Barney Ross (born Dov-Ber "Beryl" David Rosofsky; December 23, 1909 – January 18, 1967) was an American professional boxer. Ross held world championships in three weight divisions from lightweight to welterweight, and was a decorated veteran of World War II. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class in 1990. In 2007, ESPN ranked him the 22nd greatest boxer of all time. In his time, he was known as the Pride of the Ghetto.

Initially known locally as a brawler, Ross joined a local gang as a teenager, running errands with Jack Ruby (who would later become world-famous for murdering Lee Harvey Oswald) for mobster Al Capone.

Ross later rose to prominence after turning professional in boxing, becoming only the third fighter in history to capture world titles in three weight divisions, the first in the "Queensberry Rules era" to win championships in two weight classes simultaneously, and is believed by some to be the first simultaneous three-division world champion. He was named The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year in 1934 and 1935, and received the Edward J. Neil Trophy by the BWAA in 1942. In his 81-fight professional career, Ross was never knocked out.

Following his boxing career, Ross joined the United States Marine Corps during World War II. While wounded during a night patrol, Ross single-handedly held off a Japanese attack, killing 22 soldiers and saving a fellow Marine. For his bravery, Ross was awarded a Silver Star, Purple Heart, and a Presidential Unit Citation, among others.

Early life

Dov-Ber (or Beryl) Rosofsky was born in New York City to Isidore "Itchik" Rosofsky and Sarah Epstein Rosofsky. His father was a Talmudic scholar who had emigrated to America from his native Brest-Litovsk after barely surviving a pogrom. The family then moved from New York to Chicago. Isidore became a rabbi and owner of a small vegetable shop in Chicago's Maxwell Street neighborhood, a vibrant Jewish ghetto akin to the New York's Lower East Side of the 1920s and '30s. Dov-Ber was being raised to follow in his footsteps.

The young Rasofsky grew up on Chicago's mean streets, ultimately ignoring his father's desire for him to become a rabbi and his admonition that Jews do not resort to violence. Let the goyim be the fighters, Ross later recalled being told by his father. The trombeniks, the murderers—we are the scholars. Ross's ambition in life was to become a Jewish teacher and a Talmudic scholar, but his life was changed forever when his father was shot dead resisting a robbery at his small grocery. Prostrate from grief, his mother Sarah suffered a nervous breakdown and his younger siblings—Ida, Sam and George—were placed in an orphanage or farmed out to other members of the extended family. Dov was left to his own devices at the age of 14.

As recounted in Barney Ross: The Life of a Jewish Fighter, by Ross biographer Douglas Century, in the wake of the tragedy, Dov became vindictive towards everything and turned his back on the orthodox religion of his father. He began running around with local toughs (including another wayward Jewish ghetto kid, the future Jack Ruby), developing into a street brawler, thief and money runner; he was even employed by Al Capone. Ross's goal was to earn enough money to buy a home so that he could reunite his family. He continued his friendship with Ruby into adulthood, testifying as a character witness during Ruby's trial in 1964.

Boxing career

After winning amateur bouts, Dov would pawn the awards—like watches—and set the money aside for his family. There is speculation that Capone bought up tickets to his early fights, knowing some of that money would be funneled to Dov. Plagued by his father's death and feeling an obligation not to sully his name, Dov Rosofsky took the new name "Barney Ross." The name change was also part of a larger trend by Jews to assimilate in the U.S. by taking American-sounding names. Strong, fast and possessed of a powerful will, Ross was soon an Intercity Golden Gloves and Chicago Golden Gloves champion in 1929 at the age of 19. He was the first Golden Gloves champion to ever win a world championship.

At a time—the late 1920s and '30s—when Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was using propaganda to spread his virulently anti-Jewish philosophy, Ross was seen by American Jews as one of their greatest advocates. He represented the concept of Jews finally fighting back. Idolized and respected by all Americans, Ross showed that Jews could thrive in their new country. He made his stand against Hitler and Nazi Germany a public one. He knew that by winning boxing matches, he was displaying a new kind of strength for Jews. He also understood that Americans loved their sports heroes and if Jews wanted to be embraced in the U.S. they would have to assume such places in society. Though Ross had lost faith in religion, he openly embraced his role as a leader of his people.

Ross was unique in the world of boxing as one of its few triple division champions—lightweight, light welterweight and welterweight. He was never knocked out in 81 fights and held his title against some of the best competition in the history of the sport. Ross defeated great Hall-of-Fame champions like Jimmy McLarnin and Tony Canzoneri in matches that drew crowds of more than 50,000.

His first paid fight was on September 1, 1929, when he beat Ramon Lugo by a decision in six rounds. After ten wins in a row, he lost for the first time, to Carlos García by decision after ten rounds.

