Obituaries in the news

Al Hostak

SEATTLE (AP) -- Al Hostak, who won the middleweight title in 1938 in a bout refereed by Jack Dempsey, died Sunday of complications from a stroke, his son said. He was 90.

On July 28, 1938, Hostak knocked out Freddie Steele in 1 minute, 43 seconds. He sent Steele to the canvas four times in the first round before his opponent was counted out by Dempsey, the former heavyweight great.

Hostak had a record of 63 wins (42 knockouts), nine losses and 12 draws. He was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997.

Hostak was born in Minneapolis to Czech immigrants, who moved to Seattle in 1918. He developed a talent for fighting when classmates teased him about his stuttering.

"He let his fists do the talking," his son said.

In 1932, Hostak had his first official fight at age 16. He lost the 1938 title to Solly Krieger that November in a bout in which he broke his hands. After winning back the crown from Krieger in 1939, he lost it to Tony Zale in 1940.

In 1942, Hostak joined the Army. He was trained as a paratrooper and served in the 101st Airborne. He boxed after the war until 1949, retiring on his 33rd birthday with a ninth-round TKO over Jack Snapp.

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Payao Poontarat

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Payao Poontarat, a boxer who earned Thailand's first Olympic medal, died of Lou Gehrig's disease. He was 49.

Poontarat died Sunday, an official at Bangkok's Siriraj hospital said. He had been hospitalized since December.

Poontarat was 19 when he captured a bronze medal at the Montreal Games in 1976. He later held the WBC superflyweight crown.

The one-time flower seller was celebrated as a national hero after his Olympic triumph.

In 2001, he won a seat in Parliament as a member of the Democrat Party. About a year later, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- a neurodegenerative disease commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.