"Young" Zulu Kid
(Giuseppe Di Melfi)
(the "Fighting Newsboy")

BORN   April 22 1897; Potenza, Italy (Fought out of Brooklyn, New York)
HEIGHT 4-11
WEIGHT 108-114 3/4 lbs
MANAGER Joe Sarno

Young Zulu was a scrappy and game fighter; He was a claimant to the Flyweight Championship of the World during his career; Charley Rose ranked Young Zulu as the #10 All-Time Flyweight; He kept fighting long past the time when he should have retired and tarnished his image somewhat

Fighting during a period when most bouts were called "No Decision", he defeated such men as "Little" Jackie Sharkey, Johnny "Young" Solzberg, Joe "Young" Tuber and Red Watson and fought "Draws" with Pete "Kid" Herman, "Memphis" Pal Moore, Eddie Coulon, Frankie Mason and "Dandy" Dick Griffin

1912
       Kid Dennis                                                  ND  4
       Johnny Burns                                                ND  4

1913
       Young Todd                                                  KO  2
       Tommy Largen                                                KO  1
       Johnny Borax                                                KO  2
       Young Lippe                                                 KO  2
       Young DeMeyer                                               ND 10
       Young DeMeyer                                               ND  6
       "Young" Jimmy Murray                                        ND  6
       Danny Burns                                                 ND  6
       Eddie Siegel                                                ND  6
       "Young" Jimmy Murray                                        ND  6
       Al Kale                                                     ND  6
       "Young" Jimmy Murray                                        ND  6
       Young Gorman                                                ND  6
       Young DeMeyer                                               ND  6
       Murray Allen                                                ND  6

1914
Jan 15 Young Diamond              Brooklyn, NY                     ND  6
Feb 17 Young Diamond              Brooklyn, NY                     ND  6
Feb 20 Young Jeffries             Brooklyn, NY                     ND  6
Feb 27 Young Campbell             Brooklyn, NY                     ND  6
Feb 28 Yound Diamond              Brooklyn, NY                     ND  6
Mar  9 Jimmy Curtis               New York, NY                     ND  6
Mar 19 Jimmy Curtis               New York, NY                     ND  6
Mar 24 Barney Snyder              Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
Apr  9 Jimmy Fitzpatrick          New York, NY                     ND 10
Apr 18 Barney Snyder              Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
          -Some sources report "L 10"
Apr 25 Johnny "Young" Rosner      Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
May 15 Bobby Hansen               Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
May 23 Johnny "Young" Rosner      Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
May 30 Jimmy Baily                Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
Jun  4 Johnny "Young" Rosner      New York, NY                     ND 10
Jun 11 Johnny "Young" Rosner      New York, NY                     ND  6
Jun 13 Johnny "Young" Rosner      New York, NY                     ND 10
Jun 26 Young Sharkey              Far Rockaway, NY                 ND 10
          -Some sources report "Little Jackie Sharkey"
Jul 10 Johnny "Young" Rosner      Rockaway, NY                     ND 10
          -Some sources report "Young Benny"
Aug  1 Murray Allen               Glen Cove, NY                    ND 10
Aug 10 Arthur "Artie" Simons      Albany, NY                       ND 10
Aug 17 "Young" Jimmy Murray       Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
Aug 19 Chuck Conners              Bergen Beach, NY                 KO  2
Oct 12 Young McGovern             Philadelphia, Pa                 ND  6
Oct 26 Eddie Rivers               Philadelphia, Pa                 ND  6
Nov  3 Jimmy Murphy               St. Louis, Mo                     W  8
Nov 10 Tommy Garety               St. Louis, Mo                     W  8
Nov 24 Pete "Kid" Herman          New Orleans, La                   L 15
Dec  4 Eddie Coulon               St. Louis, Mo                     D  8
Dec 27 Joe Bell                   Pacific, Mo                      KO  1

1915
Jan  1 Kid Wagner                 Alton, Il                        KO  1
Jan  5 Bobby Burns                St. Louis, Mo                    WF  4
Jan    Ansel Bell                                                  LK  1
Feb 18 Young Marino               Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
Mar  2 Young Benny                Albany, NY                       ND 10
Mar 26 "Memphis" Pal Moore        New Orleans, La                   D 10
Apr  9 Bobby Burns                Dallas, Tx                       ND 10
Apr 24 One Punch Hogan            New Orleans, La                   W 10
May  1 Pete "Kid" Herman          New Orleans, La                   D 10
May    "Memphis" Pal Moore        New Orleans, La                   D 10
Jun 25 Johnny "Young" Solzberg    Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
Jul  7 Johnny "Young" Rosner      New York, NY                     ND 10
Aug 24 Bobby Burns                St. Louis, Mo                     W  8
Aug 31 Bobby Burns                St. Louis, Mo                     D  8
Nov  6 Pete "Kid" Herman          New Orleans, La                   L 15
Dec  1 One Punch Hogan            New Orleans, La                   D 20

