Johnny "The Scotch Wop"[4] Dundee (November 19, 1893 – April 22, 1965) was an American featherweight and the first world junior lightweight champion boxer who fought from 1910 until 1932.

[6] He was raised on Manhattan's West Side where his father owned a fish shop on 41st Street and 9th Avenue.

[2] Sports writer, and cartoonist, Hype Igoe, also bestowed the lasting moniker, "The Little Bar of Iron," on Curreri, in homage to his durability.

[9] In 1921, Dundee won the junior lightweight championship when his opponent, George "KO" Chaney, was disqualified in the fifth round.

On July 6, 1922, Dundee defeated "Little" Jackie Sharkey by unanimous decision in a fifteen-round Junior Lightweight title bout at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.

[12] Dundee successfully defended his junior lightweight crown three times before losing it to Jack Bernstein on May 30, 1923.

Dundee was expected to win; however, he lost a unanimous fifteen-round decision despite knocking Bernstein down in the third round.

Less than two months later, Dundee was given the opportunity to fight featherweight champion, and war hero, Eugene Criqui.

[13] Criqui had beaten Johnny Kilbane two days after Dundee's fight with Bernstein, with a sixth-round knockout.

However, part of the contract for this fight required that he give Dundee a shot at the title within sixty days.

The Milwaukee Sentinel echoed by printing "By probably the worst decision in local boxing history, Johnny Dundee of Jersey City regained his Junior Lightweight championship from Jack Bernstein.

"[15][16][17][18] In contrast, the Milwaukee Journal noted that Dundee finished strong in the bout, and agreed with the decision.

[2][19][20] The last significant fight of his career was in 1927 when he challenged featherweight champion Tony Canzoneri, but lost a 15-round decision.

However, two fights into it, he officially retired after posting a six-round decision win over Mickey Greb, and a 10th round lost to Al Dunbar.

"[28] His wife claimed he knocked her unconscious six months into their marriage, and would often hit himself in the head with a pair of shoes, to the point of drawing blood.

Statistical boxing website BoxRec lists Dundee as the #3 ranked featherweight of all time, while The Ring Magazine founder Nat Fleischer placed him at #4.

When he died the other day, at the age of 74, the main legacy he left was the enduring friendships that this popular and amiable little guy collected over the years.