Born Cristofo Mirena in Philadelphia on February 23, 1908. Like his younger brother Angelo, he adopted the name Dundee from Hall of Famer Johnny Dundee.
Dundee began his apprenticeship in Philadelphia gyms and by 1928 was managing a stable of fighters. In 1930 he had his first world champion, flyweight Hall of Famer Midget Wolgast. He would later guide Ken Overlin to the New York State middleweight title in 1941 and Hall of Famer Ezzard Charles to the world heavyweight title in 1949.
In the early 1930s Dundee also started promoting matches and became one of the leading promoters in the world during the post-television era. After promoting in and around Norfolk, Washington and Baltimore, he relocated to Miami Beach, Florida to promote at the Miami Beach Convention Center, which he did for 27 years.
World title bouts such as Harold Johnson vs. Jesse Bowdry, Emile Griffith vs. Benny Paret and Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston were just a few of the major bouts he promoted in the Miami Beach area.
For nearly 30 years he also owned and operated the world famous Fifth Street Gym in Miami where legends such as Muhammad Ali trained.
Dundee died in Miami on November 16, 1998.
Born: Feb, 23, 1908
Died: Nov. 16, 1998
Induction: 1994
Chris Dundee
