Georgie Abrams (November 11, 1918 – June 30, 1994) was an American boxer who came very close to winning the World Middleweight Championship in November 1941 against Tony Zale and was a top contender for the title in the early 1940s.Abrams came close to winning the fight according to the Associated Press in "Zale, King of 160 pounders Licks Abrams", The Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa, pg. 63, 30 November 1941 In his unique boxing career, he fought eight former or future world champions. He was managed by Bo Bregman, and Chris Dundee. Abrams was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005.
Early life and career Georgie Abrams was born the son of a shoemaker in Roanoke, Virginia on November 11, 1918. He was given the middle name "Freedom" for being born on Armistice Day.Silver, Mike, Stars in the Ring, Jewish Champions, (2016) Rowman and Littlefield, Guilford, Connecticut, pg. 103-105 His family eventually moved to Washington, D.C., where he was raised and began his ring career. A gifted athlete and top student in high school, he had to forgo completing college due to the economic pressures of the Great Depression, even though he was offered partial athletic scholarships by two colleges, Notre Dame and Catholic University, in swimming and boxing. He briefly attended Tri-State College in Angola, Indiana, having to leave for financial reasons.Attended Tri-State College in "Boxer Abrams Bares Patriotic Cognomen", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, pg. 15, 26 June 1939Blady, Ken, The Jewish Boxer's Hall of Fame (1988) Shapolsky Publishers, Inc., New York, NY, pgs. 253-257
An outstanding amateur boxer, with a record of 62–3, he won the Washington, D.C. AAU Welterweight Title. Later, he took a Golden Gloves championship in Chicago in 1937 at 147 pounds.Won Golden Gloves in 1937 in "Boxer Abrams Bares Patriotic Cognomen", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, pg. 15, 26 June 1939
Turning professional in 1937, Abrams won his first 17 fights. He earned a shot at middleweight champion Tony Zale by defeating such contenders as Billy Soose, Teddy Yarosz, and Lou Brouillard.
Early career wins On June 6, 1936, Abrams defeated Teddy Yarosz in a ten-round split decision at the Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. In a July 5, 1938, rating of American middleweights, Yarosz was placed at tenth by the Cincinnati Enquirer."Tony Galento is Ranked", Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio, pg. 16, 5 July 1938 Yarosz had previously taken the NYSAC World Middleweight Championship in September 1934 against Vince Dundee in Pittsburgh.
On April 11, 1938, he defeated Jimmy Jones in an eight-round points decision at Turner's Arena in Washington, D.C. Abrams had previously lost to Jones on March 21 in a fifth-round knockout that ended when Jones landed a wild right to his jaw.
On June 29, 1938, he defeated Phil Furr at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C., in a ten-round unanimous decision. Furr was rated the number six welterweight in the country in a standing released by the National Boxing Association (NBA) the following month."Burley Boxes Furr Tonight", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pg. 12, 11 July 1938 The fighting was fast, and Furr had Abrams down on the mat at one point in the match."Burley Ill, Hickey Park Show", The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pg. 20, 11 July 1938
On April 28, 1939, Abrams defeated Harry Balsamo in the main event at New York's Hippodrome in an eight-round points decision. Abrams, who may have taken every round, was on the offensive throughout, never giving Balsamo a chance to lead with his strong right. Balsamo may have not yet been in top condition having had an appendectomy several months prior to the fight, though Abrams' win was decisive."Henry Balsamo Loses Decision", The Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa, pg. 8, 29 April 1939 Abrams was given seven of the eight rounds by most of the judges, and numerous facial cuts at the end, though Balsamo led 3 to 1 in the pre-fight betting."Balsamo Derailed", The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio, pg. 13, 29 April 1939
Win over former middle champ Lou Brouillard, 1939
On June 20, 1939, Abrams defeated Lou Brouillard in a ten-round points decision at Griffith Stadium at Abram's home turf in Washington, D.C., in a ten-round points decision. Brouillard was a former October 1931, NBA World Welterweight Champion, and an August 1933 NYSAC World Middleweight Champion against Ben Jeby, making Abram's win more significant.
On October 28, 1939, he defeated Vincent Pimpinella in an eight-round points decision at Ridgewood Grove in Brooklyn, New York. The Italian Flatbush native Pimpinella, also a New York Golden Gloves winner, fought such boxing greats as Lew Tendler, British born champion Jack "Kid" Berg, Billy Soose, and Fritzie Zivic, as well as sharing some of the opponents Abrams had fought including Phil Furr.
He defeated Ernie Vigh on March 26, 1940, in an eight-round points decision at the New York Coliseum in the Bronx. Both boxers fighting near 162, had a rough March bout before 8,000 spectators. Vigh was the victim of an accidental head butt in the second, and Abrams landed a hard left hook to the face of Vigh in the third. Vigh was known as a very hard puncher and was a top New York-based world rated Middleweight contender between 1941 and 1942, rising as high as second in some standings. Like Abrams, he fought champions Tony Zale and Billy Soose in his career."Georgie Abrams Decisions Vigh", Harrisburg Telegraph, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, pg. 12, 27 March 1940
On July 29, 1940, he met the talented Black boxer Charley Burley in a rough ten round draw at Hickey Park in Millvale, Pennsylvania, close to Burley's hometown of Pittsburgh. Burley had the first two rounds taken from him because of low punches, but may have had a slight edge in the following rounds which ended when Abram's, rallying late with a flurry of punches, may have taken the eighth and ninth. Abrams appeared to have taken the third, but the bout was certainly close and the sharper blows may have been dealt by Burley.Burley may have had the edge in Welsh, Regis, Burley Wins, Gets Only Draw, The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pg. 17, 30 July 1940 The Pittsburgh Press and Post Gazette, though both were hometown papers of Burley, both wrote that Burley probably should have received the decision.
