At present, skilled Jewish pugilists are as uncommon as a Shabbat dinner with out challah or hen soup, however consider it or not, there was a time when Jews dominated boxing. In keeping with Mike Silver’s Stars within the Ring: Jewish Champions within the Golden Age of Boxing, there have been no fewer than twenty-nine Jewish world champions between 1901 and 1939, which accounts for roughly sixteen % of the entire variety of belt-holders in that stretch. Along with legends like Benny Leonard and Barney Ross, different Jewish battlers with unbelievable careers embrace Abe Attell, Jackie “Child” Berg, Battling Levinsky, Ted “Child” Lewis, Maxie Rosenbloom, and Lew Tendler. And that’s solely the tip of the iceberg.
One other necessary Jewish fighter competing in that very same period was Montreal’s personal Maxie Berger, undoubtedly one of many most interesting boxers Canada has ever produced. In keeping with Silver, Berger began boxing on the native Younger Males’s Hebrew Affiliation in 1931. It took him solely three years to make it to the British Empire Video games, at which he received a silver medal for Canada. After posting a 74-16 novice report, Berger turned professional in 1935 and fought 9 of his first ten fights in Montreal. However for a younger prizefighter to actually make their identify, the U.S. East Coast was the place you wanted to be, so Berger picked up and moved to Brooklyn, New York, the place he fought a lot of his 131 professional bouts.
Berger was the antithesis of a heavy puncher, scoring solely 25 knockouts in 98 professional victories, however he was extremely expert, well-rounded, and a proficient counter-puncher. Previous to Berger’s rematch with Pete Caracciola in October 1936, The Brooklyn Every day Eagle described him as a “swift, positive puncher, excellent on the counter and he has a great right-hand uppercut that he makes use of to benefit in shut.” One other article predicted that “Berger would win as a result of he punches extra shortly and sharply [and] does untold harm as his opponents transfer in to be caught by his swift counter punches. Will probably be a great combat with loads of motion and with Berger drawing loads of applause for the way in which he can fend off a punch and reply with swift straight rights to the noggin.” Because it occurs, Berger and Caracciola fought to a draw on this event.
Along with his formidable expertise, Berger has the excellence of getting confronted a protracted listing of high caliber opponents. He fearlessly took on such legendary fighters as Sugar Ray Robinson, Fritzie Zivic, Beau Jack, Midget Wolgast, Tommy Bell, Ike Williams, and Wesley Ramey. And whereas he went 3-6 in opposition to Corridor of Famers, Berger demonstrated his braveness, gameness and a want for greatness by sharing the ring with them.
When Berger squared off with Robinson at Madison Sq. Backyard in February of 1942, Sugar Ray was 27-0 and a high contender for the welterweight title. The truth is, Sugar Ray had been scheduled to combat Freddie “Crimson” Cochrane for the world title, however Cochrane couldn’t prepare adequate go away from his naval duties. So it was as much as Berger to step in and tackle one of many hottest prospects within the sport, to not point out a future all-time nice. With a report of 74-13-8, and having by no means been stopped, Berger was seen as a respectable check for Robinson. As The Brooklyn Every day Eagle reported: “In view of Robinson’s spectacular report, it’s shocking what number of sensible boxing males predict that Berger might upset the undefeated Harlemite. However Maxie has the boxing model, they are saying, to nullify Robinson’s aggressive punching techniques.”
Sadly for Berger, Robinson confirmed his class by swiftly and effectively taking up in simply the second spherical. The New York Instances reported that “a protracted left hook to the jaw dropped Berger in his tracks quickly after the second began, and the Bronxonite took a rely of six earlier than arising.” After Berger made it to his toes, he “ran right into a blizzard of blows, a depraved smashing of rights and lefts to the physique and head as Robinson sought frenziedly for a knockout.” One other left hook quickly scored a second knockdown, and regardless of Maxie rising on the rely of three, the referee had seen sufficient and saved Berger from additional punishment.
Lower than two months after shedding to Robinson, Berger took on the legendary Fritzie Zivic within the former welterweight champion’s hometown of Pittsburgh. In opposition to Zivic, Berger bought up from two knockdowns within the fourth spherical and, based on The Oregon Night Herald, “solely the Canadian’s willpower appeared to maintain him within the battle between the fifth and eighth rounds when rubbery legs made him a simple goal.” In that loss to Zivic, and later to the good Beau Jack, Berger proved his mettle and hardiness by lasting the gap. And in opposition to males who scored a mixed 125 stoppages, that’s no small feat.
Though Berger did lose six occasions to these enshrined in Canastota, he did notch a pair of wins over the Corridor of Fame Michigan native Wesley Ramey. In keeping with the Wilkes-Barre Document, “The Montreal Jewish boy who had misplaced to Ramey twice in the USA, was forward all the way in which, dropping his opponent within the third, fourth, and seventh rounds. On the finish Ramey might hardly see together with his proper eye and his face was puffed from steady drumfire.” Berger would earn one other win in opposition to Ramey just a few months later, equaling their rivalry at two wins apiece.
Regardless of combating most of his profession within the US, Berger established a crosstown rivalry with Dave Castilloux, a fellow Montreal native. Castilloux was a outstanding fighter in his personal proper, having collected a report of 106-20-4 from 1933 to 1948. And like Berger, Castilloux had shared the ring with Ike Williams and Wesley Ramey. In 4 battles with Castilloux, Berger went 2-2. Berger received the primary two contests with Castilloux by determination in 1935 and 1937, each going down on the Montreal Discussion board, the second for Canadian light-weight title. In 1941, Castilloux defeated Berger by determination of their third encounter, and repeated the feat of their fourth assembly two months later, that bout for the Canadian welterweight championship.
To reveal simply how extremely regarded Berger was among the many combat fraternity, think about this story included in his obituary within the Montreal Gazette in 2000. In 1980, when Roberto Duran took on Sugar Ray Leonard at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, Berger and his good friend Manny Gitnick had been in attendance. Gitnick remembers how Leonard’s coach, the venerable Angelo Dundee, “was so proud to introduce Maxie Berger to Sugar Ray, and he confirmed Leonard [Berger’s] fingers, to indicate what occurs to your fingers after years of boxing. Sugar Ray checked out them as if he was taking a look at a legend. Everyone knew Maxie Berger. He was a category man.”
As a lot as Berger achieved within the ring, he was rather more than only a fighter. “He was a handsome man who dressed properly, loved folks’s firm—significantly the women,” recalled his nephew, Sid Singer, following Maxie’s demise at 83 in 2000. “He beloved a great chortle, a great meal, and a great time. [He] was a sort particular person, a gentleman, and really humble. He would by no means take credit score for his expertise or life. His favourite phrase was, ‘the person upstairs was good to me.’”
Sadly, Berger suffered from dementia in his final decade, however he lived a full and affluent life till then as a warrior and a mensch. And whereas there have been many excellent Jewish boxers throughout the first half of the 20th century, hardly any of them had been from Canada, not to mention from Montreal. And that’s precisely why Maxie Berger ought to endlessly be celebrated and remembered as considered one of Montreal’s most achieved combat figures. — Jamie Rebner
