Bob "Bombardier" Satterfield (November 9, 1923 in St. Louis, Missouri – June 1, 1977) was a heavyweight boxer who fought from 1945 to 1957. Satterfield, a top-rated contender who never fought for the title, retired with a record of 50 wins (35 KOs), 25 losses and 4 draws. Known for his punching power, he is listed in Ring magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time at number 58. Satterfield later died from cancer at the age of 53.

Amateur career Satterfield was the Chicago City Golden Gloves 147-pound champion in 1941. He lost to Al Tribuani on a first-round knockout in the inter-city championship between Chicago and New York boxers.

Professional career Satterfield, known for his punching power and aggressive style, was a fan favorite. His poor stamina and weak chin often cost him fights, however. In his bout against heavyweight contender Rex Layne on March 9, 1951, Satterfield hurt Layne, and knocked him down for an eight count in the first round. Layne slowly retook control of the fight, and ultimately knocked out Satterfield in the eighth round.

Satterfield was knocked out in 7 rounds by future middleweight champion Jake LaMotta on September 12, 1946. He was also knocked out in 2 rounds by former heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles on January 13, 1954. Satterfield did score a knockout over future heavyweight contender Cleveland Williams and also beat the dangerous giant Cuban Niño Valdés, but lost by KO to light heavyweight champion Archie Moore, and dropped 2 out of 3 to future light heavyweight champion Harold Johnson.

He retired from boxing on January 15, 1958, due to a detached retina in his left eye.

In the media In the 2007 motion picture Resurrecting the Champ (based on an L.A. Times Magazine article) a reporter named Erik Kernan Jr. finds a homeless man claiming to be Bob Satterfield and writes an article about him in the Denver Times Magazine. The film stars Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett and Alan Alda and was directed by Rod Lurie.

Trivia Satterfield served in the United States Army from 1942 to 1945. The 1997 story "Resurrecting the Champ" by J.R. Moehringer in the Los Angeles Times said that he was friends with musician Miles Davis and introduced Muhammad Ali to his first wife. This was based on an interview in the Chicago home of his son, Robert Satterfield Jr.

