Road to '42 Title: Strong Body, Strong Mind

When reflecting on his boxing career, Mike Lacche stressed the importance of boxing being a thinking sport; Mike compared boxing with chess except "when the king fell someone would get really hurt."

All of the Army athletes competing for the title were in good shape -- eight hours a day PT training in courses that most civilian athletes today would gladly sit out or only attempt one portion.

Part of Mike's training involved innovative uses of sand -- Fort Kamehameha was a short run from the Pacific Ocean and sandy beaches offered a good venue to train legs and core. Mike also practiced punching into sand to harden and develop muscles that his opponents may otherwise ignore.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia.org

Mike was a confident boxer but always approached each bout with the assumption his opponents were bigger, stronger and better. That 'me versus the world' attitude kept Mike alive during his 1942 title run, as well as, throughout World War II. 

Memories of Mike: Mike's Kitchen

A few years before two entrepreneurs, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, made Redmond one of the centers of the universe for intellectual property, Mike Lacche realized a second dream -- opening his own restaurant in his new hometown.

Mike, his wife Nina Cerasoi Lacche and sister-in-law, Yole Cerasoli were the central "heart and soul" of Mike's Kitchen, located in downtown Redmond.

Mike's Kitchen became on instant hit and some of Mike's top patrons were veterans and local law enforcement.

Good eats, long hours and dedicated patrons made Mike's Kitchen a local hot spot to talk about the "old days" including boxing - both professional and amateur. Mike would occasionally air box to applause while his grandson would watch from a baby carrier placed on nearby table.

Mike Lacche Boxing will be publishing some Mike's Kitchen top recipes. Stay tuned!

Road to '42 Title: the Art and Science of Training

For those Army athletes training for their weight class tournaments, it was an art and science finding the time and routine to get the best chance to be the last man standing.

S/ Sgt. Mike Lacche was in kitchen duty - so days he had breakfast duty, Mike couldn't "sleep in" to 5 a.m. The day could start as early as 4:00 a.m. Once completed, Mike returned to barracks, threw some water on his face / prepped and was standing in perfect formation at 6:20 a.m. Ten minutes later, all soldiers saluted the flag.

Round one of PT (physical training) was 6:30-7:30 a.m.; Mike returned to his barracks again, showered,  reported to kitchen duty again; breakfast - Mike and his team would serve fellow soldiers until 8:30 a.m. -- they would complete clean up duties and report to full training from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (1700 hours). After training, Mike would wash up, help prep for dinner duty, help serve dinner at 6:00 p.m. (1800 hours).

Now with the chores out of the way, Mike and his fellow Army boxers would report to training. While each fighter fended for himself - the base demanded a sense of unity and brotherhood in training. Mike and fellow athletes had to find a clear mind, and any ounce of remaining strength in the 90-120 minutes they were allowed the train.

By 9 p.m. (1900 hours) an Army war-time athlete would find the most peaceful part of their day -- sleep.

Mike was try every night to 'watch' a fight as he fell into sleep, looking for any advantage during his 'down time' to prepare for the title.

Road to the'42 Title: Vildo Cerasoli

Michael "Mike" A. Lacche wasn't a Hollywood story; like many of his generation, childhood ended far too early and in an afternoon his life went from surviving under the radar to keeping his family alive. Mike's father, Domenico, died one unseasonably warm afternoon in a construction accident and in an instant the family was without a father, income and protection from the world around them.

Mike left grade school went to work in any job that would take him; his only protection was the few boxing skills his father had taught him. Mike and his brother Nick were the only two of their family left to take care of their mother, Anna.

It was hard enough getting to the local shoe shop without getting into a fight - and no sense to run since the same kids lived a block away. It was just reality - winning or losing the fight didn't matter - but standing in and taking and giving a shot defined how the neighborhood thought and treated you.

Then the economics came in; the better you fought; the more fierce you defended yourself; the more food came your way. If a kid was lucky, bystanders might even throw a few pennies on the ground before the police came.

