Stars in the Ring by Mike Silver

Author:Mike Silver
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781630761400
Publisher: Lyons Press
Published: 2016-07-22T00:00:00+00:00

If boxers were judged on physical appearance alone, then frail, sickly-looking Ruby Goldstein would have been given little chance to succeed. But boxing is not a bodybuilding or strong-man contest, and looks can be deceiving. Despite his somewhat fragile appearance, very few boxers have ever entered the ring with as much natural talent and raw punching power as “The Jewel of the Ghetto.”

Although Goldstein never weighed more than 145 pounds during his prime, he was known to drop light heavyweights in the gym while wearing 16-ounce training gloves! Yet punching power was not his greatest asset. In the ring, perfectly balanced and gliding effortlessly as if on ice, he resembled ballet star Rudolf Nureyev with boxing gloves. Ruby’s darting jabs set up a destructive right cross that was delivered with uncanny speed and extraordinary power. His natural ability was enhanced under the tutelage of master trainer Hymie Cantor who took Goldstein under his wing and prepared his entry into the professional ranks.

Almost from the outset of his career Goldstein was referred to by newspaper reporters as “the world’s greatest prospect,” and the logical heir apparent to recently retired lightweight champion Benny Leonard.

Ruby had won 19 amateur fights before turning pro on December 30, 1924, with a second-round KO of Al Vano at the Pioneer Sporting Club in New York. Over the next 17 months he chalked up another 22 straight victories, 11 by knockout. “The Jewel of the Ghetto” caught the public’s imagination. He was wildly popular, and often fought before standing-room-only crowds.

It wasn’t long before big-time mobsters also took an interest in Ruby. Waxey Gordon (Irving Wexler), one of New York’s major Jewish bootleggers, bought into Ruby’s contract, becoming a 50 percent partner in his management. Newly rich bootleggers liked to collect beautiful women, promising prizefighters and fast racehorses to show off to their friends. The Mob guys often bet heavily on Ruby, and he did not let them down. He appeared well on his way toward winning the lightweight championship.33

Nobody saw it coming, but the bubble was about to burst.

On June 25, 1926, more than 15,000 fans jammed the Coney Island Stadium to watch Ruby continue his march to the lightweight championship. His opponent was little-known Ace Hudkins, aka, “The Nebraska Wildcat.” The soubriquet was an accurate description of Hudkins’s vicious fighting style. He was an aggressive hell-for-leather type who could not be discouraged no matter how hard he was hit. Oddsmakers were not impressed. They made Ruby the 4–1 favorite to win.

Hudkins’s record was a decent 36-8-11, with 15 wins by KO, but most of his fights had taken place on the West Coast, so he was hardly known to New York fight fans, except for the fact that speed demon Sid Terris had easily outpointed him a year earlier in Chicago.

The fight was scheduled for six rounds, since both Goldstein (age 18) and Hudkins (age 20) were below the legal age of 21, required to fight a 10-round bout in New York. Ruby was nervous but confident.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.