Magnus "Wolf" Larsen
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Magnus "Wolf" Larsen
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About this listen
In the 20th episode of 200 Norwegians, we tell the story of Magnus “Wolf” Larsen, a Norwegian-American boxer whose career rose quickly—and unraveled just as fast.
Born in southern Norway in 1901, Larsen grew up in a family of Travelers and experienced violence and instability from an early age. After coming to the United States, he emerged as a powerful amateur boxer, winning both the New York State and national amateur championships in 1921.
Turning professional, Larsen faced some of the leading fighters of his time, including Gene Tunney. But longer bouts, heavy drinking, and poor decisions undermined his career. Within a few years, he was banned from boxing in New York and drifted through smaller venues and countries, eventually ending up on the margins of the Norwegian immigrant community.
This episode examines Larsen’s brief rise and long decline, and what his life reveals about opportunity, risk, and failure in early twentieth-century immigrant America.