Before the war, Mike met up with Vildo Cerasoli; a fellow Italian-American who shared his simple view of the world: learning everything you can, adapt or die, never take a step back, live today like it is your last. Vildo would become a mentor, friend and eventually, brother-in-law.

Vildo would spend his career on the sea; rising to high positions with the Port of New York and paving the way for shipping commerce around the world. Vildo's savings and sacrifice would position future generations of the family to build something wonderful and lasting; and although a measured period of uncertainty would follow after his passing - his legacy survived and continues strong to this very day.

Vildo and Nina (Mike's future wife) arrived in the United States on January 18, 1922 aboard the Presidente Wilson. They left Capestrano, Italia like hundreds of thousands before them - with the hopes of a better life and a fresh opportunity.

Vildo and Mike were stubborn, determined, humble and focused men. Family first - always. They had no guarentee of a better life; but would fight to the very end trying.

Road to the '42 Title: Role Model, Mentors and Motivation

Long before Mayweather, Ray Leonard, Mosely and De La Hoya was the World Welterweight Champion, Freddie ' Red' Cochrane.  The pride of Elizabeth, New Jersey, Cochrane and was the reigning Welterweight champion in 1942 but would not get to defend his title until the war ended. 

The WWII and Korean War eras marked a unique time in American sports history where many professional athletes joined the Armed Forces and would compete there in the sports they championed. This was perhaps the greatest unified venue of American athletics in our country's history.

Mike Lacche was an amateur but trained with the knowledge the Fort Kamehameha Boxing Championships could be his last. At the end of his journey, Mike would be an Army Champion - and then join his soliders overseas in the real fight of his life.

Road to the '42 Title: arriving at Ft. Fort Kamehameha

Just months after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, S/Sgt. Michael "Mike" Anthony Lacche arrived at Ft. Fort Kamehameha with the same humility, dedication, and goals of every other brave soldier going to war to protect the United States. With the knowledge he too would be sent overseas into the thick of battle, boxing wasn't Mike Lacche's side activity -- it was a brief relief from the weight of the enormous moment that was around everyone.

In today's world, most athletes training for boxing or any other tournament set their entire schedules around the event; even amateur athletes with different "day jobs" still channel their focus and energy to peak during training and competition.

For athletes in the Armed Forces, and especially during times of war, every moment is magnified, every decision accentuated, every step deliberate -- for any day could be their last.

In the spring of 1942, Mike Lacche's bus pulled into the entrance of Ft. Fort Kamehameha -- and along with his Army brothers -- he reported to his assigned barracks, threw a handful of warm water on his face and then lined up, stood at attention and awaited instructions from the commanding officer.

Memories of Mike: Training in Redmond

S/Sgt. Michael "Mike" Anthony Lacche spent his later years in Redmond, Washington and well into his 60s would train in the garage with his bright red Everlast boxing speed bag which he still could rattle with incredible tempo and accuracy. His eyes would pierce the leather ahead of him and the speed bag would almost effortlessly snap the bag back and forth with thunderous shots.

Mike still had "it" with boxing. Something that a few fighters are born with and take with them throughout their life journey.

Mike would keep his coaching short and focused - just like his boxing moves: "tell the bag where to go, don't let it tell you where to go; breathe -- if you don't breathe, you don't last; if you box right, you hear the rhythm. If it sounds wrong, you're punching wrong; don't worry about how big the other guy is; most the guys I beat were bigger than me."

After training, if his grandson did well, there was a small Butterfingers candy bar and an orange creme soda waiting.

Two years until Centennial

Today would have been the 98th birthday of S/Sgt. Michael "Mike" Anthony Lacche, United States Army Welterweight Base Boxing Champion, Fort Kamehameha, Hawaii, 1942. In preparation for the Centennial anniversary of Mike Lacche's birthday on February 13, 2014, we are working with U.S. Army Historians to research and publish more details about his title run.

Mike Lacche was a great man, a devoted athlete and mentor. His legacy is alive and well today.

All athletes in Armed Services Sports represent the purity and  honor of true athletes and competitors; they are role models who deserve being honored. We also encourage you to visit and support Veterans of Foreign Wars.