Over the next 35 bouts, his record was 32–1–2, including a win over former world champion Battling Battalino and one over Babe Ruth (not the baseball player). Another bout included former world champion Cameron Welter. On March 26, 1933, Ross had his first world title bout when he faced world lightweight and light welterweight champion and fellow three-division world champion Tony Canzoneri in Chicago. In one night, Ross became a two-division world champion when he beat Canzoneri by decision in ten rounds. Ross also campaigned heavily in the city of Chicago prior to the fight. After two more wins, including a knockout in six rounds over Johnny Farr, Ross and Canzoneri boxed again, with Ross winning again by decision, but this time after 15 rounds.

Ross was known for his relentless pace, sharp footwork, and ability to absorb punishment while dishing out precise combinations. He retained his title by decision against Sammy Fuller to finish 1933 and against Peter Nebo to begin 1934. Then he defended against former world champion Frankie Klick, against whom he drew. Then came the first of three bouts versus Jimmy McLarnin. Ross vacated the light welterweight title to go after McLarnin's welterweight title and won by decision, his third world championship. He was the first lightweight champion in history to win the welterweight championship as well. However, in a rematch a few weeks later, McLarnin beat Ross by a decision and recovered the title. After that, Ross went back down to light welterweight and reclaimed his title with a 12-round decision over Bobby Pacho. After beating Klick and Henry Woods by decision to retain that title, he went back up in weight for his third and last fight with McLarnin; he recovered the welterweight title by outpointing McLarnin again over 15 rounds. He won 16 bouts in a row after that, including three over future world middleweight champion Ceferino Garcia and one against Al Manfredo. His only two defenses, however, over that stretch were against Garcia and against Izzy Jannazzo, on points in 15 rounds.

In his last fight, Ross defended his title on May 31, 1938, against fellow three-division world champion Henry Armstrong, who beat him by a decision in 15. Although Armstrong pounded Ross inexorably and his trainers begged him to let them stop the fight, Ross refused to stop or go down. Barney Ross had never been knocked out in his career and was determined to leave the ring on his feet. Some boxing experts view Ross's performance against Armstrong as one of the most courageous in history. Some believe that Ross's will to survive every tough fight on his feet had to do with his understanding of his symbolic importance to Jews. That is, Jews would not only fight back, but they would not go down.

Ross retired with a record of 72 wins, 4 losses, 3 draws and two no decisions (Newspaper Decisions: 2–0–0), with 22 wins by knockout. He was ranked #21 on The Ring magazines list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years and #22 on ESPN's list of 50 Greatest Boxers of All Time. In 1999, the Associated Press ranked him the second-greatest junior welterweight and fifth-greatest welterweight of the 20th century.

World War II

In retirement in his early thirties, Ross enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on April 21, 1942, to fight in World War II. The Marines wanted to keep him stateside and use his celebrity status to boost morale. Most of the athletes of the era, like heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey, had ceremonial roles in the military, but Ross insisted on fighting for his country.

Before he was to go overseas, Ross physically assaulted a non-commissioned officer who had made an anti-Semitic remark. He was to be court martialed at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. The other board members wanted to throw the book at Ross, but Captain Berthol E. Davis, who was also Jewish and knew of Ross's achievements, convinced the rest of the board to allow Ross to go overseas and avoid punishment. So, he was sent to the Pacific theater.

Ross served with B Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines during the Battle of Guadalcanal in the South Pacific. On November 19, 1942, his unit crossed the Matanikau River to provide flank security for the advancing 182nd Infantry Regiment and was ambushed by Japanese forces while waiting for the Army to advance. Suffering from malaria, he and three comrades were pinned down under heavy enemy fire in a shell hole. All four were wounded; Ross was the only one able to continue fighting. He gathered his comrades' rifles and grenades and, over the course of the night, threw 21 hand grenades and fired hundreds of rounds of ammunition, single-handedly fighting nearly two dozen Japanese soldiers and killing them all by morning. After the action, his helmet was found to be dented by 30 pieces of shrapnel. Two of the Marines were killed, but Ross carried the third on his shoulders to safety, despite the man weighing 230lb (104kg) compared to Ross' 140lb (64kg).

Ross was awarded America's third highest military honor, the Silver Star, as well as the Purple Heart and a Presidential Citation. As one of America's greatest "celebrity" war heroes, he was honored by President Roosevelt in a Rose Garden ceremony. He was also awarded the Edward J. Neil Trophy as boxing's "man of the year" by the Boxing Writers Association of New York in 1942.

During his time in Guadalcanal, Ross began a lifelong friendship with the Catholic priest Frederic Gehring, a wartime chaplain who wrote regular correspondences for Reader's Digest magazine. Gehring considered Ross a national treasure who defied logic when it came to bravery and the defense of principle. Ross was the only person on Guadacanal capable of playing the temperamental pipe organ kept there. On Christmas Eve, before he and his fellow Marines were to go into battle, Gehring asked Ross to learn "Silent Night" and other Christmas songs for the troops. After Ross had played them, Gehring asked him to play a Jewish song. Ross played "My Yiddishe Momma," about a child's love for his self-sacrificing mother. Many of the Marines knew the melody of the song from Ross's boxing days, when it was played when he entered the ring. When the Marines heard Ross play the song, newspaper reports say, they were all in tears.