Cocoa Kid win, August 1940 On August 12, 1940, Abrams defeated the Cocoa Kid (Herbert Hardwick), a Black boxer from New Haven, Connecticut. The "Kid" was rated fifth nationally among Middleweights at the time. The Cocoa Kid took the "Colored" Welterweight Title on June 11, 1937, and had previously held the USA New England Welterweight Title. Impressively, Abrams win over the Kid was the black brawler's first loss in forty six successive bouts.Abrams, Al, "Sidelights on Sports", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pg. 13, 17 August 1940
On September 9, 1940, lost to Polish boxer Henry Chmielewski at 160 pounds at the auditorium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in a ten-round points decision. According to The Ring magazine, the decision was somewhat controversial as Abrams had fought in a more polished manner, and possibly thrown more punches. On November 28, 1940, he defeated Chmielewski at 161 at the Riverside Stadium in Washington D. C., in a six-round technical knockout.
Wins over Izzy Jannazzo, Jimmy Leto, and Coley Welsh On December 12, 1940, Abrams defeated Izzy Jannazzo in a ten-round split decision at Carlin's Park in Baltimore. Jannazzo had previously held the World Welterweight Championship as recognized in Maryland in October against the Cocoa Kid. Though leading in the first two rounds, Jannazzo lost the third, being called for a low blow. In the late rounds, a strong attack by Abrams gave him the decision. Abrams dominated the infighting, but Jannazzo put on a more scientific and cautious defense."Abrams Defeats Izzy Jannazzo", Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona, pg. 64, 13 December 1940
On January 20, 1941, Abrams defeated Jimmy Leto in a unanimous decision at Carlin's Park in Baltimore, Maryland. Leto lost the first and seventh due to low blows, though they may have been the only rounds in which he had an edge. Abrams scored with rights and lefts throughout the bout, probably having an edge in all but the first and seventh rounds."Webb Wins Over Smith By a TKO", St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Missouri, pg. 9, 21 January 1941
Boxing at 160, On March 7, 1941, he defeated Coley Welsh, a Polish middleweight, at Madison Square Garden in an eight-round points decision. The bout was at the important venue of the Garden and Welsh would take the USA New England Middleweight Title on March 21, 1941, and hold it for several years, but he would never contend for a World Middleweight title.
Important win over Middle champ Billy Soose, 1941 On July 30, 1941, Abrams defeated Billy Soose at Madison Square Garden in a ten-round unanimous decision. Abrams took a formal furlough from his Naval Reserve Station to attend the bout, already serving as a Boatswain's Mate prior to America's official entry into the WWII. Soose held the World Middleweight Championship recognized in New York and California, having previously taken it in May against Ken Overlin. Before he took the title, Soose had already lost to Abrams twice. One organization, "The American Federation of Boxing", recognized Abrams as World Middleweight Champion after his July 1941 win over Soose, but the organization lacked authority to sanction the title. According to the Decatur Daily Review, Abram's win was fairly decisive, though unfortunately for Abrams, Soose's World Middleweight Title was not on the line, probably since Soose was over the Middleweight limit at 164 pounds."Abrams Whips Billy Soose", The Decatur Daily Review, Decatur, Illinois, pg. 8, 31 July 1941
Close bout for World middle title, Tony Zale, 1941 He met Gary, Indiana native Tony Zale in Madison Square Garden in a World Middleweight Championship match on November 28, 1941, before a crowd of nearly 10,000. Abrams was already serving in the Navy at an air station in Jacksonville, Florida as a boxing Boatswain's Mate under the invitation of Lt. Commander Gene Tunney, and required a pass to meet Zale in New York. Despite knocking down Zale in the first round, a poke in the eye from Zale's glove in the second left him with pain and blurred vision. From the fourth round on, he fought with his left eye nearly closed. Blood from a cut opened above his right eye in the third from an accidental head butt from Zale caused additional vision problems from blood that dripped from the wound. Despite fighting half blind, Abrams fought courageously for fifteen rounds, taking the sixth round due to a low blow from Zale, and the eighth when he staggered Zale with a hard right to the jaw.Conrad, Harold, "Zale is Champion With No Opposition", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, pg. 9, 29 November 1941 The Associated Press actually placed Abrams with the win at eight rounds to Zale's seven. He lost in a somewhat close match, due to the incessant body attacks of Zale in the late rounds, particularly the ninth where he received a severe two handed attack to the midsection.Abrams came close to winning the fight according to the AP in "Zale, King of 160 pounders Licks Abrams", The Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa, pg. 63, 30 November 1941
Rushed to Polyclinic Hospital across the street from his bout with Zale, a doctor felt his eye injury was severe enough to consider surgery to remove it. The Abrams family declined, and Georgie recovered full vision. After recuperating for six months, he returned to boxing and defeated Steve Mamakos in a ten-round points decision on May 25, 1942.