Of those three, only Golovkin was a surefire vote for me. He fought from 2006-2022 and retired with a record of 42-2-1 (37 KO). He accumulated over 20 middleweight title defenses and was ranked in The Ring top ten pound-for-pound for six years. In his prime, he disposed of virtually every challenger with a seek-and-destroy mentality, ruthless precision, and vicious body punching. Here he was at his best:

Golovkin’s only blemishes were two losses and a draw against Canelo, who was the other all-time great fighter in his era. But it’s fair to say that Canelo largely avoided Golovkin for years, waiting until he was past his best to finally give him a shot.

Vernon Forrest fought from 1992-2008 and finished with a record of 41-3-1 NC (29 KO). Sadly, his life was cut short in 2009 after he tried to chase down the men who robbed him at gunpoint at a gas station outside Atlanta. Forrest briefly held the lineal welterweight title in 2002 after twice beating a prime Shane Mosley, his old amateur rival. Although beating Mosley twice is a remarkable accomplishment, his two subsequent losses to Ricardo Mayorga dampened his momentum and overall legacy.

Forrest, known as The Viper, later moved up and won a title at junior middleweight, but he only defended that belt once before losing and then regaining it against Sergio Mora in 2008. In my opinion, Forrest’s resume lacks the quality and quantity needed for induction; He didn’t fight or beat enough big names to cross the threshold.

Ireland’s Steve “Celtic Warrior” Collins fought from 1986-1997 and retired with a record of 36-3 (21 KO). He won titles at middleweight and super-middleweight, with seven defenses in the latter division and a cumulative record of 9-2 in title fights. His best performances were two wins apiece against Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn, both of whom were then in the twilight of their careers.

Although Collins’s three losses came against elite competition in Mike McCallum, Reggie Johnson, and Sumbu Kalambay, those blemishes still count. In the end, I didn’t think that Collins’s wins over Eubank and Benn were enough to cancel out his losses and push him over the threshold.

With Golovkin getting a checkmark, I was left with a maximum of four more to make. I decided to pick two fighters whom I voted for in the past, Michalczewski and Wonjongkam. I picked them because of their sustained dominance, even if it came against relatively weaker opposition.

With two checkmarks left, I decided to choose between Gilberto Roman, Santos Laciar, Chris Eubank, and Nigel Benn.

Of those four, I felt that Laciar had the weakest resume and was least deserving of induction. Even though I favoured him over Benn/Eubank last year, I changed my mind this year after reconsidering their respective careers.

With Laciar out, I decided to pick Eubank (45-5-2, 23 KO) over Benn (42-5-1, 35 KO) because he had more title defenses (17 vs. 10 for Benn), even though a lower percentage of his challengers were Ring-ranked (47% vs. 70% for Benn). He also beat Benn once in their first of two legendary battles, which counts for a lot in a head-to-head matchup. If you haven’t seen it, watch their first fight below.

Another distinction that Eubank has over Benn was that he fought in one more division, punching above his weight at cruiserweight, where he gave two incredibly gutsy performances against Carl Thompson in the last two bouts of his career. Watch their first epic encounter below:

And Eubank’s foray into the cruiserweight division came immediately after his decision loss to the undefeated Joe Calzaghe, in which he gave the Welsh legend all he could handle in another stirring battle.

Known as the “Dark Destroyer”, Benn was an explosive knockout artist with a more crowd-pleasing style than Eubank, which might make him a more attractive candidate. But Eubank’s toughness and grit were underrated, and he won many big fights, including the win over Benn and twice overcoming fellow Brit Michael Watson.

Although it would be nice to see Eubank and Benn get inducted together because they were fierce rivals, I wasn’t willing to pick Benn over Roman for my last checkmark. Roman was a junior bantamweight from Mexico, who is far less well-known and celebrated than Benn, and I wanted to push his case for induction because I don’t think many other voters will.

Hopefully, Benn gets inducted in a future year so that he and Eubank will have their names enshrined in Canastota together.

To summarize, I voted for Golvokin, Michalczewski, Wonjongkam, Roman, and Eubank. Besides Golovkin, there aren’t any shoo-ins, which means there are induction opportunities for other candidates. I am looking forward to December when the Class of 2026 will be announced.

My latest article was published today on Uncrowned, which you can check out here: Carmen Basilio FOTY

This was an idea that had been percolating in my brain for a while so I am happy that I got it done and that Uncrowned was willing to publish it.

Basilio was the ultimate blood and guts warrior, a perfect fighter for TV who provided endless entertainment to fans throughout the 1950’s and was seldom in a boring fight.

Take some time to watch the videos provided in the article and you will understand exactly what I mean.

I hope you enjoy the article and I am always happy to hear your thoughts and comments.

Thank you for reading.

On Wednesday, the Boxing Writer’s Association of America (BWAA) announced the winners of its annual writing awards.

Each year, BWAA members submit entries and a panel of judges votes for the best pieces in six different categories: Event Coverage, Column, News Story, Feature Under 1,500 Words, Feature Over 1,500 Words, and Investigative Reporting.

I submitted one entry for 2024, for the Long Feature (over 1,500 words) category. I wrote about the rematch between Bob Foster and Pierre Fourie, which took place in Johannesburg on December 1, 1973. It was a historic match because it was the first fight between Black and white fighters in South Africa in almost twenty years, since the beginning of Apartheid.

I am especially proud of this article because I initially started writing it in 2020, but then left it on hold for a few years due to lack of motivation. Last year, I committed to completing it because I like to finish what I started. I spent a great deal of time finishing it, and I am glad that I did because I was rewarded with an honourable mention (picture below).

That goes to show you that you can always come back to complete previous goals even if you took some time off. If the goal really matters to you, you can get it done!

Yesterday, the world lost a legend as former heavyweight champion George Foreman passed away.

Per his family's Instagram post, Foreman died peacefully at 76 without any known illnesses.

It's hard to believe he was only 76 years old given what he fit into his remarkable life. He was an Olympic gold medalist, two-time professional champion, renowned boxing commentator, spiritual leader, successful entrepreneur, and a devoted family man. It's hard to see how he could have fit any more into his life than he did. That’s a lesson that we should all strive to make the most of our precious time here on Earth.

The news of Foreman's passing takes on an additional sad note for me because, as most of you readers know, I am writing a book about Big George's historic comeback. Although I felt it was a long shot that I would get to interview him, now that outcome is final. And when I finally publish this book someday, it's unfortunate that he won't be able to read it. But maybe some of his family members will do so, and I hope that it will bring them joy to read about all that he accomplished in the second act of his boxing career.

To do that means I have to keep writing. My life has been more hectic in the past few months since I started a new job and I am still building my life coaching business. Add to that my regular Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training, other writing, relationships with family and friends, and I am not left with much spare time.

But I recently listened to an episode of a time-management podcast that explained that 15 minutes daily is all you need to make progress on important projects. Maybe you don't have a full three hours to clean your garage or organize your finances. But you should have 15 minutes, and in that time you can make some progress. And if you keep reserving those 15 minutes regularly, over time you will complete the project.

The guest also gave a specific example of writing a book, saying that in 15 minutes, you can write 250 words. If you do that for 200 days, that's 50,000 words written, which can be a whole book. The point is that I have to keep working on my book and squeezing in short bouts of focus to dedicate to it. The magic comes over the long haul.

