Tag Archives: boxing
Sandy Saddler
Sandy Saddler (Boxing. Born, Boston, MA, June 23, 1926; died, Bronx, NY, Sept. 18, 2001.) Born Joseph Saddler in Boston, where he also began his pro ring career, Sandy Saddler was a boxing dynamo who fought 162 times in a career stretching from 1944-56 and entered the ring no less than 56 times in the New […]
Harry Wills
Harry Wills (Boxing. Born, New Orleans, LA, May 15, 1889; died, New York, NY, Dec. 21, 1958.) It could reasonably be argued that Harry Wills might have won the world heavyweight boxing champion had Jack Johnson not held the title from 1908-15. Johnson so incited popular racist elements that boxing authorities vowed not to allow another black […]
Mickey Walker
Mickey Walker (Boxing. Born, Elizabeth, NJ, July 13, 1901; died, Freehold, NJ, Apr. 28, 1981.) A local favorite who began a professional boxing career in his hometown, Edward Patrick Walker became the world middleweight champion. Walker, known as “the Toy Bulldog,” reigned from 1926-31. Of his first 23 bouts, 19 were in Elizabeth (the other […]
Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson (Boxing. Born, Brooklyn, NY, June 30, 1966.) Fury unleashed burst into the ring on Mar. 6, 1985 when heavyweight Mike Tyson made his professional debut against Hector Mercedes in Albany, N.Y. At the opening bell, Tyson raced from his corner to launch an attack so vicious that the older, more experienced Mercedes had […]
Gene Tunney
Gene Tunney (Boxing. Born, New York, NY, May 25, 1898; died, Greenwich, CT, Nov. 7, 1978.) James Joseph Tunney started his pro career with three fights in New York and won all three by knockout. World War I delayed the development of his pro career, but in 1919 he gained considerable fame by winning the […]
William Russell
William Russell (College sports. Born, The Bronx, NY, Apr. 12, 1884; died, Los Angeles, CA, Feb. 18, 1929.) A standout all-around athlete at Fordham under his birth name William Lerche, William Russell became a leading movie star in the silent film era. Russell mixed a modest boxing career with some vaudeville and stage work before […]
Irving Rudd
Irving Rudd (Public relations. Born, New York, NY, Oct. 13, 1917; died, Manhasset, NY, June 2, 2000.) It was perhaps natural that Irving Rudd would be attracted to the boxing business, even if as a publicist rather than as a pugilist. He grew up in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn that was prime boxing territory […]
Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom
Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom (Boxing. Born, New York, NY, Sept. 6, 1903; died, Los Angeles, CA, Mar. 6, 1976.) Of the many boxers who sought acting careers, Maxie Rosenbloom was by far the most successful. Not only was Rosenbloom a world light heavyweight champion, but he also appeared in over 30 films in a career during […]
Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson (Boxing. Born, Detroit, MI, May 3, 1920; died, Culver City, CA, Apr. 12, 1989.) Born Walker Smith, Jr., Sugar Ray Robinson became perhaps the most famous of all non-heavyweight champions with his handsome looks and his flashy style both in and out of the ring. He was the welterweight champion once and […]