1916
Jan 13 "Memphis" Pal Moore        Memphis, Tn                       L  8
Feb 13 "Memphis" Pal Moore        New York, NY                     ND 10
Feb 18 Walter Nelson              Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
Feb 25 Johnny "Young" Solzberg    Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
Mar 10 Benny McCoy                New York, NY                     ND 10
Mar 14 Johnny "Kewpie" Ertle      Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
          -Some sources report Bantamweight Championship of the World;
          Some sources report 3/13/16
May 15 Joe "Young" Tuber          Philadelphia, Pa                 ND  6
Jun  2 "Little" Jackie Sharkey    Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
          -Some sources report "KO 5"
Jun  5 Johnny "Young" Solzberg    New York, NY                     ND 10
Jun 24 Monte Attell               Bronx, NY                        ND 10
Jun 28 "Young" Jimmy Murray       Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
Jul 27 Young Benny                Brooklyn, NY                     LF  3
Aug  5 "Memphis" Pal Moore        Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
Aug 12 Abe Friedman               Brooklyn, NY                     LF  7
Sep 18 Buddy Faulkes              New York, NY                     ND 10
Dec 18 Jimmy Wilde                London, Eng                      LT 11
          -Flyweight Championship of the World

1917
Feb 12 Jack Clifford              Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
Feb 22 "Jersey" Frankie Burns     New York, NY                     LT  4
Feb 28 Johnny Saxon               Poughkeepsie, NY                 ND 10
Mar 29 Jimmy Curtis               Hot Springs, Ar                   D 10
Apr 23 Joe "Young" Tuber          Baltimore, Md                     L 15
Apr 30 Paul Demerst               New Bedford, Ma                   L 12
May 22 Frankie Mason              Fort Wayne, In                   ND 10
May 29 Jimmy Pappas               Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
Jun 11 Young Coster               Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
Jun 15 Frankie Mason              Fort Wayne, In                   ND 10
Aug 24 Augie Ratner               New York, NY                     ND 10
          -Some sources report "Far Rockaway, NY"
Sep 14 Johnny Russell             Providence, RI                    D 12
Sep 23 Frank Rector               Brooklyn, NY                     ND 10
Sep 28 Johnny "Young" Rosner      Brooklyn, NY                     LK  7
          -Flyweight Championship of America

1918
Feb  1 Nate Jackson               Hot Springs, Ar                   D 10
Feb  9 Nate Jackson               Hot Springs, Ar                  ND  8
Feb 18 Grover Hughes              Hot Springs, Ar                   D 10
Mar  5 Bobby Hughes               Hot Springs, Ar                  ND 10
Mar 16 Patsy Scanlon              Hot Springs, Ar                  ND 10
Apr  2 Jimmy Murphy               St. Louis, Mo                     D  8
Apr 12 "Pekin" Kid Herman         Peoria, Il                       ND 10
Sep  6 Pete "Kid" Herman          Jersey City, NJ                  ND  8
Sep 10 Battling Hurley            Boston, Ma                        L  6

1919
Jan 17 Jack Douglas               Hot Springs, Ar                  ND 10
Apr    Sammy "Young" Sandow       Hot Springs, Ar                  ND 10
Apr 14 Nate Jackson               Hot Springs, Ar                  ND 10
May  1 Frankie Mason              Cleveland, Oh                    ND 10
Jun 27 Roy Moore                  Superior, Wi                     ND 10
Dec 12 Johnny "Babe" Asher        St. Louis, Mo                    ND  8

1920
Jan 26 Harry Bramer               Hot Springs, Ar                   L 10
Feb  2 Eddie Coulon               Hot Springs, Ar                   L 10
Feb  6 "Sailor" Charles Derns     Hoboken, NJ                      KO  5
          -Some sources report "Charles Ferns"
Feb 13 Red Watson                 New Orleans, La                  KO  9
Feb 19 Frankie Mason              Terre Haute, In                  ND 10
Mar  4 Knockout Brown             Hot Springs, Ar                  ND 10
Apr 10 "Battling" Al Murray                                         L 12
Apr 12 Jimmy Wilde                Windsor, Ont, Can                ND 10
Dec 25 "Dandy" Dick Griffin       El Paso, Tx                       L 15

1921
Mar  7 Joe Matranga               New Orleans, La                   D 15
Mar 15 Ashton Donza               New Orleans, La                   L 15
          -Some sources report 3/16/21
Apr    Sammy Nable                Brooklyn, NY                      L 15
Apr 16 Johnny Buff                Brooklyn, NY                      L 15
          -Flyweight Championship of Amrica
May 18 Earl McArthur              Sioux City, Ia                   ND 10
Jun  4 Johnny Curtin              Coney Island, NY                  L 12
Oct 17 Johnny "Pee Wee" Kaiser    Memphis, Tn                       L  8

1922
Jan  2 Mickey Nelson              Brooklyn, NY                      L 12
Nov 30 Sammy Cohen                Brooklyn, NY                      L 10

1924
Mar 31 Bobby Hughes               Hot Springs, Ar                   L 10
Apr 28 "Irish" Jackie Doyle       New Orleans, La                   L 10
Sep 25 Willie Darcy               Yonkers, NY                       L 10

1925
Apr 29 Joe Lucas                  Windsor, Ont, Can                LK  3

1928
Apr 26 Benny Brostoff             Brooklyn, NY                     LK  4

*** Much Data Was Provided By Sid Schneck ***

Review courtesy of Tracy Callis, Historian, International Boxing Research Organization