So while this post was dedicated to George Foreman's passing, I think it is fitting that I ended it on a motivational note.

George defied the odds and achieved one of the greatest feats in sports history in reclaiming the heavyweight title. He is the perfect example to show us that while we all have obstacles in our way, we can't let them stop us from climbing!

Last week the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) officially announced this year’s class of inductees.

Manny Pacquiao, Michael Nunn, and Vinny Paz were inducted into the men's modern category, while Yessica Chavez, Anne Sophie Mathis, and Mary Jo Sanders were inducted into the women's modern category.

In the Non-Participant category, inductees include referee Kenny Bayless, cut man Al Gavin (posthumous), and referee Harry Gibbs (posthumous). In the Observer category, broadcaster/journalist Randy Gordon and television producer Ross Greenburg were selected. The remaining inductees include Rodrigo Valdes (posthumous) in the men's Old-Timer category, Owen Swift (posthumous) in the Pioneer category, and Cathy "Cat" Davis in the women's Trailblazer category.

As I wrote in my previous article for the class of 2025, Pacquiao was a shoo-in and he rightfully gets the first-ballot distinction. His career was incredible and I am so grateful that I got to witness it as it happened. You can read more about how my fandom coincided with Pacquiao’s peak run here.

Here is a breakdown of the other two inductees:

• Michael “Second To” Nunn

  • Career: 1984-2002

  • Record: 58-4 (38 KO)

  • Title defenses: 5 (middleweight), 4 (super-middleweight)

  • Record in title fights: 11-4

  • Key wins: Frank Tate, Juan Roldan, Sumbu Kalambay, Iran Barkley, Marlon Starling, Donald Curry, and Merqui Sosa.

  • Key losses: James Toney, Steve Little, Frankie Liles, and Graciano Rocchigiani.

Even though I didn't vote for Nunn, I gave him a second look, so I understand voters picking him. He had a good run at middleweight, including his devastating first-round knockout of Kalambay (video below), the only stoppage defeat Kalambay suffered in his 64-fight career. Kalambay deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, and it's a travesty he isn't even on the ballot, so Nunn's victory over him deserves much credit. Besides the win over Kalambay, Nunn beat Marlon Starling and fellow HOFer Donald Curry. But both of them were former welterweight champions fighting well above their natural weight, and also past their best when Nunn got to them.

Although Nunn lost his middleweight title by devastating stoppage to James Toney, he rebounded nicely to claim a belt at super-middleweight, which he defended four times, albeit against weaker opposition. Across both of his title reigns, he amassed a total of nine defenses. Seven of those challengers (78%) were ranked in The Ring top ten, one of the highest percentages among fighters on the ballot.

Nunn fought his last fight in January 2002 and that summer, he was arrested for buying cocaine from an undercover cop. In 2004, Nunn was sentenced to 24 years in prison for drug trafficking and he was released in 2019. With that ordeal behind him, Nunn was ecstatic to receive the news about his induction and I can only imagine how great it will feel for him to join the Hall this June.

"Thank God. I've been waiting on this moment for so long. God has truly blessed me," said Nunn in the IBHOF press release. "I want to thank the International Boxing Hall of Fame and all the voters. This is the highest achievement a boxer can have in the sport. As a small-town guy from Iowa to reach the highest achievement in boxing makes me proud. This is the crowning moment of my career."

• Vinny “The Pazmanian Devil” Paz

  • Career: 1983-2004

  • Record: 50-10 (30 KO)

  • Title defenses: 0

  • Record in title fights: 2-6

  • Key wins: Greg Haugen x 2, Lloyd Honeyghan, and Roberto Duran x 2.

  • Key losses: Haugen, Roger Mayweather, Hector Camacho, Roy Jones, Herol Graham, Aaron Davis, and Eric Lucas.

This is a baffling selection to me. The only reason I could think of as to why people voted for Paz is because he had a fan-friendly style, fought the best of his era, and he has an inspiring story. A month after Paz won the junior-middleweight belt in 1991, his second divisional title, he was a passenger in a head-on car collision, in which he fractured two vertebrae in his neck. Doctors told him he would never walk again and certainly never fight again, but he returned to the ring a year later and would continue to fight for more than a decade. His life was given the big-screen treatment in the movie Bleed for This (2016), where he was played by Miles Teller.

Even though Paz's boxing story demonstrates remarkable courage, the stats should carry more weight and his don't merit induction. He went 2-6 in title fights and lost most of the big fights he participated in. On top of that, he never successfully defended either his lightweight or junior middleweight titles. The only truly notable wins he scored were two over Haugen, who is far from a Hall-of-Famer. Not much stock can be put into his wins over Honeyghan or Duran because both were well past their primes.

I feel that inducting a guy like Paz lowers the standard for induction. It waters down the definition of what it means to be considered the best of the best, which is what a Hall of Fame is supposed to represent. It's not a popularity contest and there are many other names on the ballot who accomplished more than Paz.

Regardless, I am happy that Pacquiao and Nunn will be immortalized in Canastota this June. I am sure it will be one of the highlights of their lives and they deserve to feel on top of the world when they stand on the podium because there is no higher honour in the sport.

For more details on all the other inductees, please check out the IBHOF website, where you can learn about their careers and accomplishments.

I am sharing my latest article, which is featured on The Sweet Science website and is my first piece published there. The editor was very easy to work with and I am grateful for the opportunity.

Please click this link to read the article.

I wrote a recap of George Foreman beating Michael Moorer for the heavyweight title on its 30th anniversary. That major upset occurred on November 5, 1994 and it shocked the world because Big George was 47 years old while Moorer was 26 and an undefeated champion.

As many of you know, I am currently writing a book about Foreman’s comeback and his victory over Moorer serves as the book’s climax.

Although this summary article is a much shorter than the version I will provide in my book, writing it helped me research and formulate a proper structure for this fight. It was a useful exercise and hopefully you will enjoy this teaser for my book.

As always, thank you for reading and let me know what you think in the comments!

Pacquaio was the only name I checked off because he is undoubtedly a first-ballot HOFer. He is the only eight-division champion in boxing history and was in the Ring pound-for-pound top ten for over a decade. If a voter doesn't check his name off the list, they should have their voting privilege revoked.

After Pacquaio, I quickly determined that none of the other new names deserved induction. 

Garcia started off with promise after beating Orlando Salido, Juan Manuel Lopez, and Rocky Martinez, but then he took two years off in his prime due to a legal battle with Top Rank. When Garcia finally returned, he prioritized weight-class jumping to earn more titles without defending them. In my opinion, he didn’t score enough big wins in his career. 

Although Bute recorded 9 title defenses, less than half were against Ring-rated contenders. He elected to stay at home in Montreal for multiple easy fights against sub-par opposition. Although it wasn’t his fault that many of the top super-middleweights were tied up with the Super Six World Boxing Classic, his quality of opposition still adversely affects his legacy. After the Super Six, Bute finally got to fight a big name, and Carl Froch annihilated him. After that demolition job, Bute wasn’t the same fighter, going 2-4 to close out the last five years of his career. 

