Chris Dundee

Cristofo (Christopher) Mirena was born on February 23, 1908, in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. He was the second eldest son of Philomena and Angelo Mirenda who had 11 children. As a young boy, he sold candy and newspapers on trains running from Philadelphia to New York. Dundee dropped out of school and left home at 13. He later worked for a streetcar company alongside Frank Palermo, who became known as an associate of the Philadelphia crime family. He changed his last name to Dundee as a teenager, following the lead of his older brother, Joe, who had taken the name of their boxing hero Johnny Dundee. To avoid revealing his boxing career to his parents, Joe adopted the name Dundee. ==Career==

Inspired by his older brother, a South Philadelphia club fighter, he entered boxing in 1926. Chris Dundee started managing and promoting boxers in 1928. Flyweight Midget Wolgast was his first world champion, whom he managed in 1930. Shortly after World War II, he pulled out of Norfolk. Angelo went to work for Chris in 1947, sleeping in his office at the Capital Hotel in New York. Dundee also managed Ezzard Charles, world heavyweight champion in the 1950s. The gym had a bare plywood floor, one ring, a few heavy bags, a light bag, and rubbing tables. His younger brother Angelo moved to Miami after spending four years in New York. In the 1960s, the Miami Beach boxing promoter became the general manager of Muhammad Ali. In 1961, Dundee promoted Floyd Patterson vs. Ingemar Johansson III held at the Convention Center. He would also promote Sonny Liston vs. Cassius Clay, held at the 8,000-seat Miami Beach Convention Hall on February 25, 1964. The no. 1 contender, Ali, won the world heavyweight title with a knockout. At the time, Dundee had promoted close to 400 shows, including 50 nationally televised cards. For years, Dundee's successful wrestling events kept him afloat as a boxing promoter. In the 1970s, Elisha Obed, the junior middleweight world champion, was under Dundee's management. In January 1972, the Miami Beach City Council denied Dundee's request for a 5-year extension to his exclusive boxing and wrestling contract at the Miami Beach Auditorium. His contract expired on November 30 and he was replaced as the venue's promoter after 21 years, with Mel Ziegler outbidding him for the exclusive license. He and his brother rented office space in a Miami Beach bank building but continued handling bookings for Ali, wrestlers, and the 5th Street Gym. In the mid-1970s, the Miami Beach Auditorium closed and Dundee moved his cards to the Miami Beach Convention Center. In the 1970s and 1980s, Chris Dundee Enterprises promoted Championship Wrestling from Florida at the city's convention center. Dundee, who had promoted pro wrestling on Miami Beach since 1951, began to gross over $300,000-$400,000 a year from wrestling by 1977. Among his local promotions was an April 7, 1976, exhibition at Miami-Dade Community College's North Campus featuring Dusty Rhodes. After the show, a fan filed a lawsuit alleging assault by Rhodes, naming Dundee as a co-defendant. As Ray Minus's sponsor, Dundee played a key role in his 1989 and 1990 title defenses and traveled with the Commonwealth bantamweight champion to Glasgow's Bellahouston Sports Centre in June 1989. Dundee remained active in boxing until he suffered a stroke in January 1990 at 83 years old. The stroke struck as he drove to a dinner in Miami Beach, causing him to veer off the road. It affected the left side of his brain, impairing his speech and mobility. Dundee's iconic 5th Street Gym was torn down in 1993. ==Personal life==

Chris Dundee was among the four older brothers of the famous trainer Angelo Dundee, who was 15 years younger. In the 1940s, he and his wife, Geraldine Dundee, had a son Michael, and a daughter, Suzanne Dundee Bonner. ==Death==

Chris Dundee died on November 16, 1998, in Miami, Florida, U.S. He died at the Miami Jewish Home at 91 years old. ==Legacy==

Dundee promoted eight world championship fights, managed nearly 300 fighters, and staged more than 1000 bouts over four decades. His leather Everlast portfolio is preserved in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. ==References==