Stars in the Ring

Personal Reflection

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.

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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.

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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.