While Shawn Porter deserves credit for facing the best welterweights of his era, he lost all those bouts to Kell Brook, Keith Thurman, Errol Spence, and Terence Crawford. Porter did beat several other contenders, but he only recorded two title defenses in his career. His resume lacks quantity and quality for induction. 

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Having selected Pacquaio, I decided to vote for three names I had voted for previously: Michalczewski, Roman, and Wonjongkam. You can read my article from last year for my rationale. That left me with one more selection to make if I wanted to.

After reviewing the remaining names on the ballot, I gave a longer look at the following candidates: Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, Chris John, Santos Laciar, Michael Nunn, Veeraphol Sahaprom, and Wilfredo Vazquez Sr. After doing so, I decided to give my last checkmark to Argentina’s Laciar.

Laciar fought from 1976-1990 and accumulated a record of 79-10-11 (31 KO). That equates to one hundred fights in fourteen years, for an average of seven fights per year. He was very active, especially in the modern era. Although there are many losses and draws on his record, that is the case for many previous inductees from earlier eras. I focused on his 26-fight unbeaten streak from 1982-1987, during which he recorded ten defenses of his WBA flyweight title. That is an impressive run, which puts him up there with some of the best flyweights ever.

Laciar also notched key wins over Betulio Gonzalez (who should be on the ballot), Hilario Zapata (HOF Class of 2016), and Gilberto Roman. If you compare Laciar to other flyweights on the ballot with similar amount of title defenses like Yuri Arbachakov and Sot Chitalada, he has significantly more fights, wins, and years of experience than them. Although Omar Narvaez had more title defenses at flyweight than Laciar as well as many at junior bantamweight, only three out of his twenty-seven total title defenses (11%) came against Ring-Ranked contenders. That percentage is the second-lowest of the names on the ballot, which is a key factor working against him. With that additional analysis, I felt that Laciar was deserving of induction. Feel free to check out his highlight reel below.

To summarize, I voted for Laciar, Michalczewski, Pacquaio, Roman, and Wonjongkam. Besides Pacquaio, the ballot is void of any shoo-ins, which means there are induction opportunities for the other candidates. Although I hope my other selections get their name called, it will be a challenge since they are all non-American, and the majority are lower-weight fighters, and thus less popular. That being said, this is a leaner year so they have a better shot at induction. Regardless, I am looking forward to December 1st when the Class of 2025 will officially be announced and I will be able to share that news with you.  

Hello!

Long time no speak.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been active here this year because I have been busy with other projects and responsibilities. Thankfully, I now have some more time to dedicate to writing, which I always enjoy.

Today I am sharing the link to my latest article, which has been published by Boxing News Online. It is about the monumental second fight between Bob Foster and Pierre Fourie that took place on Dec 1, 1973 in South Africa.

This was an article that I had initially researched and worked on in 2020 but which I never finished. I always like to finish what I start and the fact that I never completed it was gnawing at me.

So I decided that this year I was going to get it done once and for all. It took me a while to complete but I am proud of my effort and the finished product, and I am grateful that Boxing News was willing to feature it.

Please click here to read it on the Boxing News website and let me know what you think in the comments. Feel free to share it too!

Earlier this week, the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) officially announced this year’s class of inductees.

In the men’s Modern category, Ivan Calderon, Diego Corrales, Ricky Hatton, and Michael Moorer were inducted, while Jane Couch and Ana Maria Torres were chosen in the women’s Modern category.

In the Non-Participant category, inductees include trainer Kenny Adams, manager Jackie Kallen, and publicist Fred Sternburg. In the Observer category, journalist Wallace Matthews and broadcaster Nick Charles (posthumous) were selected. Lastly, Luis Angel Firpo (posthumous) was inducted in the men’s Old-Timer category, while Theresa Kibby was chosen in the women’s Trailblazer category.

I want to congratulate all of this year’s inductees on an incredible accomplishment. I know that the IBHOF is far from perfect but it is the best boxing hall of fame that exists and it does an excellent job of paying tribute to the sport’s legends. To be enshrined is the highest honor in boxing and this year’s inductees should be immensely proud of themselves for reaching the pinnacle of their profession.

I will focus on the men’s Modern inductees because that is the category I get to vote in and of which I am most knowledgeable as a result of my research. Four inductees were selected because they all received 80% of the vote. Of those four, I voted for one of them, Ivan Calderon. For a more detailed breakdown of why I picked him, check out my previous post here.

Here is my breakdown of the other inductees:

• Diego Corrales

  • Career: 1996-2007

  • Record: 40-5 (33 KO)

  • Title defenses: 4 (junior lightweight), 1 (lightweight)

  • Record in title fights: 7-2

  • Key wins: Robert Garcia, Derrick Gainer, Angel Manfredy, Joel Casamayor, Acelino Freitas, Jose Luis Castillo

  • Key losses: Floyd Mayweather Jr., Joel Casamayor x 2, Jose Luis Castillo

The reason I didn’t vote for Corrales is because he wasn’t dominant enough over the competitors of his era. He beat a number of solid contenders, but he also lost several big fights. I must say that his win over Freitas was particularly impressive, and I wrote about for The Fight City. His resume is very similar to Casamayor’s so I don’t see how one could get in over the other, but maybe his advantage came from being the winner of one of the greatest fights in boxing history. If you haven’t seen that fight, check it out below:

It must also be said that after losing to Mayweather in 2001, Corrales served 14 months in prison for domestic violence against his then-pregnant ex-wife. He returned to boxing in 2003 and fought until 2007. Sadly, he died in a crash while driving his motorcycle drunk on May 7, 2007 , exactly two years after his first epic clash with Castillo. Toxicology reports showed that his blood alcohol content was three times the legal limit in Nevada. Suffice it to say that Corrales had his demons, but he was still an accomplished fighter who achieved remarkable things in the sport.

• Ricky Hatton

  • Career: 1997-2012

  • Record: 45-3 (32 KO)

  • Title Defenses: 5 (junior welterweight)

  • Record in title fights: 7-3

  • Key wins: Kostya Tszyu, Luis Collazo, Jose Luis Castillo, Paulie Malignaggi

  • Key losses: Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao

While he was a very popular fighter in his native England, Hatton’s resume is thin for a HOFer. Although he built up his record in his home country to 38-0 before getting a title shot, he didn’t beat any truly top contenders. But to his credit, Hatton did capitalize on the title-fight opportunity, beating up fellow HOFer Kostya Tszyu in his career-best performance. That fight is worth a watch below:

After beating Tszyu, he scored wins over Carlos Maussa, Luis Collazo, Juan Urango, and Jose Luis Castillo, all good wins but only Castillo was world-class. Then the undefeated Hatton faced Mayweather in the biggest fight of his career and he was thoroughly outclassed before getting stopped in the tenth. He rebounded with wins over Juan Lazcano and Paulie Malignaggi before suffering another resounding defeat at the hands of Manny Pacquiao. After taking three years out of the ring, Hatton returned for an ill-advised fight with Vyacheslav Senchenko, who stopped him in nine.

Hatton was extremely popular and for good reason; He was a humble, working-class, action fighter who made the most of his skills. Even though he was one-dimensional, he was very effective in that dimension due to his tenacity and relentless aggression. Those traits meant that he was seldom in boring fights and always gave fans their money’s worth.