Drug addiction and recovery

Recovering at the hospital from malaria and his wounds suffered at Guadalcanal, Ross developed a dependency on the morphine he was administered for pain. Back in the states, the morphine was replaced with street heroin. At the height of his addiction, the habit was costing him as much as $500 per day. He ultimately overcame the addiction and became an outspoken anti-drug advocate, speaking to high school students across the United States about the dangers of drug abuse, and testifying before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Narcotics and Addiction in 1955. His struggle against morphine addiction is the subject of the 1957 film Monkey on My Back.

Later life and death

Following World War II, Ross supported the creation of Israel by reportedly smuggling weapons to the newly established state. He also offered to lead a group of Jewish war veterans called the "George Washington Legion," alongside British organizer Major Samuel Wiser. Additionally, Ross allied with the Bergson Group, a militant Zionist organization.

Ross spent his last days using his celebrity status in promotional work for casinos and other businesses. He remained with his second wife, Cathy Howlett, although they never had children. He was happy he reached the two goals he had set: reunite his family and become a world champion in boxing. He wrote an autobiography titled No Man Stands Alone.

In Sport Life's July 1951 edition, the author pointed out to readers to be aware of tricksters impersonating sport personalities to gain gifts and freebies. The magazine closed the article by highlighting how Ross had walked into a restaurant, where a faker was impersonating Jackie "Kid" Berg and was surrounded by admirers. "So you're Jackie Kid Berg?" the inwardly boiling Ross inquired as he approached the 200-pounder. "Sure" the faker responded. Ross then threw a right hand punch and flattened the phony. "If you were really Jackie Kid Berg, you could have easily taken that punch without going down!"

He also remained loyal to his friend Jack Ruby and testified as a character witness on Ruby's behalf at his trial for killing Lee Harvey Oswald, who was charged with the killings of President John F. Kennedy and Dallas patrolman, J. D. Tippit.

Ross died in his hometown Chicago of throat cancer at the age of 57 and is buried at Rosemont Park Cemetery.

His relatives include Yuri Rasovsky, Solomon Rosowsky and Baruch Leib Rosowsky.

Awards and honors

In 1936, the Chicago Golden Gloves created a new sportsmanship trophy named after Ross to be awarded to the outstanding welterweight. The Aleph Zadik Aleph chapter located in Chicago's south suburbs (primarily in Flossmoor, Homewood, and Olympia Fields), is named in his honor.

Halls of Fame

• The Ring magazine Hall of Fame – Class of 1956

• International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame – Class of 1979

• World Boxing Hall of Fame – Class of 1981

• Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame – Class of 1985

• International Boxing Hall of Fame – Class of 1990 (Inaugural inductee)

• National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum – Class of 1997

• Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame – Class of 2006

Boxing awards

• The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year: 1934, 1935

• Edward J. Neil Trophy: 1942

Military awards

• Silver Star

• Purple Heart

• Presidential Unit Citation

• American Campaign Medal

• Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal

• World War II Victory Medal

Professional boxing record

All information in this section is derived from BoxRec, unless otherwise stated.

Official record

All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as “no decision” bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column.

Unofficial record

Record with the inclusion of newspaper decisions in the win/loss/draw column.

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

• NYSAC lightweight champion (135lbs)

• NBA (WBA) lightweight champion (135lbs)

• World light welterweight champion (140lbs)

• NYSAC welterweight champion (147lbs) (2×)

• NBA (WBA) welterweight champion (147lbs) (2×)

The Ring magazine titles

• The Ring lightweight champion (135lbs)

• The Ring welterweight champion (147lbs) (2×)

Lineal titles

• Lineal lightweight champion

• Lineal light welterweight champion

• Lineal welterweight champion (2×)

Undisputed titles

• Undisputed lightweight champion

• Undisputed welterweight champion (2×)

See also

• Undisputed championship

• Lineal championship

• List of world lightweight boxing champions

• List of world light welterweight boxing champions

• List of world welterweight boxing champions

• List of boxing triple champions

• List of select Jewish boxers

Notes and references

Notes

References

Further reading

• Sussman, Jeffrey. 2016. Max Baer and Barney Ross: Jewish Heroes of Boxing. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

• Interview with Ross biography Barney Ross author Douglas Century on radio program, WBEZ public radio; Chicago, Illinois; March 9, 2006. MP3 file available for free download.

External links

• Barney Ross Biography at Jewish Virtual Library

• Barney Ross Biography at J-Grit

• Barney Ross Biography at Fier & Libre

• National Boxing Association – 1933 Quarterly Ratings

• National Boxing Association – 1935 Quarterly Ratings

• National Boxing Association – 1936 Quarterly Ratings

• National Boxing Association – 1937 Quarterly Ratings

• National Boxing Association – 1938 Quarterly Ratings

• NYSAC Lightweight Championship History

• NYSAC Welterweight Championship History

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