Varias Milling: The Bicol Ghost Chicago Couldn’t Ignore
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 27 Mar 2025
The boxing ring does not care where you came from, what you gave up, or how much you deserve a break. It only knows one thing— the fight. The pain. The will to stand up when everything tells you to stay down.
Varias Milling knew that feeling better than most.
He fought in places where the cheers weren’t for him, where the pay barely covered the bruises, and where every round was a reminder that boxing was a business first, a sport second, and fair play only mattered when it was convenient. He wasn’t just another Filipino fighter hoping to carve out a living…he was a warrior, a man who stood his ground against some of the best to ever lace up gloves. He gave everything to this sport. But when it was done with him, it left him behind.
From Bicol to Chicago: Fighting for a Place in the World
Milling didn’t come from boxing royalty. No sponsors were waiting. No promoters were hyping him up as the next big thing. He came from Bicol, a land shaped by storms and volcanic eruptions, where life didn’t hand out favors. Boxing wasn’t a childhood dream—it was just another way to survive.
That same fight carried him across the Pacific to Chicago, a city where the ring was as ruthless as the streets. Here, boxing wasn’t just a sport— it was a racket, controlled by men in suits who counted money while fighters bled for their cut. Milling wasn’t there to play second fiddle. He wasn’t there to just get by.
He was there to prove he belonged.
And fight after fight, he did just that.
Source: The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) • Sun, Nov 1, 1931 • Page 73
A Warrior Who Took on the Best
Between the late 1920s and 1930s, Milling stepped into the ring 132 times, earning 57 wins, 50 losses, and 25 draws. No hand picked opponents. No easy wins. He took on anyone, anywhere. And some of those names went on to become legends.
• Henry Armstrong – One of, if not, the greatest to ever do it. A man who held three world titles at once. Milling lasted the full ten rounds in their first fight before Armstrong stopped him in the rematch.
• Baby Arizmendi – A relentless world champion. In 1932, Milling battled him to a draw in Los Angeles, proving he could hang with the best.
• Mickey Cohen – Before he was a feared gangster, Cohen was just another fighter. Milling took him apart in Oakland in 1932, stopping him in eight rounds.
• Fidel LaBarba – An Olympic gold medalist and former world champion, known for his sharp technique. Milling fought him multiple times, refusing to be outclassed.
• Midget Wolgast – A future Hall of Famer, quick and relentless. Milling went the distance with him twice, dropping close decisions.
• Petey Sarron – A future featherweight world champion. Milling fought him in Virginia in 1933, lasting ten hard rounds before losing on points.
These weren’t just fights. These were battles, and Varias Miling (his original surname spelling) never took a step backward.
The Title Shot That Never Came
Boxing isn’t just about who’s the toughest. It’s about money, connections, and politics— the whispered deals in back rooms that decide who gets a shot at greatness and who gets left in the shadows. Milling was supposed to get his chance. If he could beat Newsboy Brown, he would be next in line to fight Bat Battalino for the featherweight title. A shot at the history books.
It never happened.
Maybe it was politics. Maybe it was money. Maybe it was just how the fight game worked. One moment, the opportunity was there. The next, it was gone.
The wins kept coming. So did the losses. And at some point, the whispers changed. He wasn’t the rising star anymore. He was the veteran, the measuring stick for young fighters looking to prove they were ready for the big leagues.
He knew what that meant. Every fighter does. But he never turned down a fight.
Source: THE KNOCKOUT, Published Weekly Vol. 5, page 6, JULY 30, 1932
The Fight Outlives the Fighter
The years rolled on. The arenas emptied. The crowds moved on. But Milling? He lived long after his days in the ring. He died on June 5, 1987, at the age of 79.
Boxing boosters build statues, write
books, and retell stories of those who held the belts. But fighters like Milling? They become shadows. But ghosts don’t just disappear. They linger in old stories, in grainy photos, in the quiet corners of the sport where real ones still whisper their names.
Varias Milling, the Bicol Ghost, never wore a championship belt, but that never defined him.
Sources and recommended readings:
• Top Photo of Varias Milling: THE KNOCKOUT, Published Weekly, No. 47, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1932
• Boxrec.com: https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/9565 (The record of Varias Milling in the Philippines was obtained by Luckett Davis from the Manila Daily Times and the Manila Daily Bulletin; His record in Australia was provided by John M. Hogg of Brisbane; His record in Great Britain is from BOXING (England); His American record is from the Chicago Tribune (searched by Bob Soderman) and various other newspapers, as compiled by Luckett Davis)
• BoxerList.com: https://boxerlist.com/boxer/varias-milling/8123
• All photos and references in this article are properly attributed and comply with the U.S. Fair Use Doctrine
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Emmanuel Rivera, RRT.
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