• Michael Moorer

  • Career: 1988-2008

  • Record: 52-4-1 (40 KO)

  • Title defenses: 9 (light-heavyweight), 2 (heavyweight)

  • Record in title fights: 15-2

  • Key wins: Leslie Stewart, Bert Cooper, Evander Holyfield, Axel Schulz, Francois Botha, Vasiliy Jirov

  • Key losses: George Foreman, Holyfield, David Tua

Moorer rose to prominence as a member of the Kronk gym, winning the WBO light-heavyweight title in his first year as a pro by stopping Ramzi Hassan. That was his 12^th victory that year, all by stoppage. He would defend that title nine times in two years, but the only notable name on that list was former champion Leslie Stewart.

Moorer then moved up to heavyweight and won the WBO title in a barnburner against Bert Cooper, which is another must-watch fight that you can find below:

But his heavyweight campaign was far less dominant as he never defended the WBO belt and even though he won five fights after beating Cooper, only James "Bonecrusher" Smith was a recognizable name. Although he did score a big win against Holyfield to claim two belts in 1994, he lost them in his first defense to George Foreman in a monumental upset. He won another heavyweight strap a couple of years later and made two defenses but would then lose to Holyfield in their rematch in 1997. He would compete until 2008, which included 13 more wins, but only Jirov was a truly credible contender.

If I had to vote for one of the three aforementioned fighters to get inducted, I would pick Moorer because of his sustained dominance in one weight class, which the other candidates cannot boast. Although that light-heavyweight reign came against weaker opposition, it still carries weight. He also scored a few meaningful wins at heavyweight that deserve credit.

Unfortunately, I won’t be in Canastota this summer to commemorate this year’s class but I know they will enjoy their time in the sun because it’s always an amazing weekend of celebrations.

For more details on all the other inductees, please check out the IBHOF website, where you can learn about their careers and accomplishments.

I recently finished reading Stars in the Ring by Mike Silver, a coffee table book that details the history of Jewish boxing, including profiles of close to 200 Jewish boxers. The majority of those fighters fought from 1920-1940, which comprises the Golden Age of Jewish boxing in Chapter 4 of the book.

I am particularly fond of my copy of the book because the author sent me a personal bookplate for it shortly after I purchased it, which you can see pictured below.

Silver and I have been communicating by email since 2018 and he was nice enough to mail me that inscription. Whenever I open the book, it gives me great pride to read Mike’s kind words, which encourage me to continue with my boxing research and writing. I consider him a friend and mentor. Mike, if you are reading this, thank you again for all your support. I will always be grateful for your willingness to talk to me early on in my writing journey and for your help along the way.

After finishing the book, I wanted to share some of my favorite excerpts and here they are:

• Kingfish Levinsky, born Harry Krakow, was a heavyweight contender in the 1930s who was managed by his older sister Lena for much of his career because she felt he was getting ripped off by greedy managers and promoters. Lena even got Levinsky a shot at Joe Louis, who was two years away from winning the heavyweight championship.

  • “Next up was an opponent that everyone remembers but Levinsky wished he could forget. On August 7, 1935, he faced the undefeated heavyweight sensation, Joe Louis. Lena was at first reluctant to take the match—until Louis’s promoter, Mike Jacobs, offered to pay her brother $30,000. “For that money, we will fight anyone,” she answered. “Where’s the contract?”

• Young Montreal, born Morris Billingkoff, fought from 1916-1931 and was a top bantamweight contender for years but never received a title shot. I have a particular fondness for Young Montreal because he included Montreal as part of his nickname, which is where I grew up and spent most of my life. Why he chose Montreal as part of his nickname despite having never lived there isn't explained in the book.

  • “With his pipestem arms and skinny frame, Young Montreal’s physique belied a hidden strength and durability not visible to the naked eye. He was stopped only twice in 134 documented bouts. Both losses occurred when he was well past his prime.”

• Charley Phil Rosenberg, born Charles Green, was the world bantamweight champion from 1925-1927. His dad died from being accidentally crushed to death in an elevator shaft when Charley was an infant. That left his widow mother to care for her nine kids alone. She placed Charley in a basin under her pushcart that she peddled items from to make a living.

  • “I was a rough kid in the streets, like all kids 50 years back were rough kids. I worked when I could. I went out and took other things when I couldn’t, that’s all. I mean, it was nothing for me to go into a grocery store and steal a dozen rolls or something because we were hungry. Nine kids and nobody to help us. We had a very tough bringing up.”

  • Once when Rosenberg was fighting in Toledo, Ohio, someone in the crowd yelled out, "Kill the Jew bastard." Charley turned around, took a mouthful of water and blood, and spit it right in the man's face, who happened to be the mayor of Toledo.

• Sugar Ray Robinson is considered by most to be the greatest fighter who ever lived. And in his career of 200 bouts, he fought four Jewish fighters: Artie Levine, Maxie Berger, Maxie Shapiro, and Georgie Abrams. The following is a quote from him about Levine, who he defeated by tenth-round stoppage in November of 1946. Robinson often said that Levine hit him with the hardest punch of his career.

  • “I knew about Artie Levine. Six weeks before I outpointed Tommy Bell for the title I boxed Levine in Cleveland. He clipped me with a left hook to the jaw that flopped me like a fish in the fifth round, or so I’ve been told.”

• Victor “Young” Perez of France was the flyweight champion of the world from 1931-1932. He was still fighting at the outbreak of WW2 in Paris, but he was captured by the French paramilitary force in 1943 and sent to the Auschwitz death camp. During his time at Auschwitz, he was selected to box other inmates for the entertainment of the SS officers. It was reported that he won 140 consecutive bouts as a prisoner over 15 months. While boxing, he also worked in the kitchen, and he would routinely steal from a large soup container to distribute to his fellow inmates. When Victor was routinely warned by his friends that he would be hanged if caught, he replied with the following poignant quote:

  • “Human beings were created in order to help others. We live in order to help!”

  Sadly, Perez was killed by a Nazi guard in January 1945 during a death march while trying to deliver a sack of bread to his starving friends. And our world would be so much better if more people lived by Perez’s words.

Stars in the Ring is even more relevant right now because of how difficult and tragic the past few months have been for Israelis and Jews worldwide. On Oct 7, the terrorist organization Hamas carried out a heinous massacre that led to the death of more than 1000 innocent civilians and over 200 hostages taken, the majority of which are still being held captive.

To make matters worse, since the attacks on Oct 7, anti-Semitic hate crimes have risen by staggering amounts around the world. Seeing and reading about those random acts of violence far beyond the confines of Israel and Gaza have contributed to my heightened feeling of anxiety. I am very concerned for the safety of my family, friends, and loved ones who now have a target on their backs simply because they’re Jewish.

So why does a book about Jewish boxers bring me comfort during such a difficult time? Well, it’s because the book proves that fighting is in our DNA, both physically and spiritually. Silver demonstrates the major role that Jews have played in the history of boxing through his detailed description of countless Jewish combatants.

Although there are way fewer professional Jewish boxers today compared to our heyday in the sport, there are still several active Jewish fighters thriving in combat sports. Look no further than David Alaverdian, an Israeli flyweight currently living and training in Las Vegas. Joining him are fellow Israeli MMA fighters, including Natan Levy (8-1), Shimon Smotritsky (10-2), Ilay Barzilay (3-0), and Eli Aronov (6-1). That demonstrates that Jews are still actively representing with pride on the world combat sport scene.