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponentTypeRoundDateAgeLocation79Win Howard KingSD10Nov 21, 195778Win49–25–4 Garvin SawyerSD10Oct 21, 195777Loss48–25–4 Bert WhitehurstUD10Oct 1, 195776Loss48–24–4 Julio MederosPTS10Jun 3, 195775Win48–23–4 Frankie DanielsMD10May 16, 195774Win47–23–4 Ben WiseKO1 (10)Apr 15, 195773Loss46–23–4 Harold JohnsonUD10Mar 12, 195772Win46–22–4 Julio MederosUD10Feb 4, 195771Win45–22–4 Dale HallKO5 (10)Jan 8, 195770Win44–22–4 Warnell LesterKO10 (10)Nov 27, 195669Win43–22–4 Claude ChapmanKO7 (10)Nov 12, 195668Loss42–22–4 Harold CarterTKO5 (10)Aug 1, 195667Win42–21–4 Johnny SummerlinUD10Jun 20, 195666Win41–21–4 Jim PerseyUD10Apr 10, 195665Loss40–21–4 Harold CarterUD10Mar 20, 195664Draw40–20–4 Harold CarterPTS10Feb 28, 195663Loss40–20–3 John HolmanTKO8 (10)Jan 11, 195662Win40–19–3 Paul AndrewsKO9 (10)Dec 6, 195561Win39–19–3 Niño ValdésUD10Aug 17, 195560Draw38–19–3 Joe RowanPTS10Jul 19, 195559Loss38–19–2 Archie McBrideSD10May 11, 195558Loss38–18–2 Joe LindsayUD10Apr 19, 195557Win38–17–2 Marty MarshallSD10Mar 22, 195556Loss37–17–2 Marty MarshallKO2 (10)Nov 30, 195455Win37–16–2 John HolmanKO1 (10)Nov 10, 195454Win36–16–2 Frankie DanielsTKO7 (10)Aug 30, 195453Win35–16–2 John HolmanKO10 (10)Jul 20, 195452Win34–16–2 Cleveland WilliamsKO3 (10)Jun 22, 195451Loss33–16–2 Charley WilliamsSD10Jun 1, 195450Win33–15–2 Julio MederosKO2 (10)May 11, 195449Loss32–15–2 Ezzard CharlesKO2 (10)Jan 13, 195448Win32–14–2 Ray AugustusKO8 (8)Dec 15, 195347Win31–14–2 Bob BakerKO1 (10)Jul 1, 195346Win30–14–2 Gene BrownKO2 (10)Jun 3, 195345Win29–14–2 Murray BurnettKO3 (6)May 15, 195344Loss28–14–2 Harold JohnsonKO2 (10)Oct 6, 195243Win28–13–2 Harold JohnsonSD10Aug 6, 195242Loss27–13–2 Clarence HenryTKO1 (10)Jan 30, 195241Loss27–12–2 Wes BascomMD10Nov 15, 195140Loss27–11–2 Rex LayneTKO8 (10)Mar 9, 195139Win27–10–2 Elkins BrothersTKO2 (10)Jan 19, 195138Win26–10–2 Vern MitchellUD10Dec 13, 195037Loss25–10–2 Lee OmaUD10Sep 25, 195036Win25–9–2 Lee OmaKO6 (10)May 17, 195035Win24–9–2 Tommy GómezUD10Mar 22, 195034Win23–9–2 Nick BaroneUD10Feb 22, 195033Win22–9–2 Sylvester PerkinsTKO2 (10)Nov 18, 194932Loss21–9–2 Henry HallKO4 (10)Apr 25, 194931Loss21–8–2 Archie MooreKO3 (10)Jan 31, 194930Win21–7–2 Bob AmosPTS10Dec 10, 194829Loss20–7–2 Joey MaximUD10Nov 12, 194828Draw20–6–2 Bob AmosPTS10Sep 15, 194827Win20–6–1 Richard HaganTKO9 (10)Sep 7, 194826Win19–6–1 Oakland Billy SmithKO1 (10)Jun 29, 194825Win18–6–1 Art SwidenKO1 (10)May 7, 194824Loss17–6–1 Sam BaroudiTKO2 (10)Jan 23, 194823Win17–5–1 Al JohnsonPTS10Nov 12, 194722Win16–5–1 Chuck HunterKO10 (10)Oct 6, 194721Loss15–5–1 Al JohnsonUD8Aug 18, 194720Win15–4–1 Willie MooreKO2 (8)Jun 30, 194719Loss14–4–1 Bob FoxworthKO1 (10)Mar 14, 194718Win14–3–1 Willie MooreUD8Feb 10, 194717Loss13–3–1 Jake LaMottaKO7 (10)Sep 12, 194616Win13–2–1 Vince PimpinellaKO2 (10)Aug 14, 194615Loss12–2–1 Holman WilliamsSD10Apr 25, 194614Win12–1–1 Johnny ClarkTKO5 (10)Mar 28, 194613Win11–1–1 Benny McCombsKO2 (8)Dec 26, 194512Win10–1–1 Collins BrownKO1 (10)Dec 7, 194511Win9–1–1 Bob GarnerKO2 (8)Nov 14, 194510Win8–1–1 Charley PolkKO2 (8)Oct 24, 19459Win7–1–1 Oscar BoydKO4 (6)Sep 27, 19458Win6–1–1 Curley DentonKO1 (6)Sep 6, 19457Win5–1–1 Vecie VanKO1 (6)Aug 10, 19456Win4–1–1 Herman HayesKO1 (6)Jul 23, 19455Draw3–1–1 Johnny VorcePTS8May 28, 19454Win3–1 Charley RothKO1 (4)May 7, 19453Loss2–1 Mack ParshayKO1 (4)May 2, 19452Win2–0 Arthur McWhorterKO1 (4)Apr 23, 19451Win1–0 Tom MitchellKO1 (4)Mar 19, 1945

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