[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 72 (Monday, June 12, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S4951]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CARL ``BOBO'' OLSON INDUCTED INTO INTERNATIONAL BOXING HALL OF FAME

 Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise to honor Carl ``Bobo'' Olson, 
the legendary world boxing champion born and nurtured in Hawaii, who 
was inducted yesterday into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 
Canastota, New York. This is certainly a well-deserved honor for ``The 
Hawaiian Swede,'' a distinguished champion whose life and 16-year 
professional career represent the grit, tenacity, skill and love of 
sport that have made boxing popular worldwide.
  Born in 1928, Bobo Olson grew up quickly on the tough streets of 
downtown Honolulu in the early 1940s, sharpening his boxing skills at 
an early age. Bobo and I grew up in the same community, the Pauoa and 
Punchbowl area in Honolulu--a neighborhood where families of different 
races, many of Hawaiian or Portuguese heritage--lived side-by-side and 
shared our cultures and traditions. We all closely followed Bobo's rise 
to champion and took pride in a local boy who had reached the top in 
his sport and handled his success with humility and grace.
  He began fighting professionally at age 16, and won 19 fights before 
he reached the age where he could legally box on the mainland circuit. 
As a professional, Bobo won the World Middleweight Championship by 
defeating Randy Turpin of England in October 1953 before 18,869 
spectators in a 15-round fight at New York's Madison Square Garden. 
Ring Magazine named him fighter of the year in 1953. He held the title 
for two years; losing it in 1955 to Sugar Ray Robinson.
  Olson's career record was 117 fights, 99 wins, 49 by knockout, 16 
losses and two draws. Four of those losses were to Ray Robinson, who is 
considered by many boxing experts and fans to be the greatest 
middleweight ever and among boxing's all-time greats. Bobo Olson held 
the middleweight title longer than any other boxer in the 1950s and 
fought as a middleweight and light-heavyweight. He never shied away 
from a challenge. Bobo was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame 
in 1958, and was also among the first class of athletes, sportsmen and 
sportswomen inducted into the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. After 
retiring from boxing in 1966, Bobo worked as recreational director for 
the Operating Engineers Local Union in San Francisco and in public 
relations for the Teamsters. Now happily retired, he and his wife Judy 
reside in Honolulu.
  Mr. President, I join boxing enthusiasts and the people of Hawaii in 
congratulating Carl ``Bobo'' Olson on his induction into the 
International Boxing Hall of Fame. He remains a soft-spoken champion, 
and his quiet intensity and commitment to excellence offer a lasting 
illustration of good sportsmanship for all of us.

                          ____________________