But even Jews who are not martial artists have an innate fighting spirit because our history has instilled it in us. We have been hated, persecuted, and attacked for centuries. And even the Holocaust, which wiped out so many of our people, did not eliminate us completely. The many harrowing tales of Holocaust survivors show us that we are capable of overcoming the absolute worst tragedies that exist.

The fact is, we will never be destroyed. Our people are strong and resilient and no matter how many enemies want us wiped out, that will NEVER happen. We are a tight-knit community all around the world and we will support each other and our homeland of Israel forever. Overcoming adversity is entrenched in our souls and that spirit will NEVER be broken.

I would also like to thank those outside of the Jewish community who have shown to be our allies during this tragic time. Some people have reached out to me personally and others have been vocal about their support for Jews and we appreciate all those messages and demonstration of support. During a time when many Jews feel targeted and isolated, receiving words of support from outside our community makes us feel empowered and encouraged to keep moving forward.

In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Stars in the Ring and learning about so many Jewish boxers. The truth is, I have always been proud to be Jewish but reading this book has amplified that feeling, knowing that Jews had such a strong presence in the history of my favorite sport. That history can never be denied and our contributions to the sport will stand the test of time. And if you ever need a reminder of that, just pick up a copy of Silver’s book. 

It’s been nine months since my last book update so I wanted to provide you with news about its development. Since that first update last February, I have roughly written the first few chapters. They are by no means complete but I wanted to get the main sections down on paper, including the quotations I plan to use.

From there, I moved on to writing about the individual fights of Foreman’s comeback, which will represent the bulk of the book. So far, I have written about 2/34 fights.

As I was researching Foreman’s third comeback fight against Bobby Crabtree, I came across an article written about him in 2020 on NYFights.com by Robert Mladinich. I reached out to Robert to see if he would be willing to provide contact info for Crabtree. Not expecting to get a response back, I was pleasantly surprised when Mladinich answered my email that same day. And he not only provided Crabtree’s contact info but also the info for a few other fighters in Foreman’s comeback. I also received the contact info for one fighter from Murray Greig of the International Boxing Research Organization.

Now that I had several names to contact for interviews, I decided to change up the order of my fight research to prioritize those contacts I had acquired. Sadly, you never know how long ex-fighters will be around and I wanted to make sure I got to hear their stories while they are still able to tell them.

I started by reaching out to Ken Lakusta, a fellow Canadian, and fight #23/34 on Foreman’s comeback trail. Lakusta fought from 1979-1994 and retired with a record of 23-23-1. He shared the ring with some incredible heavyweights, including Donovan Ruddock, Tommy Morrison, Larry Holmes, and David Tua. I spoke with Ken for an hour and he was very easy to talk to and happily shared his experience fighting Foreman.

After speaking to Lakusta, I contacted Bobby Hitz, who now resides in Chicago and works as a boxing promoter and restaurant owner. Hitz fought from 1985-1989, compiling a record of 15-5, and he was comeback opponent #12/34. Foreman was by far the biggest name that Hitz faced in his career, and he was happy to talk extensively about that fight. We spoke for an hour and it was a pleasure to hear from him.

I then contacted Bobby Crabtree, who was comeback opponent #3/34 and the one who was next up in my chronological list of fights. Crabtree fought from 1982-2002 and finished with a record of 56-35-1. Besides Foreman, Crabtree also fought the likes of Mike Weaver, Michael Dokes, Tyrell Biggs, and Michael Moorer. Crabtree is from Arkansas and we had a lovely chat for 30 minutes.

For my last interview, I spoke with David Jaco from Florida, who was comeback opponent #14/34. Jaco fought from 1981-1994, compiling a record of 24-25-1. He fought Foreman in 1988 amid a three-fight losing streak. Similar to Crabtree and Lakusta, Jaco fought the best heavyweights of his generation, including the likes of Donovan Ruddock, Mike Tyson, Buster Douglas, Tommy Morrison, and Bert Cooper. And just like all the fighters I had the privilege of talking to, he was very generous with his time.

I believe that the interviews I conducted with the aforementioned fighters are going to make my book special because their unique stories have yet to be told. Everyone knows Foreman but very few people know his opponents, especially the random ones he fought during his comeback. Each of them has an interesting backstory and perspective that deserves to be heard. I am looking forward to dissecting the interviews and pulling some interesting quotes for the book.

As always, I keep pushing forward and making progress. I try to work on the book every weekend, but there are some weeks that I am too busy to do so. During those absences, I try to be self-compassionate and accept that those lulls will happen throughout the course of such a massive project. But I don’t let the weeks spiral where I completely fall off track.

As long as I can move the book forward in some way, even if it’s just watching fights and doing research, I am happy and proud. I keep reminding myself that even 1% forward is better than no progress at all. And I recommend that you adopt that same mentality with any challenging goal you have in your life. Any step forward is a good step!

This year’s class is an especially wide-open race because there are virtually no locks for induction like there have been in recent years. Without any candidates standing head and shoulders above the rest, it will be that much more difficult to predict who will get in.

The three new names added to the ballot this year were Artur Grigorian, Veeraphol Sahaprom, and Shinsuke Yamanaka. Here is some brief info on each of them:

• Grigorian

  • Career: 1994-2009

  • Record: 38-1 (23 KO)

  • Lightweight

  • Title defenses: 17

• Sahaprom

  • Career: 1994-2010

  • Record: 66-4-2 (46 KO)

  • Bantamweight

  • Title defenses: 14

• Yamanaka

  • Career: 2006-2018

  • Record: 27-2-2 (19 KO)

  • Bantamweight

  • Title defenses: 12

Ultimately, I decided that none of those three new names deserved to be inducted because there were other holdovers on the ballot with comparable or better resumes. I also feel that being a first-ballot HOFer is a special distinction and those three new names didn’t have such spectacular careers to warrant that honor.

I then decided to review the list of holdovers from last year as a first step. Since I already had last year’s research and criteria to guide me, I whittled my list down fairly easily to the following names:

• Ivan Calderon

• Chris Eubank

• Chris John

• Dariusz Michalczewski

• Michael Nunn

• Gilberto Roman

• Ponsaklek Wonjongkam

From that list I decided to eliminate Michael Nunn because I felt his resume was weaker upon closer inspection. Although he was a two-weight champion, his middleweight reign was far more impressive than his reign at super-middleweight. And although he made five defenses at 160 pounds, two of which were against Marlon Starling and Donald Curry, both of them were natural welterweights and at the tail end of their careers.

With my remaining list, I decided to collect a few more data points to use as tiebreakers.

The first tiebreaker I looked at was if the candidates were ever ranked in The Ring magazine’s top 10 pound-for-pound list. The only candidate to earn that distinction was Calderon, who was ranked #9 in 2008. Another check in favour of the Puerto Rican.

The last tiebreaker was to see if the remaining candidates had ever unified or attempted to unify titles in their division. The only ones to have done so were Eubank and Michalczewski. Eubank attempted to unify against heated local rival Nigel Benn in their super-middleweight rematch in 1993. But that fight was declared a draw so both men retained their respective titles. Michalczewski was successful in unifying the WBA and IBF belts with his WBO title when he beat Virgil Hill in 1997, even though he was unfairly stripped of two of those titles shortly thereafter.

