| Joe Stecher did not wrestle often in Georgia, but the matches he did have here during his days as World Heavyweight Champion quite possibly can be credited as helping to build interest in the sport that led to Atlanta’s long run as a hotbed in the business. He faced and beat Stanislaus Zbyszko, Jim Londos, Dick Daviscourt, Pete Sauer, Jim Browning, and Wladek Zbyszko as champion. The Atlanta Constitution once reported that a card had been cancelled because Stecher pulled out upon discovering his opponent would be Londos, but the two men did compete the following week in a rescheduled bout. In 1927, promoter John Contos refused to pay Stecher and Wladek Zbyszko after the latter was injured during their match, aborting the bout, but it was reported that the Athletic Commission forced Contos to release their pay to them within days of the event. Each card he was on filled the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium, often reportedly beyond legal capacity. |
