspaper took 15 minutes to quell.
BEAT FORMER CHAMPION FRANKIE KLICK
In 1943, Al beat the first boxer I ever met (Use the “Ring Talk “Search” mode to learn about Frankie Klick, former World 140 lb. champion Frankie Klick. After six more wins, Al retired after losing to Ray Lunny I via KO 7 in 1945. Citrino told me that he then “got a real job” and turned his focus away from boxing.
JOHNNY CARNATION & AL CITRINO WERE PARTNERS
When I met Al in the 1970s, he was training guys while working with Johnny “Kid Carnation” Vidal, a gentleman of the highest standards. In all of the time I spent around Johnny, I never once heard him swear or say anything bad about anybody. Al, he too was a gentleman, but he didn’t take any crap from anybody. That being said, Citrino was still willing to throw down late in life, which meant he was not someone to muck with.
GUIDED LAWLOR TO WINS OVER BENITEZ & DURAN
“Irish Pat” Lawlor
Al’s final years in boxing were training “Irish Pat” Lawlor, a man who would hold wins over champions Roberto Duran, Wilfred Benitez, and Rene Arrendondo. Al took the once beaten Lawlor into a 1992 WBO 154 lb. title fight with southpaw champ John David Jackson, which ended via TKO 9 with Lawlor suffering a badly cut eye.
AL WAS WITH LAWLOR AT THE HIGH POINTS
Al was with Pat when he beat highly touted Art Serwano in 1991, upset Duran (1991) and Benitez a year prior, as well as the ill fated non-title go with then ‘pound for pound’ king Terry Norris in late ’92. No question that Pat Lawlor was a tough guy, one whose toughness made up for any other shortcomings he may have had as a fighter. But in the history of San Francisco boxing, there may have been no tougher man that the late Amadeo “Al” Citrino.
LOCAL BOXING COMMUNITY TRULY SADDENED
When Al passed in 1993 at the age of 82, all I can remember was the genuine mourning that the boxing community was in as Al was truly one of a kind. To best describe him I’ll have to steal a line from “True Grit,” a John Wayne movie. To put it bluntly, Al Citrino was certainly “a man with true grit.” His final record was 75-12-17, with 31 KOs.
Pedro Fernandez
SAN FRANCISCO BOXING LEGEND AL CITRINO