Based on those tiebreakers in conjunction with my already established criteria, I decided to put checkmarks next to Calderon, Michalczewski, and Wonjongkam. I didn’t just pick them because I had done so last year; I made sure to carefully review their careers once more and see how they stacked up against the other names on the ballot.

The one knock against them was their quality of opposition. Based on the stats I collected about the percentage of their title defenses that were against contenders who were at some point ranked in The Ring top 10, Calderon was highest with 47%, while Michalczewski dropped to 26%, and Wonjongkam was lowest at 14%.

Ultimately, I felt that their dominance and longevity were enough to overcome that lower quality of opposition. And I believe there is something to be said for holding a title and defending it for many years even if it’s against less-than-stellar opposition. That’s because when you’re the champ, you have a target on your back and every contender brings their A-game when they get the chance to fight you because they might not get another one. So you know you are facing them at their best.

With three names checked off the ballot, I was allowed a maximum of two more selections. So I had to decide if Eubank, John, and Roman were worthy of checkmarks.

You could make the same case for Eubank and John, just like Michalczewski and Wonjongkam because they had long title reigns albeit against weaker opposition.

Eubank was 17-5-2 in title fights, which included 17 defenses of his super-middleweight belt. Although he scored impressive wins over the likes of Nigel Benn, Michael Watson (x 2), Thulani Malinga, and Graciano Rocchigiani, he also lost key fights to Steve Collins (x 2), Joe Calzaghe, and Carl Thompson (x 2). Yes, those losses came at the end of his career, but they cannot be ignored. Of his 17 title defenses, eight challengers (47%) were at one point ranked in The Ring top 10, which roughly represents the median value for the current names on the ballot. However, I still felt his resume lacked the quality to be inducted this year.

Similar to Eubank, Chris John made 18 successful defenses of his featherweight strap during his near decade-long reign as champion, and he was 15-1-3 in title fights. But of those 18 defenses, only 6 challengers (33%) were Ring-ranked at one point. Although he scored solid wins over Juan Manuel Marquez, Derrick Gainer, and Rocky Juarez, I felt his resume was similar to Eubank’s in that it lacked quality.

I decided to give my final checkmark to Gilberto Roman, who competed from 1981-1990 and retired with a record of 54-6-1 (35 KO). He had two separate reigns as junior bantamweight (115 lbs) champion, registering a total of 11 title defenses. He went 13-2 in title fights and of his 11 defenses, five challengers (45%) were Ring-ranked at some point. He scored notable wins over Jiro Watanabe, Edgar Monserrat, Sugar Baby Rojas (x 2), and Santos Laciar (against whom he went 1-1-1).

Roman is undoubtedly one of the best ever junior bantamweights, which is meaningful given the division’s talent-rich history. He had sublime defensive instincts and counter-punching skills, yet he wasn’t afraid to mix it up on the inside. I feel that he has done enough in terms of longevity, dominance, and resume quality to warrant induction so I gave him a checkmark. It felt good to do so especially considering that he is generally overlooked and rarely mentioned in the list of greatest Mexican fighters.

Check out his highlight below:

After doing one final review of all the names on the ballot, I was able to confidently sent off my ballot in the mail, which you can see in the image below. I am happy with my selections knowing that I compiled even more data this year and put the names through another rigorous selection process.

Now that the hard part is done, I am looking forward to the official announcement of inductees on December 1 and seeing if I played a small part in helping them achieve the highest honour in the sport.

Celebrating wins, no matter how big or small, is crucial. Oftentimes, we put forth tremendous effort toward accomplishing a goal, and then we quickly move on to the next one without savoring our achievement. But it’s crucial to stop and smell the roses after you accomplish something so that you can truly appreciate all your hard work. Because that's what makes the achievement so gratifying, knowing how much effort was required.

With that in mind, I would like to celebrate a recent win of mine. Last week, The Boxing Writer’s Association of America (BWAA) announced the winners of its annual writing awards.

Each year, BWAA members submit entries and a panel of judges votes for the best pieces in six different categories: Event Coverage, Column, News Story, Feature Under 1,500 Words, Feature Over 1,500 Words, and Investigative Reporting.

I submitted two entries for 2022, one for Event Coverage and another for Short Feature. I wrote about the Shakur Stevenson-Oscar Valdez unification fight, and I also did a profile on Maxie Berger. My feature on Berger received an honorable mention in its category (image below). To be mentioned alongside other great writers like Tris Dixon and Chris Mannix makes me very proud.

I started my writing journey in 2016 and have written nearly 100 articles so far. It hasn’t been any precocious talent that has led me to receive this honorable mention. It has taken a lot of dedication to working on my craft over the years, and it is nice to see my effort rewarded. Although I would still feel that way even if I hadn't received the mention, it feels satisfying and encouraging to be recognized by my colleagues.

I was inspired to write about Berger because he is from my hometown of Montreal and shares my Jewish faith. I thoroughly enjoyed researching him and learning about his career through old newspaper articles. I even went to the local YM-YWHA to find pictures of him in his youth. Like all my articles, crafting and polishing the piece took much time. I am grateful to my editor at The Fight City, Michael Carbert, for featuring my writing and for the valuable feedback he gave me throughout my writing process.

Thank you all for your support, and feel free to share some of your recent wins in the comments. I always like hearing your replies.

You can count on one hand the number of Israeli professional boxers who have competed for world titles: Yuri Foreman, Ran Nakash, and Hagar Finer. But David Alaverdian, an undefeated flyweight from Nahariya now based in Las Vegas, is attempting to become the fourth.

In 2009, Yuri Foreman beat Daniel Santos for the WBA junior middleweight belt but lost in his first defense to Miguel Cotto. Then in 2011, Haifa’s Ran Nakash challenged cruiserweight great Marco Huck and gave a valiant effort in a decision loss for the WBO strap. Last but not least, Hagar Finer, a flyweight from Jerusalem, competed from 2002-2012, and she went 6-6 in title fights, including four bantamweight title defenses.

Alaverdian aims to be the next Israeli to fight for a world title. He’s 29 years old and has a record of 8-0-1, which means that time is not exactly on his side. To reach his goals, he needs to expedite his progress while he is still in his athletic prime. That is why he intends to move down to junior flyweight soon.

“I think I should move down to 108 pounds. I am not even big for flyweight (112 pounds). I can cut down with proper training and dieting and make 108, where there’s not a big pool of good boxers, so it will be much easier to fight for a title there. And then once I win a title, I will be more of a star and then go up to 112 for big fights. In one year, I think I can fight for a title. At the age of 30, I think that would be a good time. I am very healthy. I take care of my body, and I don’t have any injuries. I don’t cut a lot of weight and never have. I think I can stay in boxing until 35 years old.”

But becoming a world champion wasn’t the goal from the outset for Alaverdian. Although he started boxing at eight, he didn’t train consistently throughout his youth. At 15, he joined an Air Force military school in Haifa, and during those years, he stopped boxing entirely. Bereft of crucial experience typically acquired during those formative years, Alaverdian had to make up for lost time when he got back into boxing at 18.

