Freddie Mueller
Lightweight 1924 - 1931

Freddie Mueller was born December 11, 1904 in Buffalo, New York. He began his amateur boxing career at the age of seven. In 1922, Freddie won the"City Championship" in the amateur Bantamweight division, along with his younger brother, Chris, who won the Flyweight division Championship and Art Weigand who won the Lightweight division Championship.

Freddie began his professional boxing career in 1924. He soon earned the nickname "The Flying Dutchman" due to his speed on his feet and the ability to unleash a barrage of punches and then back away, like the maritime apparition of legend. Freddie showed he was durable and could take a punch. Chicago fans will never forget Freddie's bout on April 12, 1927 with the "Fargo Express" slugger, Billy Petrolle. The Dutchman fought him to a ten-round draw, after fighting the night before in Buffalo. The Chicago Sports writers believed that Freddie should have won. "The Fargo Express" was touted at the time as the "uncrowned champion of the division hut, Freddie was also considered by many as an "uncrowned champion", as no one would give him a shot at the title.

He also fought Buffalo's former World Lightweight Champion, Jimmy Goodrich in 1927, twice, losing the first fight in fifteen rounds and winning the second fight in ten rounds. Freddie Mueller gained national prominence again in another Chicago bout against Ray Miller in 1928. Miller was one of the hardest hitting lightweights in the division. It was a hard fought battle as Freddie was knocked down in the tenth round but managed a flurry himself to win a ten round decision.

Mueller went up against many of the best fighters from that era, such as, Solly Seaman, Ray Romney, Sid Barbarian, Spug Meyers, Pete Petrolle, Sam Bruce, Louis (Kid) Kaplan and Bobby Tracey. Freddie retired from boxing in 1931, at the age of twenty-six, as he developed cataracts. After his boxing career, Freddie went to work as a grain handler in South Buffalo, he also worked for the City of Buffalo's Recreation Department for many years. Freddie also operated a few taverns over the years with his brother.

Freddie Mueller kept his hand in the fight game, as he never lost his love for the ring. In 1962, Freddie and his close friend, ex-fighter, Jimmy Harkins organized Buffalo's chapter of the "National Veteran Boxer's Association". Buffalo received it's chapter, or Ring number # 44 and Freddie was the only Vice-President for many years. They held many Dinner Dances and Banquets and traveled to many conventions with most of the members and wives, to help promote the general welfare of active and retired boxers.

In 1974, Mueller and a friend, Bob Motz decided to start up a boxing team at the Orioles Club in Lancaster, where Freddie was a member. They set up shop in the basement that used to he a bowling alley. Motz and Mueller chipped in to buy all the equipment. They worked with about twenty kids at one time and started training a whole new generation of "Flying Dutchman" for many years.

Freddie Mueller passed away on July 26, 1990 at the age of eighty-five, after raising a family of six children and numerous grandchildren.

It is our honor tonight, to induct Freddie Mueller into Ring #44's Boxing Hall of Fame, as a great boxer, a past Vice-President of Ring #44, and his devotion to the sport of Boxing! May we never forget the "Flying Dutchman"!