September is an important month in the family history of S/Sgt. Michael "Mike" Anthony Lacche (La'KAY), United States Army Welterweight Base Boxing Champion, Fort Kamehameha, Hawaii, 1942.
September 10: Nick Lacche (brother, 125th birth anniversary is 2035)
September 19: Vildo Cerasoli (brother-in-law, family patriarch), birthday anniversary (centennial is 2016)
September 21: Mike Lacche enlistment anniversary in United States Army (1939).
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.
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.