But even then he couldn’t make boxing his sole focus as he had to complete his mandatory army service for three years. Although his army duties were less demanding due to his special status as a high-performance athlete, his service still occupied many hours of his time.

“It took me a while to get over that lack of experience. I should have boxed during those three years [15-18], but I didn't. When I got back to boxing, I was already a senior and I constantly lost because I didn't have that experience. They were all adults, some were 25-30 years old, and I was an 18-year-old with no experience. So it took me a while.

“Training in Israel is completely different. Unlike in the States, where gyms are packed with good boxers, most gyms in Israel might have one or two good boxers. But they usually leave because there is no future. Where can you go? Let’s say you're outstanding, and you win a medal in a big international tournament, and they put you on an athlete payroll that pays less than 1,000 dollars per month. You can’t make a career out of that.

“It’s a very long journey that 90% of the people will not be successful in. It's a big risk with a very low chance of a reward. So many Israelis won’t go that route. I don’t think that will change anytime soon unless somebody like myself becomes successful, and people will look at me in a different way, and the sport will grow.”

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Alaverdian completed his amateur career in 2019 with roughly 70 wins and 35 losses, then moved to Las Vegas to start his pro career. He trains out of Richard Steele’s boxing gym under the tutelage of Cedric Ferguson, his main coach, in addition to weekly sessions with Floyd Mayweather Sr.

Alaverdian demonstrates a monastic dedication to the sport, which starkly contrasts his sporadic training as an adolescent. But that’s what it will take to become a world champion. And although Alaverdian recognizes the arduous journey ahead of him, he doesn’t let that dissuade him. 

“I enjoy the struggle because if you’re struggling, it means you’re doing something right, and it will turn out to be good because nothing worth anything is easy to get. I am already proud of myself for the journey that I have made. All the losses I had as an amateur and not quitting and staying consistent. I am proud of that. All the guys that were with me on the amateur team quit a long time ago. I am the only one left with the younger generation.

“I will be way more proud if I become a world champion. I dream of opening my own gym in Israel that will inspire the younger generation to box. I am very good with social media, so I believe that I will make people interested in the whole sport. So a lot more things in the future that I can be proud of.”

Alaverdian has already asserted himself among the coterie of Israeli boxing pioneers. And if he keeps grinding and stays fully committed to his chosen sport, he may even become a world champion. Either way, he will have inspired the next generation of Israelis to pursue professional boxing. And that’s one accomplishment that will stand the test of time.   

Happy Monday everyone!

I wanted to let you know that the print edition of Ringside Side #21 is now available on Amazon. You can order your copy by clicking your location at the following link: https://mailchi.mp/3aa94943839f/ringside-seat-print-magazine-13782958

It’s a great issue featuring informative and intriguing articles from my fellow contributors in addition to my article on the Kronk gym. I know you will enjoy it.

Your support is much appreciated!

As I wrote in my holiday update a few months ago, I have been working on two major writing projects: an article about Kronk gym sparring and a book about George Foreman’s comeback.

I am pleased to announce that Ringside Seat magazine has officially published my Kronk article in its latest issue.

It took me two months to write the Kronk article, which involved five interviews and several drafts. I am very proud of how it turned out and all the hard work I put in to make it a reality. I have always been motivated by achieving goals, and I am willing to put in the work and overcome obstacles in order to accomplish those goals. This article is another example of that.

It makes me happy to see my name on the issue’s list of contributors, among other great boxing writers, knowing that I created this opportunity and followed through to make it happen.

I want to thank John Lepak, Tarick Salmaci, Milton McCrory, Ka-Dy King, and Leeonzer Barber for giving me their time and telling their stories. I am also grateful for Ringside Seat editor Bill Dettloff, who helped me secure some of those interviews and provided valuable feedback during the editing process. Without those people, I wouldn’t have been able to create this great piece, which I consider one of my best articles to date.

I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

During my Holiday Update, I mentioned that I would be working on two significant projects: an article about the Kronk gym and my first boxing book.

The Kronk gym piece came out well and will be published in Issue #21 of Ringside Seat Magazine in late February or early March. I am looking forward to sharing that with you when it comes out. You can also subscribe to the digital magazine here and get all the upcoming issues.

As for my boxing book, I have been mainly focusing on preliminary research and putting together the book proposal, a formal document I will pitch to publishers later. To prepare the proposal, I read How to Write a Book Proposal, which has been a crucial resource.

My book's subject will be George Foreman's comeback. After losing the title to Muhammad Ali in the Rumble in the Jungle in 1974, Foreman won a few more fights in 1976 before losing to Jimmy Young in 1977. The Young loss and subsequent spiritual awakening led Foreman to become a minister and take ten years off from boxing. He returned in 1987 intending to become heavyweight champion once again.

I find the comeback aspect of Foreman’s story fascinating, and not much has been written about it yet. However, today, the trailer below was released. When I first watched it, I was admittedly disappointed. I thought my book idea was fresh and exciting, and the movie dampens that. But I quickly decided to see the film in a positive light because I didn't want it to deter me from writing my book.

If the movie is a commercial success, then that proves there is interest in Foreman’s life story. I know that reading a book is a much bigger time investment than watching a movie, and many will opt only to see the movie. But even if only a small fraction of moviegoers purchases my book, they may not have bought it without first learning about Foreman through the movie. I will also be interested in watching it so I can fact-check during my research and see where the film falls short or excels. There is a way to capitalize on the movie, and I will find ways to make it work for me and not against me.

I look forward to providing additional updates as they happen.

Thank you!

My task for the post was to compile a list of the top five Jewish-Canadian boxers. I already had a few names in mind, but I needed to research to complete my list. To do so, I used my invaluable coffee table book, Stars in the Ring by Mike Silver, which contains pretty much the entire history of Jewish boxing. I always enjoy researching and learning new facts about boxing history, especially Jewish fighters, so this was a fun exercise. 

You can find my list here and I have also included it below with additional facts about each boxer:  

1. Maxie Berger

• Hometown: Montreal

• Career: 1935-1946

• Record: 98-23-9-1 NC

• Highlights:

  • Canadian lightweight champion

  • Fought 6 Hall of Famers: Sugar Ray Robinson, Fritzie Zivic, Beau Jack, Midget Wolgast, Ike Williams, and Wesley Ramey. Record against them was 3-6

  • Ranked top-10 welterweight in his prime (#6 in 1940 Ring rankings)

2. Al Foreman

• Hometown: Montreal

• Career: 1920-1933

• Record: 99-20-10-1 ND

• Highlights:

  • Born in the UK, he moved to Canada in 1924 at the age of 20

  • During last four years of his career, he won the Canadian, British, and British Empire lightweight titles

  • Fought 4 Hall of Famers: Petey Sarron, Frank Erne (debut), Johnny Dundee, and Louis (Kid) Kaplan. Record against them was 2-2

3. Sammy Luftspring

• Hometown: Toronto

• Career: 1936-1940

• Record: 32-8

• Highlights:

  • Earned a spot on the 1936 Canadian Olympic team but boycotted the Berlin Games in protest of Germany’s abhorrent treatment of Jews

  • Canadian welterweight champion

  • Ranked top-10 welterweight in his prime (#7 in 1938 Ring rankings)

4. Harry Hurst

• Hometown: Montreal

• Career: 1939-1948

• Record: 47-14-6

• Highlights:

  • Born in the UK, he later moved to Montreal.

  • As an amateur, he won a silver medal at the British Empire Games in 1938

  • Went 0-2 vs. Johnny Greco for the Canadian welterweight title

  • Went 0-1-1 vs. Dave Castilloux for the Canadian lightweight title

  • Lost a decision to Sammy Angott in 1941, the only HOFer he competed against

  • Ranked top-10 lightweight in his prime (#9 in 1941 Ring rankings)

5. Benjamin Norman Yakubowitz (Norman “Baby” Yack)

• Hometown: Toronto

• Career: 1936-1939

• Record: 23-13-1

• Highlights:

  • Went 90-10 as an amateur, which earned him a spot on the 1936 Canadian Olympic team. Like Luftspring, he boycotted the Berlin Games in protest of Germany’s abhorrent treatment of Jews

  • Canadian bantamweight champion

  • Ranked top-10 bantamweight in his prime (#7 in 1937 Ring rankings)

Honorable mentions: Solly Cantor, Benny Gould, Moe Herscovitch, Jackie Phillips, and Curly Wilshur.

It is with sadness that I am sharing today’s news of the death of former world champion Moses "Buster" Drayton. Drayton was 70 years old, and the cause of death has yet to be made public.

Drayton was a junior middleweight who competed from 1978-1995, amassing a record of 40-15-1 (28 KO). He briefly held a world title from 1986-1987, which included two defenses in France. He would lose the title in his third defense against Montrealer Matthew Hilton. I wrote about that thrilling fight for The Fight City a few years ago, which is definitely worth watching. It took place at the Montreal Forum and was broadcast live on ABC.

Drayton was a crafty competitor who was always willing to test himself against the best, including Sumbu Kalambay, Davey Moore, Julian Jackson, and Terry Norris, of which the latter two are in the IBHOF.

RIP Buster.  

The aforementioned Harry Haft was a Jewish prisoner during the Second World War who boxed for survival. Harry's son, Alan, wrote his father's biography, titled Harry Haft: Survivor of Auschwitz, Challenger of Rocky Marciano. The book was also turned into the movie The Survivor, which was recently released on Crave.

I chose this book as my selection for the boxing book club that I participate in. Our group of around ten guys, most of whom live in the United Kingdom, meet every two months on Zoom to discuss the latest book. It’s been a pleasure to be a part of the club and get a chance to read boxing books I wouldn’t have read on my own.

I chose Haft’s book because I love learning about Jewish boxers, and not only was Haft a Jewish boxer, but he was also a Holocaust survivor. That has personal significance because my grandfather is a Holocaust survivor as well. I know how important it is to propagate survivors' stories, and I knew that picking this book would allow more people to learn about Haft's story.

Haft was born in Belchatow, a small town south of Lodz in Poland. He grew up in a poor family as the youngest of ten. In October 1939, Germany seized control of Belchatow, and the Nazis seized Jewish property and enacted anti-Jewish laws.

Despite the war breaking out when Harry was 15, he was in love with his girlfriend Leah, who had accepted his marriage proposal. Unfortunately, they were unable to make their union official because Harry was abruptly forced to board a bus from Belchatow to Poznan, where he endured the first of many slave labor camps.

After several months in Poznan, Harry moved to another labor camp in Strezlin, and then to Auschwitz, where he was assigned to the crematoriums to toss freshly gassed bodies into the ovens. The human spirit can only take so much of that harrowing duty, and shortly after, Harry broke down and refused to continue.

Thankfully, a German SS officer, the aforementioned Schneider, noticed Harry and spared his life by moving him to a workgroup responsible for sifting through the belongings of new prisoners in search of valuables. It was Schneider who recruited Harry to become a boxer in Jaworzno, and Harry agreed to participate because it provided extra food and lighter work duty. The brutal weekly matches would take place for months, with Harry having roughly 75 fights.

After surviving Jaworzno, Haft spent time working in camps in Flossenburg, Rogoznica, and then a factory in Amberg. At this time, the war was ending, and when the Germans took the remaining Jews from the factory on a death march, Harry found an opportunity to escape. He ran away from the group and avoided the incoming gunfire pointed in his direction. Alone and desperate, Harry then spent weeks in the Bohemian Forest, killing several farm owners along the way as he sought temporary refuge and shelter. Eventually, Harry was rescued by American soldiers.

From there, Harry’s circuitous journey involved several more twists and turns, but he was finally able to immigrate to the United States. It was there that Harry decided to pursue his professional boxing career. If he could become famous and be featured in the newspaper or on television, maybe Leah would recognize his name and try to contact him. After all, he had never confirmed what had happened to her all those years ago.

The author spent the book's second part summarizing Harry's boxing career, including a short synopsis of his fights. However, that section, along with others, was too rushed. Alan included every twist and turn in Harry's journey and, in doing so, included extraneous material. However, despite some unnecessary content, the book was very compelling, especially its final fifteen pages, which described Harry’s reunion with Leah.

Alan was 13 when his father took their family on vacation to Miami so that he could reconnect with Leah. Harry had heard from the survivors’ society that she was living in Miami with the married name of Lieberman. When they arrived at the hotel, Harry made Alan dial every Lieberman in the phone book. Luckily enough, Leah’s husband answered one of the calls and invited them over to visit. The next day, Harry and Alan drove to Leah’s home, where they learned she had cancer. Despite being frail, Leah was happy to see Harry after so many years, and they had an emotional reunion.

Alan describes the scene:

“Her husband walked her over to us, and we rose. Leah and my father stood face to face crying. My father was the toughest man on Earth. I had never seen him cry. He just stood there sobbing, and Sarah [Leah's daughter] gave him a napkin from the table to wipe his eyes.”

I can't imagine what that visit must have been like for Harry, but Alan described it well despite only being an adolescent.

The book's afterword was also poignant because it provided insight into Alan's perspective. We learn that Harry had initially asked his son to write his story when he was in college in the early 1970’s. But Alan was reluctant to hear his father’s story because “it would explain some of his behavior that I did not want to excuse." Alan adds that, "He [Harry] was prone to fits of rage, and I remember being beaten for my childish misbehavior.”

Alan says, “By today's standards, I was an abused child. As I grew older, married, and had my own children, I struggled to understand and love my father. Unlike my brother and sister, I managed compassion and tried to be a good and caring son. I often asked myself, ‘How would I have turned out if I had his experiences? What kind of husband and father would I be?’”

Alan writes in one of the book’s final paragraphs, “I have spent my entire adult life trying to get my father to love me. The writing of this book was my last attempt. After learning firsthand what my father had to endure, I understand why he was who he was. I love him. And I forgive him.” 

Although it must have been an emotionally exhausting undertaking for Harry and Alan to record Harry's life journey, it was necessary. As the years go by, fewer and fewer Holocaust survivors remain alive. That's why every video, book, or testimony that records their firsthand experiences is crucial for posterity. We need to remember their stories to honor their lives and to remind us of the dangers of extreme bigotry and prejudice.

I commend Alan for his courage in writing his father’s story and thank him for adding another piece to the compendium of Holocaust literature. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of the Holocaust and boxing. It is a short but powerful story that deserves to be remembered and shared.